The philosophy of yoga in the West has been inaccessible and incomprehensible for many centuries. The first who became interested in yoga on a scientific basis was the great philosopher Schopenhauer. Closest in spirit to him was precisely raja and buddhi yoga, that is, the yoga of the mind and consciousness. Schopenhauer relied on the Upanishads, but many other historical and very ancient documents are available to the modern scientist or student of yoga, which undoubtedly simplifies immersion in the world of yoga and makes it easier to understand its features.
Raja yoga is interpreted by many sources as the queen of yoga, as it is directly related to the practices of mind control. We instinctively consider the mind to be the “king” of our entire organism, because it voluntarily or involuntarily obeys the orders of the mind and is under its continuous vigilant attention.
The essence of this direction in yoga
On the Internet you can find some articles in which raja yoga is interpreted as a practice for kings, "royal yoga", almost a way to become an absolute ruler. In fact, this is a completely wrong explanation of the essence of this direction. By its nature, any kind of yoga is not directed outward, to the surrounding world, but inward, to achieve inner balance and harmony with oneself, unity with the supreme Absolute of the Spirit.
Raja yoga is aimed at working with the human mind, therefore it is considered one of the most important areas. Since the body and mind of a person are in constant and inextricable connection, in order to influence the state of mind, one must learn to perfectly control one's own body. At this stage, many yoga beginners make major mistakes. They pay too much attention to bodily practices, limiting spiritual ones, such as meditation or breathing exercises. In fact, in raja yoga, all stages are extremely important. Only by learning to control your body and psycho-emotional manifestations, you can hope to move on to control the mind. For this, there is a classic technique for beginners.
All lessons are conducted according to a system that includes eight stages, or levels. Because of this, raja yoga is often called ashtanga yoga (ashtanga is the eight steps):
- Yama - rules of conduct.
- Niyama - immersion in spiritual practices.
- Asana - performing special exercises to harmonize the spirit and body.
- , also leading to the unification of the spiritual and bodily essence.
- Pratyahara - distraction from external influences.
- Dharana is the concentration of the mental faculties.
- Dhyana is a state of meditation.
- Samadhi is complete peace, inner contemplation of one's unity with the supreme mind.
Only after passing all these eight steps, one can truly master raja yoga. At the same time, each stage is very important, it cannot be skipped or excluded, since all together they are a single whole, the main condition for mastering the yoga of the mind. It is best to work on yourself in order to comprehend Raja Yoga under the guidance of an experienced teacher, but there are also exercises for beginners that allow you to start learning personally. At the moment, the best and perhaps the only guide of this type is the book by Willis Slater “Raja Yoga. Classic technique for beginners. It is also available in Russian. It quite simply and intelligibly outlines the basic conditions for the practical development of this type of yoga.
V. Slater's book as a help for beginner yogis
This book will greatly facilitate the assimilation of yogic practices, as it outlines all the techniques based on the author's great personal experience. They are adapted to understand the representatives of our race with its specific mentality. The whole course is quite simplified and accessible even to those who have never practiced yoga in any form.
The book describes exercises for beginners, designed for ten months of classes. There are 10 lessons in total, that is, a whole month is allotted for mastering the exercise and transferring it to constant practice. Based on this book, mastering this simplified version of raja yoga will be much easier than trying to do it, relying on other external sources. In addition, the presence of a competent and well-formulated "textbook" will help to master the practice much easier and faster, and will also help beginners not to make gross and dangerous mistakes.
Brahma Kumaris University
Nowadays, royal yoga is becoming more and more popular, it is not surprising that there are many different adaptations and variants of it. One of the most widely known centers promoting this direction is the Brahma Kumaris, or Brahma Kumaris World Spiritual University. It is a modern religious movement based on raja yoga as one of the meditation practices.
Brahma Kumaris uses a very simplified version of raja yoga adapted for understanding and mastering by modern people. Brahma Kumaris borrowed many of his teachings from Pantajali's Yoga Sutras.
All members of the Brahma Kumaris refuse sexual intercourse, do not eat meat, becoming supporters of a vegetarian diet. Also for the supporters of Brahma Kumaris is characterized by the refusal to drink alcohol, smoking and the use of drugs.
The main goal of Brahma Kumaris is to achieve a blissful state of total happiness, complete well-being. To do this, Brahma Kumaris uses 4 basic principles:
- Knowledge
- Connection in thoughts
- Positive traits
- Service
The growth in the number of fans of this University speaks of the high popularity of this type of raja yoga.
King of Kings
When translated from Sanskrit, Rajadhiraja is the king of kings. Thus, rajadhiraja yoga is a practice that allows the yogi to stop identifying himself solely with the physical body, and feel like a soul - part of the universal mind. If we consider the mind as the king of the human body, then the soul becomes the king of kings - the leader of the mind. This is precisely what is emphasized in the name of this system.
Rajadhiraja yoga has deep roots and an ancient tradition. It actually grew out of the best manifestations of tantra, and in the last century its practices were restored, expanded and developed, and also adapted to the requirements and characteristics of modern people.
Rajadhiraja yoga practiced is based on the gentle performance of a series of asanas, which are designed to balance the body and spirit. They are selected individually by the teacher for each specific student, just like the mantras mentally repeated during the entire set of exercises and each specific asana in particular. Such a complex contributes to the harmonization of the hormonal background, thereby improving the general condition of the body and contributing to the further process of freeing the mind.
Used exercises
It must always be remembered that the physical side of exercises, breathing practices (pranayama) and meditation is not a priority, this is only a means to achieve spiritual perfection. However, they all promote health and improve the body, which leads to physical strength and longevity. As a result, the Ashtanga yoga practitioner receives a large supply of vitality and mental and physical hardening, as well as a reserve of time to achieve spiritual perfection and the ability to control and manage his mind.
Although raja yoga is associated with all eight limbs of ashtanga yoga, it mainly uses the last four, i.e. pratyahra, dharana, dhyana and samadhi. That is why trying to fully and completely master with the help of only asanas or pranayamas will not succeed. One must always remember that the main goal is spiritual perfection, therefore, all the emphasis falls on meditation, and all other methods are auxiliary and subordinate.
Some types of exercises may seem very simple to beginners, sometimes even too simple, without any obvious effect. But it should be remembered that “Moscow was not built right away,” so one should not expect momentary manifestations of any results. However, any gradual impact will certainly lead to success.
"Royal Yoga" does not set a goal for a person to "impudently" master all knowledge. To achieve the goal, the whole path is divided into stages:
- Elimination of negative feelings and manifestations.
- Development of positive qualities and skills, feelings.
- Prana accumulation.
- The passage of various states of consciousness.
- Samadhi.
Along with the usual exercises, which may seem too simple, there is also the practice of proper breathing. This is a very important step that needs to be given sufficient attention. The ability to control breathing also comes only with experience, but without diligence and diligence, this cannot be achieved.
1. Starting exercise - holding your breath. It should be twice as long as exhalation and 4 times as long as inhalation.
2. The second stage is the maximum slowdown of thought processes to the complete absence of thoughts. At this time, the psyche will rest, but is constantly under control. In the future, this will make it possible to control the unconscious.
3. The third level is meditation. This deep immersion in oneself will help, over time, to master the art of realizing one's spiritual essence.
To control the mind, you need to learn how to control your own body. In raja yoga, eka pada rajakapotasana, or the pose of the king of pigeons, is often practiced. It is distinguished by a strong protrusion of the chest, which resembles the proud behavior of this bird. The eka pada rajakapotasana posture can have several varieties in which the limbs occupy different positions. With this asana, a sitting position on the floor is occupied, most often one leg is pressed to the floor, and the second is retracted, bent at the knee and rises. The upper part of the body is pulled up and pulled up to the raised foot, arching forward in an arc. This posture helps to revitalize the blood supply to the brain and “stretches” the spine, helping thought processes.
The practice of regal yoga for a beginner can be both very difficult and enjoyable and accessible. A lot depends on the attitude of the practitioner and his desire to achieve success. Before embarking on the study of raja yoga, a person needs to realize for what purpose he does this. Only after that it will be much easier for him to go through all the stages of training and successfully move along the path of yoga of kings.
The most difficult problem for yoga beginners is that they are told to be aware, but in reality they do not quite understand what it means or what it is for. As a result, they miss the very essence of their Yoga practice. English word "awareness", and, moreover, its Russian translation "awareness" do not accurately convey the meaning of the original Sanskrit term. "Awareness" literally means "awareness" - this is a state, not a process, while the Russian word "awareness" or even "awareness" suggests a purposeful action and, therefore, mental stress, which is contrary to the very essence. In Yoga, it is rather about a special type of attention. Attention can be focused or peripheral; the first is the process and the second is the state. Yoga practices are aimed at overcoming this duality. Therefore, “awareness” is attention (including concentrated attention), understood as a state that does not require effort. For this reason, we will try to explain what is meant by awareness, so that at least on an intellectual level you can understand for yourself what we are striving for. Intellectual understanding is at least better than no understanding at all. Over time, as your practice progresses, you will learn, not just by words, but by experience, what awareness means.
For most people, the word "awareness" simply means awareness or knowledge. We often say, "I am aware of this and that," meaning that we know something. In Yoga it also means knowledge, but at the same time something much more. Awareness in a broad sense means "understanding, knowing, feeling what is happening around us." It also means "to know what is happening within us." Most people have very little understanding of what is going on around and within them. This is a low level of awareness. As we understand more things within and without, relating them to each other and to ourselves, and begin to see the fundamental unity of all that exists, we naturally develop greater awareness. When this happens, we overturn the barriers and limitations of the mind. We acquire the ability to understand more aspects of life and penetrate deeply into the essence of various spheres of being.
Awareness and Consciousness
Before continuing to explain the meaning of the word "awareness", let's first briefly mention consciousness. Every form of life is a means of manifestation of consciousness. Whether it is a cell, a plant, an animal or a person, consciousness is inherent in the very nature of all living organisms. However, each of the forms of life expresses its inherent potential of consciousness at a different level. Cells and plants express consciousness on a very rudimentary level, while humans express it on a much more complex level. Consciousness is the same, but the potential for its expression is different. Plants have sensations (as has been proven by a number of scientists), but they are not able to move. Animals have both sensation and mobility. A person also has these qualities, but at the same time, he has one more property - awareness. A person has an additional and most important ability - he can be aware of his consciousness and allow it to manifest and reveal its highest potential. Consciousness does not change. It is the form of its expression that expands. A person can raise their awareness, transcend limitations (or rather what most of us consider to be immutable limits) and realize higher potentialities of consciousness. As far as we know, the animal by its very nature is incapable of awareness. It has potential, but is completely incapable of seeing that potential due to the way it is designed. He does not have the necessary equipment. Let's draw an analogy. The space around us is permeated with electromagnetic waves carrying transmissions from many radio stations. But can we perceive them directly? Can a stone or a tree directly listen to a broadcast symphony? No, It is Immpossible. Our body, wood and stone do not have the necessary equipment. There are waves, but we cannot tune in to them. The potential is there, but we cannot use it. We are limited by our structure. The radio receiver has the equipment to manifest this potential contained in the space around us. It is the same with consciousness, but in a much deeper and inexpressible sense. It is present in all forms of life. But only people (if you forget about extraterrestrial life forms for a while) have the ability to know this consciousness. It is said that consciousness sleeps in stones, slumbers in plants, begins to awaken in animals, and can be fully realized in man. A person can know that he is awake.
Awareness and Yoga
Let's be more specific about what we mean by awareness in Yoga. Awareness is the ability to detach yourself from observing your mental and physical activities. If a person is aware, he becomes a witness to his actions, both internally and externally. People who have never experienced it will not understand us, but anyone who has experienced it even once and for a few seconds knows what we are trying to say. The meaning of this concept is very deep. If we are able to observe what our body and mind are doing, it means that our essence transcends body and mind. This means that there is something that can observe what is happening; there is something in the background that witnesses the actions of the mind and body. This experience alone is enough to change the way you think about yourself. It awakens us to the fact that there is something at our very core, a testifying principle. However, few of us experience this experience naturally, as we tend to lose ourselves in the activities of the body and mind.
It is this witnessing principle that is called awareness in Yoga. This is a rather difficult concept for Europeans. We understand better not the testifying, but the subjective principle, the ability to be the subject of experience, the point of view "from the first person." But for the European mentality, the subject always presupposes the object as something independent of it. In fact, this dualism does not exist initially, the subject and object as independent entities appear as a result of the subject-object division. The subjective principle is simply the ability to make such a division. It is only necessary to understand that with the exclusion of the object (the absence of division), subjectivity does not disappear anywhere.
Awareness is a special human privilege
Animals perform actions completely unaware that they are performing them. A person has this ability, but rarely uses it. Most of us are completely immersed in our thoughts and physical bodies, so much so that we perceive our actions as our essence. When we become aware, we gain the ability to observe ourselves and see how superficial our personality, which is made up of mind and body, really is. Awareness brings us to the realization that our being is something other than mind and body. Body and mind are just our gross shells.
Yoga seeks to raise awareness so that one can actually observe oneself, one's bodily activities and one's mental processes. A person can watch the thought process as if he were watching TV. Thoughts arise like television programs. Let's take this analogy. When we watch TV, most of us know that we are not participants in the program, but only part of the audience. We are not really involved in it. However, if the program is interesting, we can become completely lost in the drama that is being played out, so much so that we forget that we are spectators. We become part of the performance. Our thought process is like a good movie—sometimes emotional, sometimes exhilarating, other times depressing. Whatever its content, it is so compelling that most of us spend 24 hours a day completely lost in the mental processes that consume us. We are fully involved in the performance that the mind is putting on. In fact, even those who are reading these lines now are most likely caught up in thought processes. Are you fully identified with your thoughts in the present moment? Probably yes. It is not at all so easy not to succumb to the hypnotic charm of the mind, and just observe thoughts, be aware. When a TV program or movie ends, we automatically remember that we were only watching, not participating. But all of us from birth are so lost in the spectacle of the mind that we never realize its superficial nature. We think that our whole being is the mind, its activities and body. At the same time, we have the ability to step back from the spectacle of the mind and observe it as impartial witnesses. Each of us has this potential, this opportunity, but few people know about it or use it. Yoga is specifically aimed at the development of this testifying principle.
Many people are not very inspired by this realization, even if they believe it is possible. They may ask, “Why make such a fuss at all about the trivial ability to observe one’s own thoughts?” However, if a person becomes more aware and begins to be a witness to his activities, incredible things happen. He begins to know and understand what was completely incomprehensible to him before. This can open up a new dimension of being for him. Right now, most people are trapped in their minds, just like a movie character is limited by his role and the cellulose film. If the hero of the film could materialize and become a three-dimensional person, he would be able to go beyond his two-dimensional limitations. All his ideas about existence would change. His role would go beyond the limits set by the script and the concept of the film, beyond everything that can be understood within these limits. The same is true of almost all people. Our self-identification with mind and body keeps us trapped in a limited realm of being. We imprison ourselves and at the same time we have the keys to be released again. Breaking free from the shackles of personality, mind and body, we can tune in to higher and freer dimensions of being. The key to them is awareness.
Consciousness exists in each of us
There are no exceptions. It cannot be created or developed. It is already there; all we have to do is tune in to it. We need to learn to be aware. We need to act from our fundamental nature, the consciousness that underlies all of our physical and mental activities. In fact, we cannot expand consciousness, for consciousness is infinite and omnipresent. How can we expand something that is infinite and everywhere and in everything? The only thing we can really do is expand our awareness. Awareness is a parameter that we can all develop. It is the ability that can be developed to be attuned to consciousness, the ability to identify with consciousness. This is only semantics, but it defines what we mean by these terms. Other people may use other words in a different context, perhaps interchangeably, but we've just explained exactly what we mean.
There is a common misconception that consciousness is a function of the brain that depends on it. Many people think that the main thing is the brain, and if there is no brain, then there is no consciousness. There can be no more wrong opinion. However, we could not prove it in words or in a rational way, and in fact we do not want to do this. If you develop your awareness, you will certainly come to this yourself, for how can consciousness observe the activity of the mind or brain, if the brain is the master or the main instrument. Consciousness must be outside the brain in order to be able to observe the activities of the brain and mind. The fact that consciousness is usually associated with the activity of the brain and sense organs is explained by our ignorance of its nature. We never face its existence directly, as our daily activities mask it. If we see a book, we naturally assume that our eyes see it. But in reality this is not true. The eyes are only intermediate instruments between the outside world and consciousness. In fact, it is consciousness that sees. When we hear something, we usually assume that our ears are hearing, but in reality, they also act only as intermediate instruments. It is not even the brain that sees and hears, for it is also just an instrument. By themselves, the sense organs and the brain are just receivers, transducers, and transmitters. Let's go back to our radio analogy. The receiver receives electromagnetic waves and converts them into sound vibrations that we can hear. The sense organs and the brain do exactly the same - they cannot hear, see, feel, taste or smell. They can only take sense data and convert it into suitable signals for use by the brain, from which it can be perceived by consciousness. Without consciousness none of us could do anything; we would be lifeless and know nothing.
Mind and reason
Western philosophy considers the mind to be the center of man; reason is the center of the human personality; in Yoga the most important and most fundamental aspect is consciousness. And this consciousness is not fettered and not limited by the finiteness of our being. It is infinite and limitless. Our deepest being is infinite, for it is consciousness. This is not the mind. The mind is simply the instrument of consciousness and the storehouse of our finite personality.
Man has the ability to tune in to this consciousness and cognize it; he can become more aware. Animals have the same consciousness, but they cannot know it. Man has the potential to act from consciousness, freed from the fetters of the body and mind. Of course, his mind and body perform all the same functions; nothing changes in this respect. But the person who becomes more aware knows that he is consciousness and nothing else. He is identified with consciousness, not with mind and body.
Development of awareness
First of all, you must remember that you do not need to convince yourself of anything or engage in self-hypnosis. If you practice yoga, then awareness will come to you automatically, or, more precisely, if you do the practices correctly, then awareness will gradually develop. There are many different methods for raising awareness. In fact, all the various methods of Yoga are intended for this purpose: Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Mantra Yoga, Kriya Yoga, etc. They use different approaches to achieve the same goal.
When you are doing asanas and pranayama, or doing meditation, the main emphasis should be on awareness. Awareness implies that your attention is directed to a particular function or activity. It means that your attention is focused on something specific, such as breathing, and that in doing so you know that it is focused on this activity. In other words, if you are aware of your breathing, it means that you are aware of your breathing and are observing this process. You stand back and watch something happening in you. This is the first step on the ladder to higher awareness. You start becoming a witness to all the activities of the body. Over time, this will lead to the ability to witness the activities of the mind, and gradually to the deeper aspects of the mind that you may now find incredible.
This is the essence of awareness - your awareness that you are doing something and watching this action. If you make a bodily movement and at the same time you are not aware that your body is moving and do not observe this movement, then you are not aware. To be a witness is to be aware. To be completely lost in one's actions, to become involved in them and to identify with them, is not to be aware.
When practicing asanas, pranayama and meditation, awareness is necessary
Without awareness, these practices of Yoga lose their meaning and 90% of their beneficial effects. If you are angry, worried, or unhappy, don't get upset. If, when you do asanas, you are flooded with a stream of thoughts, while we advise you to be aware of the breath, by no means be disappointed. Just watch the flow of thoughts and breath, witness them, be aware of them.
Asana, pranayama and meditation practices develop awareness on a temporary basis. They give a person a rudimentary idea of what awareness means. Based on them, you can, with sufficient effort, be a witness to your thoughts and physical actions throughout the day. One can observe how the mind and body perform the functions for which they were created. You can watch the antics of the body and mind as if watching a puppet.
Therefore, while practicing Yoga, be aware of what you are doing. The main purpose of Yoga is to open you up and make you aware of your deeper aspects.
For me, Raja Yoga is not just a training of concentration and concentration of consciousness, it is a piece of jewelry, each time with a different set of components of the personality constructor, body structure and karma, which must be compiled into an obedient instrument for the manifestation of the consciousness of the "Higher Self". This is not McDonald's, but rather a gourmet restaurant, "three Michelin stars". This is a joke, but very close to the truth.
Many of these yoga tools are separated into separate systems: Karma Yoga, Kriya Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, Jnana Yoga and others.
Raja Yoga uses all types of external yoga to prepare the lower bodies for the conscious manifestation of the Divine Light in them and the transition of the mind of the individual into the state of consciousness of the "Higher Self". In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali calls the external means of yoga auxiliary (yoganga), since it is they who prepare the body and psyche for the correct flow and speed of realization of the internal means.
Raja yoga is engaged in achieving the state of Samadhi consciousness through the internal means of yoga: work is done with consciousness, and the state of Samadhi, Enlightenment and disclosure of superpowers are achieved.
We are all different, we are on different "Rays", we all have different starting karmic possibilities, and therefore everyone needs an individual approach. You need flexibility. We cannot be perfect in all bodies, but we can bring them to a state acceptable for work. Therefore, the internal and external means of Yoga can be used individually as needed, depending on which part of the personality requires urgent changes and removal of obstacles, or which of the bodies requires adjustment (etheric, astral or mental).
Raja yoga does not require you to be perfectly physically prepared and sit in asanas (poses) for hours, you can sit comfortably enough on a chair with a flat back. But if you are more comfortable in the lotus position, then, of course, wonderful. The task of Raja Yoga is to ensure that you are always, regardless of posture and time of day, in a state of Samadhi - actively perceiving reality with discriminating knowledge of your Higher Self. Therefore, I will be more interested not in the ideal position of your physical body and the rhythm of breathing, but in the state of your astral and mental bodies, the state of consciousness, the mind of buddhi and chitta-vritti nirodha (limitation-stopping the oscillation of the matter of consciousness).
About the individual use of yoga means, we can say that, for example, brahmacharya (sexual abstinence) is not suitable for everyone, but its absence can be compensated for by other practices of Yama and Niyama in order to achieve an acceptable result of mind control.
For example, if you need to correct the etheric body and establish the circulation of prana, then for this you need to do Pranayama exercises for some time, or qigong exercises (if this system is closer to you), or simply start walking regularly at a fast pace. You choose what is closer to you. Therefore, if you have a problem with the circulation of energy, you must quickly use the most convenient way for you to restore it. In the classroom, I give exercises that do not require special preparation, initiations and other difficulties. If certain chakras are not functioning well for you, you can restore them yourself by correct concentration and conscious work in the etheric body.
At the very first lessons, you must master the practice of samyama, and when you transfer your consciousness to the etheric body, you will be able to do a “technical inspection” yourself and eliminate the shortcomings. It is the same with the state of the astral body: you yourself can change the composition of its matter and remove all sorts of evil eye and other astral troubles that accidentally or intentionally decided that your body is their home. It is quite realistic and achievable.
Consider the control of the respiratory system. We are required to feel the most inconspicuous movements occurring in our body: we have accustomed our mind to observe what is happening outside of us, not noticing what is happening inside. To control these inconspicuous movements, you must first notice them. Nerve impulses go through the whole body, filling every muscle with life and activity, but we do not feel anything. Yogis say that you can learn to follow them. How? Controlling the movements of the lungs. If you do this long enough, you can begin to control less noticeable movements.
What you need for pranayama exercises: sit up straight, the body should be straightened. Although the spinal cord is not attached to the vertebrae, it is still inside them. By not straightening up, you do not allow the spinal cord to straighten and free itself. Whenever you try to meditate without straightening your spine, you are hurting yourself. The three parts of the body—the chest, the neck, and the head—should be kept in a straight line at all times, and you will soon find that it is no more difficult to learn to keep straight than to breathe. Then you need to take control of the nerves. We have already said that the ganglion that controls breathing affects the nervous system as a whole to a certain extent, which is why it is so important to accustom yourself to breathing rhythmically. Our normal breathing has no right to be called that at all, it is extremely uneven, not to mention the natural differences in the way men and women breathe.
So, first exercise is to simply inhale and exhale measuredly. It harmonizes the body. After a while, it will be useful to add to this the repetition of sacred words, such as " Om"19 or others. In India, instead of counting one-two-three-four, symbolic words are used, which is why I advise mentally repeating "Om" or another sacred word. Let the word "Om" come in or out of you with the breath, rhythmically, harmoniously, and you will soon feel how the rhythm embraces your entire body. Only then will you understand what true relaxation is. Compared to this feeling, even sleep does not give such rest. The most frayed nerves will calm down, and you will feel that you have never rested so well before.
The first results of the exercises will affect the facial expression - sharp folds will disappear and, as thoughts calm down, calmness will appear on the face. Then the voice will change, it will become more beautiful. I have never met a yogi whose voice was not pleasant. But before these changes should take several months, however, after you have done simple breathing exercises for several days, you need to move on to more complex ones. Slowly fill the lungs through the ida, the left nostril, paying close attention to the accompanying nerve impulses. Watch how you direct the nerve impulse down the spinal column, where the impulse strongly and sharply irritates the last ganglion, the main lotus, triangular in shape, in which the Kundalini resides. Hold the momentum there. Imagine that with a slow exhalation you direct this nerve impulse to the right and through the pingala bring it out through the right nostril. This exercise will seem a little more difficult for you; for relief, it is best to close the right nostril with the thumb and slowly draw air through the left, then, pinching both nostrils with the thumb and forefinger, 
imagine how you direct the nerve impulse down the sushumna and it strikes at its base, and then take your finger away from the right nostril and exhale the air. Now inhale slowly through this nostril, keeping the left closed with your index finger, and close both nostrils again. For people who did not grow up in India, where these exercises are taught from childhood and lungs are developed in children, such breathing is difficult, so it is better to start with four seconds, gradually increasing the time: four seconds for inhalation, sixteen seconds for holding the breath and eight - for a slow exhale. This is pranayama. At the same time, you need to think about the basic lotus, triangular in shape, focus on this nerve center. Imagination can be of great help here. The next breath is taken slowly, but it is immediately followed by an exhalation, also slowly, then there is a breath hold at the same count as before. The difference is that in the first case, the breath is held on inhalation, in the second - on exhalation. The second option is easier. The breath-holding exercise should not be done more than four times in the morning and four times in the evening. Over time, you can increase both the number of exercises and the time you hold your breath. You yourself will feel when you have the strength for this, in addition, the exercises should give you pleasure. Gradually and carefully build up the count from four to six if you feel you can do it, but remember that irregular exercise can be harmful to your health.
Of the three processes of purification of the nerves enumerated above, the first and the last are neither labor nor danger. The longer you do the first exercise, the calmer you become, until finally you can just say the word "Om", even while working, and it will calm you down. If you seriously practice the exercises, then the day will come when the Kundalini will awaken. Those who simply do the exercises twice a day will soon experience some peace of mind and body and also acquire a pleasant voice, but only those who go beyond this and experience the awakening of the Kundalini will begin to transform and the book of knowledge will open before them. As a matter of fact, you will no longer need to go to books for knowledge, your mind will become a book containing all knowledge. I have already talked about the ida and pingala currents that flow on both sides of the spinal column, and about the sushumna located inside it. Every animal, all vertebrates have them, but yogis believe that even in an ordinary person the sushumna is closed and, while ida and pingala distribute energy throughout the body, its effect is not felt.
Sushumna is open only to yogis. When it opens and the energy rises along it, we go beyond the limits of sensory perceptions, acquire supersensory, superconscious qualities, go beyond the boundaries of the intellect to the limits inaccessible to logical constructions. The main goal of yoga is the opening of the sushumna, along which the nerve centers, or, metaphorically speaking, lotuses, are located. Muladhara is placed below all, the spinal cord ends with it, then svadhisthana goes above, the third lotus is manipura, the fourth is anahata, the fifth is vishuddha, the sixth is ajna, and the seventh, thousand-petalled lotus sahasrara, is placed in the brain. For now, we will only be interested in two lotuses, the lower and the upper lotus - Muladhara and Sahasrara, because the energy must be released from Muladhara and delivered to Sahasrara. Yogis say that of all types of energy in the human body, the highest is the one they call ojas.
Ojas is located in the brain, and the more it is, the stronger, smarter and spiritually strong a person is. Here are two people: one expresses beautiful thoughts in beautiful language, but they do not excite the heart, the other has no thoughts, no words, but he fascinates people, and his every movement is full of power. This is the manifestation of ojas.
Ojas is present in every person, but in varying degrees. In principle, all the forces of the body become ojas in their highest manifestation. It must be remembered that this is only a matter of transformation. The energy acting outside of us in the form of electricity or magnetism is converted into the internal energy of the body, in the same way, muscular strength can be converted into ojas. Yogis believe that that part of human energy, which is expressed through sexual activity or sexual thoughts, is easily transformed into ojas, provided that it is controlled. Since the transformation occurs through the muladhara, the yogis pay special attention to this particular center. The yogi tries to collect all his sexual energy and turn it into ojas. Only a chaste man or woman can raise ojas and accumulate it in the brain, therefore abstinence is considered the highest virtue. A person himself feels that his spirituality wanes from intemperance, he loses both the strength of the mind and moral stamina. That is why all world religions, which have given humanity giants of the spirit, affirm the principle of strict abstinence, that is why there are monastic orders, for entry into which a vow of celibacy is required.
It is necessary to observe strict purity of thought, word and deed, without this Raja Yoga becomes very dangerous and can lead to insanity. How can a person hope to become a yogi if, while fulfilling the prescriptions, he still leads an insufficiently pure lifestyle?
19. Om - a sacred, or "eternal syllable", used in Hinduism and Buddhism during religious ceremonies, when reading prayers, at the beginning of texts of religious content. It is called a symbol of supreme holiness; the sounds that make up this syllable (“a”, “u”, “m”) are associated with the Hindu triad of gods (a corresponds to the guardian of the world Vishnu, u - to the destroyer of the world Shiva, m - to the creator god Brahma). In many Upanishads, the "eternal syllable" Om is understood in great detail. For example, the Shvetashvarata Upanishad calls concentration on the syllable Om the way to attain Brahman, I, 1-13; in the Mundaka Upanishad it is compared to an arrow, which always reaches its goal, i.e., union with the highest, 11,2,3. In the Mandukya Upanishad, the syllable Om means various states of consciousness: a - wakefulness; y - sleep with dreams; m - dreamless sleep; and the whole syllable Om is turiya, the most perfect, that is, the eternal state of consciousness, Mandukya Upanishad, 5-7. You can translate the syllable Om as “true”, “so be it” (amen).
