Untitled - Ask Retreat Centre

Like circles on the water
Recently I came
across the
viewpoint:“
“You must
ensure that yoga
doesn’t become
egotistical, you
must also think
of world peace”.
It made me
think of when
you do something for yourself, and when
do you do
something for
others? And
how does this
relate to peace
on earth?“
I remember
one summer
evening in
Sweden, at Håå Course Center. The
participants of a new course had just
arrived. We sat in the yoga room and
everybody presented themselves. I
had spent many summers at the
course center, as I was responsible
for the ecological farming, and I
recognised a middle aged man from
Norway. He had regularly attended
courses for the last few years, and
when it came to his turn for presenting himself, he related cheerfully:
“Actually, I couldn’t afford to
come on a course this year, but when
I told my friends, they were alarmed.
They began to collect money for me,
so that I could come after all”.
2
Those of us who knew him laughed.
He was usually a little hotheaded
when he arrived, and discernibly
more calm and well-balanced when
he went home two weeks later.
Obviously his family and friends
agreed that this way they also benefited a great deal from the course.“
In another instance, I taught at the
school in Copenhagen, and after a
class, a woman came up to me and
said: “My daughter appreciates that I
do yoga. - She says that I no longer
scold her as much”.“
This girl’s experience with her
mother is in concord with one of the
approaches of
resolving conflicts, which was
recently drawn
up by the
Conflict
Resolution Network in Sydney,
Australia, with a
grant from the
UN. It states
that:
“For things to
change, I must
change”.
That things are
related and are
part of a whole,
is also expressed
in WHO’s new
definition of
health, which
states:
“Health is a state of complete
physical, mental and social wellbeing and not merely the absence of
disease or infirmity”.
As regard to world peace, it is
commendable to work in different
ways to create tolerance and peace
between people and nations. In my
experience with yoga, I can see that
tranquillity and well-being also comes
from within naturally, and spreads as
good humour and inspiration. If I am
in harmony with my self, it is easier
to be the same with the surroundings,
and I wonder - isn’t it here that world
peace starts.
Mira q
Silver Jubilee
It is not an everyday occurrence that a yoga school celebrates its silver
jubilee. Over the years we have seen other schools come and go,
collapsing beneath their own success, or altogether failing to take
off. We therefore take the opportunity to congratulate the founder,
Swami Janakananda, under whose guidance the school has blossomed
over the years to become one of the leading lights of yoga in Europe.
With Bindu, we intend to expand the horizons of yoga and to
hopefully shatter some myths and ideals concerning yoga into the
bargain.
Intestinal Cleansing - Shankprakshalana:
4
This September and October Swami Janakananda
A cleansing process that sharpens the senses. Four will be holding courses in Queensland, Australia and
simple exercises are practised and the entire
taking part in a yoga congress in Sydney. Following
intestinal tract is rinsed with warm salt water.
this, in November he will be teaching at the new
University of Yoga in Bihar, India.
Contents
Harmony between the experiencer and the
experienced
10
An article by Swami Janakananda about the Tantric
meditation Antar Mauna (Inner Silence) - and its
ancestors and cousins.
A pearl of a meditation - the most basic and
advanced at the same time. It opens with methods
that make you independent in relation to influences
- inner as well as outer.
Håå Course Center in southern Sweden
20
The Lotus pose - a classical meditation pose
22
Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life
25
Australian tour with Swami Janakananda
25
“more awake and inspired in daily life...” Rikke
and Dennis recount what a stay in Håå has meant
for their daily life. Overview of the courses in 199697.
Why is this pose the most important yoga exercise?
Read why, and see what medical research has to
say. Archaeologists also verify this, through their
discovery of various yoga pose sculptures
throughout the world.
Swami Janakananda's book on yoga from a yogi's
point of view.
and Sita in Queensland and New South Wales
The Yoga shop
Neti pots, tapes, books...
26
3
Intestinal cleansing - Shankprakshalana
by Shanti
Many years ago I met a friend on the
street who cheerfully told me of a
girl he had just met. Then he said
something that caused me to prick
up my ears: “she rinses her intestines
with salt water!” I had never heard
the like before. I was both curious
and sceptical at the same time!
Katrin's Christmas present...
A woman wrote to me five months after
her first intestinal cleansing: “As I’m
sure you remember, I was allergic to
milk and sugar, when I visited you in
November. I say was, as just before
Christmas I received the best Christmas
present ever. I cautiously tried to
eat normally, and it worked! Since
then I haven’t had any problems at
all.
A very happy Katrin.”
Hatha Yoga
The yoga tradition is very rich,
containing a comprehensive knowledge
of the body and mind. It is a
science, whose methods are tried and
tested and refined over thousands
of years. Everybody can use yoga,
regardless of what you believe in
or who you are. The methods work
precisely and without side effects.
They give you access to your own
resources.
Hatha Yoga is the area of the yoga
tradition that includes the physical
cleansing processes which remove
toxins and waste products and ease
the coarser tensions of the body. The
state of health can be improved with
Hatha Yoga. Stomach problems and
4
indigestion, psycho-somatic illnesses
such as diabetes, asthma and migraine
can be relieved, even cured, by yoga.
A young man with diabetes stayed at
Håå Course Center on a longer course.
His pancreas did not produce any insulin at all when he arrived, and he had to
take insulin several times a day. After
just a couple of days of yoga training,
his insulin requirement decreased. We
teachers had prepared him for the possibility of change after the intestinal
cleansing, but we did not expect such a
quick response. His
pancreas began to work, and towards
the end of the course he needed very
little supplementary insulin.
The cleansing processes of
Hatha Yoga are divided into six main
groups: Shat Karma. Some of the
simpler methods are, for example,
brushing the teeth and “cleaning the
scalp.” In one of the old scriptures,
Gheranda Samhita, they are described
alongside other more comprehensive
methods.
There is, for instance, nose cleansing,
Neti, where lukewarm salt water is
poured through the nose (read Bindu
no. 3) and stomach cleansing, Kunjal
Kriya, where salt water is drunk
and vomited up again. And stomach
exercises such as Agnisar and Nauli,
where the muscles of the abdomen
are rotated, massaging the intestines
and kindling the digestion. The breathing exercise Kapalabhati cleanses the
lungs. It is also said to “purify the frontal region of the brain” (partly by oxidising the blood). Tratak, where you
concentrate on the flame of a candle,
gives a better balance in the brain
and strengthens and cleanses the eyes.
Tratak is also a concentration technique.
And finally there is Shankprakshalana,
intestinal cleansing:
Shankprakshalana
Here we have the most comprehensive
cleansing process, which cleans all
the way from the mouth to the anus.
In Sanskrit, the approximately seven
meter long folded intestine is called a
conch shell (Shankha). “Prakshalana”
means to wash thoroughly.
In the intestines “residue” accumulates, waste products remain sitting
in the small folds of the intestines,
around which tensions arise, binding
energy and affecting one's well-being.
When the intestines are rinsed, the residue and tensions are removed.
The skin becomes soft and various
kinds of skin allergies and eczema
are relieved, and can even disappear
completely. Pallid skin becomes purer
and clearer.
The senses are sharpened to such a
degree that they feel as though they
were “muffled”, and have now been
unwrapped. I will never forget the taste
of that boiled carrot I ate after my first
intestinal cleansing. Its taste was more
carrot-like than I had ever previously
experienced.
The effects, however, are not only
physical, such as an improvement in
taste and sight. When the coarse tensions
are removed from the stomach and
abdomen, you have the released energy
at your disposal, and the body feels
light and healthy. It becomes easier to
calm down, something that facilitates
the learning of meditation. In the old
source material, the body is described
as “radiant” after intestinal cleansing.
5
Preparation
Even though the intestinal cleansing
is simple to perform, it nevertheless
demands guidance by a teacher with
personal experience in it, and therefore
should not be done alone the first times.
It is necessary to set aside a whole
day when you decide to do the intestinal cleansing. The evening meal the
day before should also be skipped, but
you can drink as much water or herbal
tea as you like, but not dairy products.
The water and salt
The water for the intestinal cleansing
must be physiological salt water, the
same salt concentration as the body’s
own, 0.9%. This allows the water to
leave the stomach more quickly, whilst
maintaining the same osmotic pressure
upon both sides of the intestinal wall.
This means that the body neither
absorbs nor yields salt and water in
significant quantities. Ordinary salt is
used. We have ascertained that some
people are allergic to sea salt. Maybe
this is because our oceans are presently
polluted, or due to natural substances
such as allergy provoking pollen and
spores. We therefore suggest using
ordinary salt from deep salt mines.
The ease with which the water
passes through the intestines is also
dependent on the temperature of the
water. It is perfect when it is as warm
as soup.
The procedure
Intestinal cleansing is done by drinking
a glass of salt water and performing
four simple exercises that help the
water to pass through the intestines.
Afterwards, you again drink a glass
of salt water, do the exercises and
continue like this. After the sixth glass,
you begin to go to the toilet following
the exercises. Gradually, as you drink
more and more glasses and do the
exercises, the water that is evacuated
becomes lighter and contains fewer
and fewer particles. Finally, it is as
clear as the water you drink, and
completely free from particles. The
intestinal cleansing itself is now over.
Altogether, about sixteen large glasses
of salt water are drunk.
Kunjal Kriya
- stomach cleansing
Now the stomach must be cleansed.
The water for the stomach cleansing
is also physiological, but only luke
warm. This technique is called Kunjal
Kriya, not to be confused with
“Kriya Yoga”, which is an advanced
meditation technique.
In Sanskrit, Kunjal means “to
throw up water”, and Kriya “process”.
1/ The first exercise is called Tiryaka Tadasana in
Sanskrit. We call it “the tree in the wind”. It influences
the upper part of the intestinal tract.
Stand with the legs apart, fold the hands and turn the
palms outwards. Stretch the arms over the head, look up
at the hands and sway from side to side, eight times to
each side.
2/ The second exercise is Kati Chakrasana, “the waist
twist”. The feet are slightly apart, arms hang loose by
the sides of the body. Swing the body and head so
that you look far back over the shoulder, in a rotating
movement.
This movement causes the arms to swing loose
horizontally outwards from the body. This exercise is
also done eight times to each side. The effect here is mostly at the middle of the stomach.
6
You drink until the stomach is
full; the water has a tendency to
come up again by itself. Otherwise
you can stick a couple of fingers
down your throat and trigger the
vomiting reflex, so that the water
comes up.
Stomach cleansing is a simple and
quick process followed by a feeling
of well-being and deep relaxation.
If a more thorough acquaintance
with the method is desired, then it
can be done every morning on an
empty stomach, for up to forty days.
No special diet is required, but
wait at least an hour before you
eat anything.
Neti - nose cleansing
The nose is cleansed afterwards.
It is also done with luke warm,
physiological salt water. A neti pot
is filled with luke warm salt water.
The spout is placed into one nostril,
so that it sits tight. The head is held
at an angle so that the water runs by
itself in through one nostril and out
of the other.
Rest and food
When you have cleansed and dried
the nose, again done the exercises,
been to the toilet, and gotten the final
water out, then lie down and rest for
an hour. You don’t sleep but just lie and
relax, and maybe listen to some pleasant music.
The rest following the intestinal
cleansing is described in this way
in Yogic Management of Asthma and
Diabetes, by Dr. Swami Shankaradevananda Saraswati:
“This is the only time, where the
digestion gets a total rest, as it is only
when the stomach is completely empty,
that the activity of the digestive nerve
impulses and glands stops.”
When you’ve finished resting, then
you eat a special meal, consisting of
rice, red lentils and ghee. This meal
helps the digestive process start again
in a gentle and balanced way.
Then take it easy for the rest of the
day. Of course you can take a walk
in the fresh air, but don’t do anything
strenuous.
The diet
A diet is observed after the intestinal
cleansing, involving mild and easy
digestible food, such as boiled grains
(rice, pasta without egg, etc.), boiled
vegetables and legumes, for instance
beans or lentils. This gives the body
time to stabilise the effect of the
intestinal cleansing.
The first ten days the following
things are to be refrained from:
3/ The third exercise is called Tiryaka Bhujangasana, which can be translated as “the
twisted cobra”. First lie on the floor with the
legs wide apart; then raise the body up on
straight arms and twist the head and torso so
that you can look over the right shoulder and
see down towards the left heel. Repeat to the
other side. Here it is the lower part of the
intestines that are stimulated. The exercise is
repeated eight times relaxedly to each side.
4/ The fourth exercise, Uddarakarshanasana, translates as “abdominal massage.” Sit in
a squatting position with the hands placed upon the knees. Hold the upper body and head
erect. Lower the right knee to the left foot, whilst pressing the left leg against the body
so that it exerts a pressure against the stomach, all the way down to the groin. Repeat
to the other side. This exercise massages the lowest part of the intestines. Do it eight
times to each side.
7
Coffee, tea, sugar, honey, chocolate,
all varieties of sweets, tobacco, alcohol
and also medicine that is not absolutely
necessary. Vegetables such as onions
and leeks, raw vegetables and spices
are also to be avoided, as well as all
forms of fruit and dairy produce. Meat,
fish and eggs are not eaten for forty
days.
If you are in doubt as to what you
can eat during the diet period, then
do a little experiment and ask yourself
whether you would give it to a baby.
If you wouldn’t, then don’t eat it until
after the diet.
A diet of boiled vegetables and
grains may sound a little bit boring
to some, but you can make interesting
food by just using your imagination.
Already after a couple of days, you can
begin to season the food with a tiny bit
of herbs. All seasonings can be used
in limited quantities, as your taste buds
have been awoken from a slumber.
Even though ecological vegetables
are a little dearer than others, the
investment is worthwhile. This
In hospitals in the East and West
“Yoga hospitals” can be found in many places in India, where people with various psychosomatic illnesses, such as
diabetes and asthma, are treated. Common to them all is that medicine is not used in the treatment; it consists entirely
of yoga techniques.
At The Yogic Treatment-cum-Research Center in Jaipur, founded by Swami Anandananda, where he collaborated
with a team of doctors, the treatment consists of intestinal cleansing. It is followed up by a few yoga programmes and
supplemented with the small intestinal cleansing, which can be done as often as necessary with regard to the patients
needs. With these simple forms of treatment, diabetic and asthma patients experience a noticeable improvement, if not
full recovery.
A special surgeon at the university clinic in Cologne, Germany, heard about the intestinal cleansing from a colleague
who had tried it on one of our courses. He became so interested in trying the technique on his patients prior to their
operations, that he invited one of our yoga teachers to Cologne. Normally the doctors would use a method where the
patient would sit on a special chair with a hole in the seat, and put a stomach pump in them. In this way the intestines
were rinsed with a saline solution. It is a harsh treatment to say the least. The first one to do the intestinal cleansing was
a 75 year old woman. The doctor was very surprised to find how easy, with the help of the exercises, the water passed
through her system. He was even more surprised the following day during the operation, when he discovered that her
entire alimentary canal was completely clean - no particles could be found even in the folds of the intestines.
8
especially concerns base vegetables
such as potatoes, carrots and parsnips.
At our city schools, we end the
intestinal cleansing by going through
the diet. On the courses at Håå it is
easy as the food is served to you.
When you expand on your menu
after the diet period, bear in mind the
body’s increased sensitivity which perhaps means that you don’t need to eat
the same as before. Be attentive to
the body’s signals. After the intestinal
cleansing it is easier than at other times
to change one's eating habits. It can also
be a good time to stop smoking as many
lose the desire following the process.
The small intestinal cleansing
There is also a shorter version called
Laghoo Shankprakshalana. It is used
by people undergoing special
treatment, such as diabetics. They do
it every day for forty days following
the larger one.
Intestinal cleansing and gall stone treatment
When I had gall stone pains, I went
to the hospital, to confirm that it was
gall stones. I got an appointment for
ultra-sound scanning, and later I should
arrange a date for an operation. I said
that I would only be operated on if
it was absolutely necessary, and that
I would first try an old-fashioned oil
therapy to get the stones out.
At home in the yoga school I did the
intestinal cleansing first. It took a little
longer than usual, as I couldn’t do the
exercises thoroughly due to the pain,
which felt as if there was a knife
just below the rib-cage on the right
side. After the intestinal cleansing I
rested for an hour as usual, and then instead of the food - I drank a litre of
olive oil. I had a slice of orange ready,
so that after every swallow I chewed
on the orange before I could taste the
oil. I managed to drink the oil by thinking about the operation I was avoiding
and the two week stay in the hospital
afterwards. Since then I have heard
from others, that it is sufficient with
two decilitres of oil, which works just
as well.
The next couple of hours I needed
to rest again, so that the oil could
work in peace. I lay on my right side
and waited for the gall stones to come
out. I went to the toilet a few times,
but only oil and slime came out. At
one point I gave up waiting, and ate
the food and took it easy the rest of
the day.
The next morning, when I went to
the toilet, a large green gall stone as big
as the nail on my thumb came out, and
the pain was gone!
There was still a heavy sensation
around the gall bladder, so I repeated
the same process again a week later intestinal cleansing, rest, this time only
half a litre of oil, then again rest and
food. The next morning I was prepared
and caught over thirty smaller gall
stones in a sieve.
A few days later I did the treatment
for the third time. This resulted in more
than half a handful of gall stones the
size of grains of sand - and the last
heavy sensation around the gall bladder
was gone.
The time had come for a close
examination before the operation. I
took the small grass green stones in a
glass to the hospital and told them what
I had done and that there was no
longer any pain. The scan showed that
there were no more stones left. The
doctor’s conclusion was, “you can’t just
go home and remove the gall stones
yourself, so there has probably been
a misdiagnosis from the start.” The
It is simpler because there is no
diet to observe afterwards, and only six
to eight glasses are drunk. The same
exercises are done after every other
glass.
The little intestinal cleansing is
done in the morning on an empty
stomach. In contrast to the full
intestinal cleansing, which is normally
done only once or twice a year, the
small one can be done as often as
necessary.q
slightly elder doctor, who
performed the ultra-sound
examination said to me in all
confidence that research was being carried out on the effect of fatty acids on
gall stones.
This all happened thirteen years ago,
and I haven’t had any more stones
since. I have done the treatment quite
a few times just to be on the safe
side, but only green liquid from the
gall bladder comes out. Naturally, I
do yoga exercises that keep the gall
bladder and the other digestive organs
in form. Other teachers and students
at our schools, who have tried the
treatment, have had equally good
results from it. Some have waited with
the food, and have instead washed
the stones out with the help of the
small intestinal cleansing, where only
six glasses of salt water are drunk.
A similar oil therapy is used
by some health farms and natural
doctors. My late grandmother
removed her gall stones by drinking
double cream and melted butter.
If you have a problem with the gall
bladder yourself, you can contact an
experienced yoga teacher at one of
our schools.
Laxmiq
9
Harmony between the experiencer and the
On the Tantric meditation Antar Mauna (Inner Silence),
by Swami Janakananda
experienced its ancestors and cousins
“When a mood against someone
or for someone arises, do not place
it on the person in question, but
remain centered.”
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
book Yoga Sutra, as being “disease,
dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness,
craving for enjoyment, erroneous perception, lack of ability to reach the
finer states, lack of stability...”
Yoga and Tantra
With Patanjali, a branch of yoga
was put forth that would come to
influence the understanding that
people have of yoga and what they
expect from it. The rather theoretical
yoga of Patanjali was preferred in
learned circles, here his ideals of
controlling the mind were seen as
preconditions rather than results of
practice. Therefore, the description
of yoga in encyclopaedia and other literature has generally been identified
with this interpretation, and with the
branch that developed after Patanjali
called Raja Yoga.
In his four small books, each containing from between thirty to fifty
short verses that constitute Yoga Sutra,
Patanjali is both inspiring and brilliant,
and any self-respecting yoga school
naturally has his book as a part of
its curriculum - together with other
“works” from the tradition. However,
Patanjali has given the intellectual and
cultured citizen of the east as well
as of the west an excuse to think, philosophise and moralise instead of realising and experiencing the effect of the
actual yoga and meditation techniques.
When one is stuck with concepts alone,
something quite different, namely the
tangible effects of the practical exercises fail to appear.
In the same way that Puritanism
The purpose of yoga is to prepare for
meditation. Yoga has no purpose other
than enabling one to achieve the
meditative state. This occurs through
cleansing processes, such as nose
cleansing and intestinal cleansing
(see page 4); by yoga postures; breathing exercises; by mudra and bandha
(“attitudes and locks”), which influence
the body’s energy field and thus the
general attitude to yourself and your
surroundings, just as they contribute to
the awakening of the body’s chakra
(the psychic centers); and finally, by
pratyahara, where you learn to free
yourself from outer influences, as well
as influences of a physical, emotional
or psychic nature.
Through these methods the “side
effects” of yoga come into play,
presenting clarity, good health,
increased energy, removing depression
and whatever else might be standing
in the way of you experiencing the
meditative state and being able to
remain in it. If the body is suffering
from illness and pain, or if fear and
anxiety occupy the mind to such a
degree that it is the only thing you
can identify with, then you must find
ways and means to rise above it.
Rishi Patanjali described the obstacles to yoga 2300 years ago, in his
10
dominated in Europe, so it was in
India, where a rigid scholastic interpretation of Patanjali came to overshadow all other yoga. Ideals arose
so large that it distanced yoga from
people.
Naturally, Tantra and the Tantric
meditations include elements described
in Raja Yoga, for the simple reason that
Raja Yoga is a small branch which has
grown from the tree of the Tantric tradition.
Yoga is accessible not only to
those wanting to control life and
themselves. The Tantric tradition
includes much more, enabling you
to submit yourself to the vicissitudes of
life, while remaining at one with your
self - and to learn to live fully.
In Tantra, undisturbed by the
prevailing fashion and the limitations
of the ages, the yogis have continued
along the original path, in the way
you relate to life and to the discovery
or reconquest of yourself. The
importance of concrete and practical
training, rituals and meditation is
emphasised. It is something you do.
Theory alone is regarded as a kind
of by-product, arising from the communication with those who do not
yet know the finer states. It is the
personal and direct contact between
people that counts, when this
knowledge has to be passed on.
Whatever you experience, you
acknowledge and use in the process
of realisation, rather than avoiding
it through control and restraint. This
approach is of fundamental importance
in Tantra - in its practices,
rituals and meditations. It is not a
question of taking severe measures,
but of being aware and present in
what is anyway done, thought and
experienced. In a devoted and yet
neutral way you let happen what
happens, without reacting or
struggling against it - and without
giving up or letting yourself be
overwhelmed by or dependent upon
anything.
“...whatever concept or idea appeareth,
the procedure is to be
indifferent to the thought, allowing
it to do as it liketh, neither falling
under its influence, nor attempting to impede it.
Wholly abandon all directing
and shaping of thoughts...”
(Evans-Wentz: Tibetan Yoga
and Secret Doctrines)
In your essence there is an image
of your own good health,
of your own true form.
And it’s easier than you think
to be
in it,
to return
to it.
By using the techniques and meditations of Tantric yoga, and thereby
realising: what captivated or
fascinated the mind are but mere
“O Beloved, put attention neither on pleasure
or pain but between
these.”
(Vigyana Bhairava
Tantra)
It is safe to say that
through meditation one
restores the cells to their
natural state and frequency,
thus neutralising inhibitions
and influences, which normally
captivate the mind and lead one
to forget oneself and place the
identity in something other than
what one really is. A clear example
of this is stress. However, other physical and mental troubles or illnesses
can also be avoided by returning
to the original state - as it was
before whatever
influenced the state and upset the
balance in the body and mind.
that emotion, you go on experiencing
it and thus you allow what you experience to happen. You do not try to
interfere with the thought or the
emotion. You do not try to stop it.
You allow it to express itself and spend
its fury. You neither try to avoid the
anger or sorrow, nor do you cling to
it. Therefore nothing is left hanging
afterwards in the form of tension or a
grudge, and you can continue to live in
the now.
A picture that may illustrate this: As
a child I would be quite overwhelmed
by the cold after swimming in the sea.
I shivered, my teeth chattered, and I
could barely put on my clothes
again and do the buttons up after
drying myself. This could go on
for quite a while, unless at some
point or other I gave up and
allowed myself to be in that
freezing state. When I
allowed myself to experience the state, the
shivering and chattering
ceased at once, and I
calmed down and regained
warmth.
Meditation
experiences - you then remove the very
limitations mentioned by Patanjali.
Let’s take, for example, a strong
emotion of anger or sorrow. In the
midst of that state, in the midst of
Meditation teaches and
trains us to be receptive
and creative towards
“reality”, instead of constrained, infatuated, submissive
or in a reaction.
Small “hooks” are found in
the mind, stated Sri Aurobindo,
a yogi who lived in Pondicherry,
India, in the previous generation. These
hooks catch the thoughts that fit them.
Thoughts that appear in the mind again
and again are “maintained” by the
hooks. They hold us prisoners in certain attitudes and expectations.
To become free from habitual
thoughts and limiting ideas of our-
11
selves and our surroundings, from
states such as stress, unwanted
changes of mood and the experience
of too much or too little energy,
we have to straighten out the hooks.
The thoughts will then no longer
stick to the mind, we can let go and let
them pass.
How does one abolish enslavement
by the thoughts? After all, it is not
only the opinions that we hold on to
and defend, but also the more unconscious, automatic thoughts, which
colour our reality. It is thoughts that
appear by themselves in every situation, that judge or explain whatever
we are facing. Can we regard them
as just thoughts, or do we believe
them? How many times has your mind
without any ado judged a situation,
and you took for granted that what
your mind presented was true? Did
you know? Or did you “guess”? When
we do not realise that the mind often
functions in a completely automatic
way, presenting us with ready-made
opinions, we are kept in a prison of
grey routine. Thus we are unable to
see things anew and unable to adapt to
each new situation.
It requires a special ability to disregard the seductive games of the mind.
After all, the mind with its senses
is the tool through which we survive
in this dimension on earth. In the
Tantric yoga tradition there are
techniques that can help us see
through that which the mind presents
to us, so the mind becomes a real
tool instead of a slave driver - and we
become independent.
The meditation we deal with here is
called Antar Mauna. Translated from
Sanskrit it means Inner Silence - a pearl
of a meditation, which I learned from
Swami Satyananda when I lived with
him for some years in the late sixties.
Tantra - in Buddhism, in
Hinduism and by itself
In scriptures from Kashmir (some are
said to be over 4000 years old),
intense, short sentences or verses
(sutra) reveal essential instructions in
Tantric yoga and meditation. As part
of an initiation - that was otherwise
passed on verbally and secretly from
teacher to student from generation to
generation, for thousands of years these early sutras hint at a knowledge
of the mind, which in a practical
way can open the doors of meditation:
Vigyana Bhairava Tantra, Sochanda
Tantra and Malini Vijaya Tantra,
quoted in the article under one name:
Vigyana Bhairava Tantra *).
From this Tantric tradition grew,
for example, the deep relaxation
Yoga Nidra and Inner Silence, a
meditation, that has been evolved
into a basic form of seven parts.
Apart from this basic form, there are
more advanced variants, where the
teacher during the meditation constantly allows himself to be “infected”
by a student straying and identifying
with different states, experiences and
even diseases, only to free himself
from them, together with the student,
and return to the essential.
The following passage is from
Kularnava Tantra, (a later work than
the above mentioned) concerning the
importance of direct instruction:
“Neither Asramas (four stages of
life) nor philosophies or sciences can
provide the means for liberation;
only the Jnana [insight]of all the Sastras [tantric scriptures] can give it. And
this Jnana can be received through the
word of a Guru.
All other ways are deceptive,
oppressive; the knowledge of
Truth alone is life-giving.”
Already before the rise of Buddhism,
traces of this meditation can be found
in the Tantric tradition - yes, even
before Alexander the Great coined
the word Hinduism as a collective
term for the way people lived by
the Indus river.
Tantra was an independent
tradition and science even before
certain aspects of it became
integrated, first with “Hinduism”
and later with Buddhism.
The Tantric literature is outwardly
called non-Vedic, Agama, in order
to declare its independence from the
Vedic tradition, on which Hinduism
to a great extent is based.
Here are a few examples of the
ancient instructions:
“The appreciation of objects
and subjects is the same for an
enlightened person as for an
unenlightened person.
The former has one greatness:
he remains in the subjective mood,
not lost in things.”
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
“In moods of extreme desire,
be undisturbed.”
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
*) Vigyana Bhairava Tantra from Kashmir has had a fundamental influence on Swami Satyananda’s way of teaching the Tantric
meditations. Excerpts of the work were first published in the West in 1955 in Gentry magazine in an adapted issue by Paul
Reps and later incorporated in the book Zen Flesh, Zen Bones. The Sanskrit text is translated to Hindi by Swami Satyananda
and Swami Satsangananda, and certain parts of this text have been translated into English.
12
When Buddhism came to Japan, the
Tantric element it contained laid the
basis for the meditation Za-Zen. In its
attitude and in all its simplicity it is
related to Antar Mauna. There are also
many similarities to the Buddhist meditation Vipasana. I suppose it is used
especially in Southeast Asia. Its name
can mean unfettering.
In Tibet a similar method developed
from the Tantric source, the meditation
Maha Mudra. When it was presented
by Evans-Wentz in the thirties, he called
it “the yoga of the great liberation”,
or “the yoga of the great symbol”.
The fact that Evans-Wentz and the
lamas with whom he collaborated have
chosen the latter, somewhat abstract
translation of the title, requires one
to reflect on the meaning of the
word symbol - which I shall refrain
from doing here. Evans-Wentz himself
admits in the commentary to the title,
that mudra means attitude. From my
own background, I can translate Maha
Mudra as: the great attitude, signifying
the greatest attitude, the best attitude
one can have to life. There is, however,
the pitfall with this Tibetan variant,
inspiring though it may be, that it
has a relatively large philosophical
superstructure. This could easily lead
to an understanding of the concepts,
that one should
otherwise free oneself from - one philosophises and becomes reliant upon
one's own notions, thus blocking the
experience or the insight in the meditation. This probably is the sole purpose that the more direct teaching
from teacher to student, as always
in Tantra, may not and cannot be
recounted in writing, it must be
received in a teaching situation. However, when Maha Mudra is used correctly it can, just like Antar Mauna,
embody both the most fundamental and
highest form of initiation.
13
I shall now recount
the step, where the
student must give
up all his or her concepts, even conceptions that he or she
has used all through
his or her life on the
religious or spiritual
journey - up to reaching this step. An
excerpt from EvansWentz’s book:
ence - a choice,
perhaps - for
someone standing
outside, looking
in. The difference
lies in the goal
itself, and with it
the insights which
the underlying
concepts convey.
What they do have
in common, on
the other hand, is
awareness and the
ability to experience.
In Mahamudra
by Takpo Tashi
Namagyal from
1986, one reads:
“... The various
concepts, too,
being illusory,
and none of them
real, fade away
accordingly.
Thus, for
example, everything
“Saraha states:
postulated of the
...Whoever
Whole, the Sangsara
contemplates the
and
nature of
February 1969, from the time when I received the teaching and training that laid the
Nirvana, arises from
nirvana
foundation for the insight on which this article is based.
nothing more than
Without spontanemental concepts.
ous awareness
Or, as it says in the ancient literature
Changes in one’s train of thought
Will not realise the ultimate.
from Kashmir:
[or in one’s association of ideas]
Tilopa supports this position:
“Since, in truth, bondage and
produce corresponding changes in
Whether by expounding the tantric
freedom are relative, these words
one’s conception of the external
mysticism,
are only for those terrified with
world.
The transcending wisdom, the sacred
the universe. This universe is a reflecTherefore, the various views
canon, and the concise sayings,
tion of minds. As you see many
concerning things are due merely to
Or by following the various classic
suns in water from one sun, so see
different mental concepts...
treatises
bondage and liberation.”
In general, all things mentally
And the doctrines of conceptual
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
perceived are concepts.
determination,
The happiness of gods in heavenOne may not realise mahamudra as
worlds and of men is another mental
The Tantric meditations do to a great
lucid awareness.”
concept...
extent go together. That applies to the
The full realisation of the passing
original Tantric meditations that were
Who is it then that
away into Nirvana is also a concept of
found, and are found in India, and the
experiences?
mind.
corresponding meditations that were
Misfortune caused by demons and
Who possesses awareness?
assimilated by Buddhism in general,
evil spirits is also a concept of mind.
When I was a child, I experienced
in Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism in
Gods and good fortune are also conmyself as a child. When I was a
particular.
cepts of mind.”
teenager, I experienced myself as a
However, there is one crucial differ-
14
“Sweet-hearted
teenager, and in this
one, meditate on
way throughout life
knowing and notI have experienced
knowing, existing
myself in its different
and not existing.
periods. Who am I?
Then leave both
The body has
aside that you
changed. Each time
may be.”
I had to have my
(Vigyana
passport or driving
Bhairava Tantra)
licence renewed, I
needed new photos.
In the beginning
The old photos do
comes a glimpse,
not resemble me any
an experience of
more.
what is eventually
And the personality,
to become a
well, that has underfamiliar place, a
gone its phases.
state. A place to
Ideas have been
return to again and
replaced by insight,
again, to be, to
hope by contentrest and restore the
ment, which again
fundamental harwas followed by
mony in body and
disappointment,
mind.
frustration, hope and
From there I
contentment.
Informal discussions around the fire, the day before I (on the left) received my
gaze upon life:
It is as though life
initiation to become a Swami by Swami Satyananda (on the right).
Life changes
is a large wheel and
constantly, but here doesn’t change and needs defending, a determination
we tear along somewhere out on the
here is still, here IS - silence, on whose
to cut through all empty imitations
rim.
background life unfolds.
and
The rim is divided into life’s phases
automatic ways of doing things?
- phases where everything runs smoothly
“This consciousness is the spirit of
Is life, I wonder, a constant spiand falls into place, interspersed with
guidance of each one. Be this one.”
ralling closer towards the wheel’s
phases of resistance and adversity. It
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
hub, where a real overview exists may hurt when we have to let go of
towards the hole in the hub?
customary values, because experience
All over the world minor and major
And something else I also got from
and maturing tells us that they will not
philosophies, religions, shamanism,
the meditation: an ability to seek,
hold - and we are torn between action
etc., the innermost in people is expewhich extends further than that of
and reflection.
rienced as something, an identity, an
thinking or understanding, an ability
And behind the personality? Isn’t
existence, a being, a soul, a self.
to experience. Experience what? No,
something stored? Something individWhereas in Buddhism (at least in the
not the meaning of life. Life gives us
ual? A growing knowledge? A knowlTheravada branch), the final goal is
that, as Piet Hein says, right up to the
edge that is not merely intellectual in
nothing: “The occidental idea that
day when we ask about it. But somecharacter, a maturation that, in spite
the human mind grasps a ´thing´
thing else, a search for that “place”
of it all, takes you in the direction you
better than a ´no-thing´ is clearly
which is not really any place, but eveonce envisioned that life maybe would
wrong, and I state this on the basis
rywhere, as the water in the sea and
go? A greater benevolence perhaps, a
of my Siamese [Thai] professorial
the air in the space we live in, a state,
greater tolerance? And a greater courexperience...”
an attitude, a symbol.
age to stand by that which is of value
15
This is how the Austrian Swami Agehananda Bharati (who lived the most
of his life in India and concluded it in
USA) expressed himself in his autobiography, The Ochre Robe.
He continues: “The Hindu, when he
hears the term ´non-self´, immediately
thinks of the Absolute with which the
Self is identified. Not so the Siamese
[Thai] - for he has never really heard
about an Absolute. For him, anatmavada simply means `doctrine of nonself´, where atma (self) refers solely to
his own ego, his particular individuality, which Buddhism denies as a fiction...”
And when C. J. Jung had to
write the preface to Evans-Wentz’s
book: The Tibetan Book of the Great
Liberation, he sounded rather too
naively idealistic, as one from
outside would view things a bit
apprehensively, and has not himself
dared to experience what it is about.
Nevertheless, Jung may be in accord
with Buddhism when he writes:
“... unless one is prepared to turn away
from the world and to disappear into
the unconscious for good, mere teaching has no effect, or at least not the
desired one...”
In maintaining this, however, he
neglects the systematic and scientific
method inherent in meditation, where
a beneficial effect transpires progressively, regardless of what you may
think, just as long as you are capable
of following the method. Subsequent
to Jung’s death, such effects have been
measured and confirmed in medical
laboratories world-wide.
Also, what he apparently did not
know, was that, as one gradually
becomes experienced in meditation,
a new light is cast over things, and
everything appears different than the
expectations and the philosophy one
had before beginning to meditate.
16
Still, one is faced with a fundamental choice here, when Buddha states
that even the idea itself of a self (or a
soul) is an obstacle to total liberation:
a choice between
nothing, complete emptiness
no self, no I....
or
something
(Raja Yoga etc.)
concentration
focusing
the soul
and/or
(Tantra)
letting go
experience
being
and all that you are anyway.
One day a so-called sadhu came to the
ashram in Monghyr asking for shelter
and received it. Since he had come to
an ashram, then he would also meditate. I was curious, and when he had
left again, I asked Swamiji what he
had been doing. “Well,” said Swami
Satyananda, “he sat in the meditation
hall for a while. And then he came out
enthusiastically and said:
‘Swamiji, I’ve been in samadhi!
I saw nothing. I heard nothing.
I was gone completely!’”
I looked in wonder at Swamiji
after that statement, and he gave
this comment: “What the man
experienced was a state of
unconsciousness. Yes, he was
probably sleeping. To me,
samadhi is not unconsciousness, but
total consciousness, inner as well as
outer.”
How is yoga and thus
meditation defined?
I don’t want to use that hackneyed
definition of yoga, where one speaks
of becoming one with the higher self,
or to unite the higher and lower self.
Higher and lower, that’s nonsense,
there is just one. Such a definition is
based on false ideals, which may just
as easily distance people from themselves, as it may be inspiring - in
such thinking a demand to be holy
is hidden, something that can give a
sense of guilt, lead to hypocrisy and
make one become censorious or compare oneself to others. Who is higher?
Who is lower? Where do I stand? No
thanks!
There is a definition of yoga which I
hope cannot be interpreted in this way.
And it implies that it is something that
the individual can do with a little help
from tradition and a good teacher, but
without having to compete on the spiritual or other planes.
“The purity of other teachings is
as impurity to us. In reality know
nothing as pure or impure.”
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
After all, this is about that which
one is already, in essence, or
everywhere:
Stillness is our consciousness,
the one which experiences behind it
all. One is stillness - and everything
else: sounds, what one sees, feels
and smells; nature, the town, all
material and all inner things, feelings,
thoughts, inner pictures, dreams, all
these are experiences, which change
and are forgotten.
“This consciousness exists as each
being, and nothing else exists.”
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
“Meditation, therefore, is a process by
which you see your own
consciousness - consciousness
sees itself through itself, without
any intervening medium, support or
agency. In meditation you undergo
a process, not of self-analysis but selfperception. It is in this that meditation
goes beyond the
psycho-analysis of modern
psychology. You do not merely
analyse yourself; you see yourself.”
(Swami Satyananda)
Experience and consciousness
The definition of yoga can be
expressed by a symbol. It is an
archetypal symbol which certain
movements, religions and countries
have taken for their symbol (e.g.
Israel) that is true, but it is not
limited to a movement or a nation.
Two triangles, one pointing upwards
and one downwards, is forming this
symbol: the six pointed star. It is
found in all cultures, for example
on the clothes of the prairie Indians,
often placed on the middle of the
chest. Also in the Tantric tradition,
it is found in various symbols or yantras - one of them is the yantra for Anahata Chakra, the psychic center located
at the level of the heart.
It is a symbol which expresses harmony between the experiencer and that
which is experienced - and when this
harmony comes about, unity is experienced between the two - unity in everything.
Energy and consciousness
One could also talk about the
stillness, about the one who is
experiencing and the experiences,
in another way.
One could talk about energy. Everything consists of energy. The atoms
in the walls are energy, and my
17
If you want something from
body is energy. What comes out
the
meditation, then cease to
of my mouth when I talk is
have all kinds of expectations
energy, thoughts are energy,
or associations between you and
emotions, everything. It is what
what appears of itself in your
I experience, energy.
meditation. You need neither
The two triangles make a
to have negative nor positive
harmonic form of balance. The
notions of yourself. You are the
triangle pointing downwards
Inner Silence, the silence on the
signifies energy, the triangle
background of which you expepointing upwards signifies conrience what happens in your
sciousness. If the triangles, in
mind. Experience what happens
this connection, are placed any
without wanting to influence it,
other way in relation to each
so it can happen spontaneously
other, then balance is not
and without being restrained
present, and then it is about
or changed by your ideals or
too much or too little, insensitivexpectations. Only thereby can
ity, ignorance, self-forgetfulness,
you get to know it as it is. Let
about lack of contact with what is
the experiences come of themessential, a false identity...
selves without you interfering in
Naturally, I have experienced
the least. Remain the one who is
when harmony is not present,
experiencing.
when I try to control or suppress
“Whenever your mind is wanmy thoughts or feelings, when
I identify myself with them, or It was a time when Swamiji taught everything himself. What appealed dering, internally or externally,
when I have been overwhelmed to me was a view of life which in a great many ways harmonised with at this very place, this.”
my own. He was sober-minded, yes, almost atheistically scientific.
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
so that I forget myself. But
here the question
Idealism and Consciousness Summary
is not whether there is control or lack
of control. It has neither to do with
Antar Mauna is a meditation that starts
“The mirror is given us humans by
rebelling nor with taking everything
God, but the devil has given it the one
in the totality of where you find yourlying down. It is about being present,
defect: that it can never show, how one
self, in the world that you experience
in the midst of what is happening,
looks, when one is n o t looking in a
through your senses, in that place and
inner as well as outer. That is a Tantric
mirror.”
in those surroundings of where at the
definition of yoga.
(A “Grook” by Piet Hein)
moment you are meditating.
You train your ability to experience.
“When vividly aware through some par- When my students learn Inner Silence,
From the senses you progress gradually
ticular sense, stay in the awareness.”
I ask them not to be idealistic. Try
and inevitably through the states,
(Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)
not to be other than you normally
habits, thoughts and emotions that
are, when you sit down to meditate,
your personality normally contains.
This is trained in the meditation Inner
you don’t need to act holy, good or
You learn to experience the personality
Silence, because it isn’t really some“positive”. Begin the meditation as
without immediately becoming critical
thing you think about or philosophise
you are. It is unimportant for the
or analytical towards it, without inhibitabout. It is something you do and you
outcome of the meditation whether
ing or changing it. You get to know it.
learn this with the help of the techyou feel happy, unhappy, tired or full
Then you go deeper, through the variniques. Inner Silence is an absolute
of energy. Or whether you are restless,
ous dimensions of your inner universe,
necessity for all other advanced yoga
shaken or apathetic. Sit down and
to the innermost of your being, from
and meditation, including the more
begin the meditation wherever you are,
advanced forms of Kriya Yoga.
where you experience everything.
the way you feel.
18
“Good or bad, I am the seer;
disturbance or one-pointedness,
I am the seer. If I change my
physical position, I am the seer.
I am not the concentrator; I am
not the meditator. No, I am just
the seer of all that is taking
place in me. I am impartial,
detached and unrelated.
Antar Mauna has to be practical and methodical. It should
be done stage by stage. First we
practice a witnessing of sense
experiences that come from outside, then we practice a witnessing of the spontaneous thought
processes that evolve from the
depth of our personality. Finally
we come to a stage where we
become a witness of thoughtlessness.”(Swami Satyananda)
Do not try to do anything
other than what is happening
anyway here in the beginning.
But, when you have adjusted
the body, sit completely still,
in a pose where this is possible,
completely still,
continue for a while.
Now turn the mind outward
towards the surroundings - and
listen to the sounds around you.
Normally, when listening, one
listens for something or one
tries to avoid hearing certain
things - but you don’t do
that now - you listen to all
the sounds in the surroundings
together, the way they come
to your ears. An all
encompassing awareness of
sounds.
This is a meditation that is best
learnt directly, from teacher to
Consciousness is like a light,
It was a concrete teaching in exercises and meditations, and a
training in awareness - a spiritual attitude without any form of
student, so that the mind does
that shines equally in all
worship or manipulation of people's religious feelings.
not resort to equivocations, so
directions. It perceives
that one is constantly guided
everything with the same
back to oneself, to the one which expeinterest, nothing is emphasised,
“You are the one observer and, as
riences behind it all. It is based on laws
nothing pushed aside.
such, you have indeed always been
or tendencies in the mind which are
free. Your only bondage has been
Hear the car in the street, for
common to all people.
that you see someone else as the
example, at the same time as the
It is not surprising, therefore, that
observer.”
(Ashtavakra Gita)
ticking of the clock, at the same time
also in Europe we find references and
The first preliminary exercise as the television upstairs. Perceive
instructions, through various ages, that
the surroundings as a whole, all the
point toward a similar insight, like the
The following is an example of
sounds, at the same time.
one Inner Silence is based on. We will
how a part of the first step in the medideal with these specific instances at a
tation is guided verbally by a teacher,
Do this for five to fifteen minutes,
later date in Bindu, just as in the future
when during the learning process, one
sitting some place where you have
we will go on revealing some of the
practises it in a group.
time to do it undisturbed.
secrets of Inner Silence.
And also try it for a short while,
Sit with a straight back (it can be on
The knowledge and insight sprouting
a minute or two, on the train, in the
a chair, or in a meditation pose) and
from the meditation also influence daily
bus, in a queue, on a bench in a
close the eyes. - Sit for a moment
life. It represents the essence of Tantra,
park or at a market place. In town or
without being busy with having
the Tantric attitude. You accept how you
by the sea, in the woods or in the
something to do, other than just
are, how you live. You don’t need to be
countryside - wherever.
sitting. Do not demand anything of
another person to realise yourself - or to
Become one with the sounds of the
yourself. Do not expect anything from
live. You don’t need to change, you are
surroundings...q
the meditation.
already - your self.
19
A yoga holiday at Håå Course Center
Will deepen your experience of yoga and meditation, yourself and your daily life
“The benefits of the
summer's intensive work
with yoga and meditation
(a 14 days course and the
Kriya Yoga course) can be
felt on return to daily life.
Karma Yoga’s influence
is evident - more energy
and a desire to organise
the practical things.
Through yoga and
meditation, I have become
better at concentrating on
the things I do. When I
dance, I dance, when I
draw, I draw, when I make
food, I make food...
By actually experiencing
what you do while doing
it, even though you are
busy, you don’t feel
stressed.
After I came home from
Håå, I started to practise
Kriya Yoga in the
morning before my
classes at Architect
college or my dance
training and I can feel the
effect in my studies. I’m more concentrated at lectures and
I feel more awake and inspired during slide lectures,
which I have previously found tiring. Concerning my
studies, I have discovered, that by doing the alternate
breathing (Nadi Shodana Pranayama) before presenting
my project, I gain greater peace and a better overview of
the situation.”
(Rikke Zachariasen)
20
“The personal
knowledge of oneself,
gained by doing yoga
and meditation, means
that one isn’t so easily
disturbed when
concentrating on
something. One isn’t
easily interrupted by
irrelevant thoughts,
feelings or physical
discomfort (I can’t! I’m
tired!, indolence or
something similar).
Yoga and meditation
give me the energy to
break old habits and
the clarity to
consciously choose
whether or not I allow
myself be disturbed. In
other words, my daily
yoga practice (Kriya
Yoga) gives me the
opportunity to exercise
more self discipline not strenuous but a
relaxed and engaged
awareness directed
towards what is
necessary, whatever it
may be. For me, this is playing music - and it’s especially
so in my daily practice routines and my studies at the
conservatory that I benefit from yoga. I can simply use my
time more effectively, so that the time I use for yoga, is
returned many times, both because I manage to do more
and feel better during the day, and because I need less
sleep.”
(Dennis Jensen)
Welcome to our Courses
10 and 14 days Courses
At our international Course Center
in Håå in southern Sweden, we conduct
retreats that will give you a different
experience to the evening classes we
hold in the cities. We operate in the tradition of an ashram; a spiritual workshop. Yoga and meditation, work and
freetime, the everyday and holiday are
combined in a programme to help you
recharge and break away from habits
and the media.
This exceptional way of teaching,
which has been used to impart the
yoga tradition for thousands of years,
gives you the opportunity, in a
relatively short period, to have a
deeper experience of yoga and
meditation. This is helped by
cleansing techniques, healthy
vegetarian food, canoeing, walking
and horse riding in the beautiful
forests and landscapes of Southern
Sweden - and lastly but by no means
least, a period of silence which allows
the mind to calm down...
Kriya Yoga Course
16 - 26 May
4200/3300 SwCr
20 July - 18 August
7500 SwCr
Shanti & Omkarananda
Swami Janakananda & Anandananda
26 May - 8 June
4500/3500 SwCr
3-Months Course 1997
Gunnar Petersen & Yoga Shakti
22 Jan. - 19 April
18000 SwCr
9 - 22 June
4500/3500 SwCr
Swami Janakananda, Sita and other
Jörgen Hastrup & Joachim Rodenbech
ashram teachers. This is a sadhana
23 June - 6 July
4800/3900 SwCr
retreat. Sadhana means 'that which
Ananda Murti & Robert Nilsson
leads to the goal'.
You learn to apply some of the
7 - 20 July
4800 SwCr
most profound yoga and meditation
Franz Jervidalo & Laxmi
methods from the Tantric tradition.
1 - 14 September
4800/3900 SwCr
For example during 33 days of silence
Robert Nilsson & Mette Kierkgaard
you will be instructed in the great
10 - 20 October
4200/3300 SwCr
Kriya Yoga (with up to 24 Kriyas)
Mira & Anandananda
and advanced versions of Antar
19 Dec. - 1 Jan.
4800 SwCr
Mauna. The peace and energy you
Swami Janakananda & Bhawana Murti
achieve helps you to get a perspective
on your life and gives you the strength
2 - 12 January
4200/3300 SwCr
to do what you really want to do.
Bhawana Murti & Ambika
Contact us for the Håå Course Center brochure which describes it all thoroughly.q
There are many transport options for
reaching Håå Course Center. Please
contact us for further help with travel
plans.
Please note: Swami Janakananda and
Sita are touring Australia and possibly
New Zealand, giving retreats, see p.25.
21
The Lotus pose - a classical meditation posture
I was 15 years old and at the local swimming
baths, when I saw for the first time a living
human being sitting in the Lotus pose. A
young woman quickly and with ease placed
her legs over each other. I was filled with
awe and surprise. Although I had
already read about it, I was convinced,
up to that very moment, that the Lotus
pose was reserved for a few people
only - and hardly possible for
ordinary people.
Together with the Headstand, the
Lotus pose probably is the best
known yoga pose. In one way
or another most people have
either heard or read about it.
The legs are crossed in such
a way that the feet are
placed on the thighs, the
hands are resting on the
knees and you sit with a
straight spine. Padmasana,
which the Lotus pose
is called in Sanskrit,
is one of the classical
meditation poses.
Why a meditation
pose?
When you want
to meditate, it is
important to be
able to sit still,
upright and
relaxed for a
certain length of
time. When the
body is held motionless and stable, it becomes relaxed and
the mind begins to calm down which is a precondition for
going deeper.
Naturally, it is not mandatory to sit in the Lotus pose in
22
by Joachim Rodenbeck
order to meditate. It is important, however, that you
can sit still for a period, without having to worry
about the body. To achieve that, there are also
more simple poses which anyone (including the untrained) can use without difficulty.
In some meditations, i.e. when you begin
practising Inner Silence, you can also sit on
a high-backed chair or even in an armchair
as long as you sit comfortably and upright. On
the other hand, when you want to go deeper (in
Inner Silence) or work with your psychic
energy in meditations like Ajapa Jap or
Kriya Yoga, it is necessary to learn
one of the genuine meditation postures since the posture has an effect
in itself.
The Lotus pose
Once having learned to master
the Lotus pose, you have
the benefit of being able to
sit motionless and effortless
for long periods of time. In
other poses, like the normal
cross-legged position, the
upper body easily sags and
becomes tired. In a real
meditation pose like the
Lotus pose, on the other
hand, one can learn
to avoid restlessness and muscular tensions. It
could be argued
that one could
lie much more
comfortably
on the back in
the dead-still
pose (Savasana,
see Bindu no. 7) as one does in different types of relaxation.
Relaxation and calmness in the body, however, is only a
small part of the overall effect of the Lotus pose.
To some it comes easy to learn to use
the Lotus pose - children for instance
do it spontaneously while they play
Energy
In the spinal cord, the passages of the
central nervous system connect the brain
with the rest of the body. All parts of
the body are controlled through these
passages. The upright and undisturbed
position of the spine in Padmasana is
important in order for the nerve impulses
to flow freely during meditation.
These nerve paths, together with the
brain, are surrounded by a protective
membrane within which the so called
cerebrospinal fluid flows. This fluid
nurtures the nerve endings and the
brain - the Lotus pose provides an
optimal condition for its flow. (A chiropractor will in many cases treat diseases by removing blockages in the
flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.)
When we go on to a finer dimension, to the psychic energy, then, in the
spinal cord, we find the energy flows
Ida, Pingala and Shushumna, the three
most important passages in the network
of our psychic energy. They should not
be mistaken for our nervous system,
although closely connected with it.
Today’s science confirms that man only
- whereas others need more practice. Do
not try to force your body into the pose:
as with any yoga posture the body needs
time to get used to it - the hips, the legs
and the knee- and foot-joints must be
pre- pared and made supple in a systematic way. Refer to the second part of the
program Air- and tension-releasing exercises, i.e. the Crow Walk, the Butterfly,
the Pump etc. (for thorough guidance see
Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life
p. 38-39). To sit in the Half Lotus is also a
good preparation.
Don’t be alarmed if one day the soles of
your feet are smiling at you from on top
of your thighs.
makes use of a fraction of his brain
capacity.
Within the yoga tradition, however,
the breathing exercises and meditations
(i.e. Kriya Yoga) are known to stimulate
and awaken the energy and, through its
flows, awaken the dormant parts
of the brain. It is therefore crucial to use
a real meditation pose - it ensures that
the energy generated during the meditation is directed into its proper paths
and that a harmonic expansion of consciousness is taking place.
Better fitness
through sitting still?
The classical yoga script, Gheranda
Samhita, names the Lotus pose “the
destroyer of all diseases” - and it surely
has a good number of healing effects.
The following medical survey took
place in 1975 under the direction of the
Indian doctor, Professor Salgar. Her
research team compared a group of
people, who over a six-months period
were sitting in the Lotus pose daily
(without using any kind of additional
meditation or relaxation technique), to
another group who over the same length
of time followed a traditional fitness
training programme with weight lifting,
spring expanders etc. A third group of
people, who were not doing any such
activity, constituted the control group.
The researcher determined for one
thing that the oxygen in the body was
better utilised in the Lotus pose. Before
and after the six-months period all
participants were exposed to a fitness
test. As one might expect, the physical
fitness training group obtained a clearly
improved efficiency, but so did surprisingly enough the group who had
“only” been sitting in the Lotus pose.
23
Under a heavy load which demanded
great muscular strength, the physical
fitness training group showed the best
results. However, under normal strain,
the Lotus group surpassed the physical
fitness group. Even though there had
been no actual muscle growth, the
Lotus pose people were better able to
make efficient use of their strength.
The control group showed no changes
The Lotus pose can also be used as a
variation in different yoga poses.
whatsoever.
With her findings, Professor Salgar
was able to show that merely sitting in
the Lotus pose has a positive influence
on the metabolism and on the overall
body fitness, which was significantly
improved.
What brought about such
changes?
To place the body in such an unusual
position, of course, is not done by
24
accident and indicates that the ancient
yogis possessed an accurate knowledge
of the processes in the body, even
though they did not use the modern terminology of medical science.
Through the crossed legged position,
the blood supply to the legs is decreased
and redirected to the abdominal region.
This increased flow of blood in the
abdominal region is beneficial for the
inner organs and improves the digestion. It can be recommended to people
with nervous disorders that they sit in
the Lotus pose. Furthermore, the nerves
emanating from the coccyx and sacrum
are also influenced. These nerves serve
the whole abdomen, the intestines and
the genitals.
The Nadis, the finer energy passages,
also become activated through the special position of the legs. From the
viewpoint of acupuncture, (where they
also work with the energy flows,
and call the Nadis Meridians), it
has been described how Padmasana
influences the stomach-, the gall bladder-, the spleen-, the kidney- and the
liver-meridians, which again influence
other body parts and organs.
The use of the Lotus pose is instrumental in bringing about a series of
curative and health improving effects,
when the energies of the body are fundamentally harmonised. The actual purpose of the pose, however, aims further
- as an aid to spiritual absorption.
Not only in India
It is common knowledge that the use
of the Lotus pose in the Indian yoga
tradition and in the Far East dates back
a very long time. It is perhaps not so
well-known that sculptures and rockcarvings of this and other poses have
been found in the old cultures of Egypt,
Mexico, Colombia, and Scandinavia.
The bronze sculpture on the back cover
of this issue of Bindu is of Celtic
origin and a part of a “bucket” found
on the “Oseberg” Viking ship in the
Oslo fiord in Norway.
Little is known about the kind of
meditation that was in use in the preColumbian and northern cultures. The
tradition in these and other cultures
are, compared with the living tradition
Clay sculpture from West-Colombia.
Museum of Ethnology, Berlin.
of India and China, less accessible.
However, there is no doubt that the
use of meditation once was worldwide. In coming issues of Bindu, we
will publish some of the findings that
Swami Janakananda, through 30 years
of research, has discovered in relation
to the origin of yoga. This study clearly
shows that yoga does not have to be
tied up with a specific mythology or
religion, it is teachings of wisdom and
a science in itself.q
Yoga, Tantra and Meditation
in Daily Life
Swami Janakananda’s book
in a revised and extended edition.
(Rider Books, UK and Weiser, USA)
Australian tour with Swami Janakananda
In September 1996, Swami Janakananda and Sita will visit Australia, giving courses and
participating in a convention in Sydney. Requests for courses have also come from
students in New Zealand but no arrangements have been finalised at the time of printing. At
the end of the journey Swami Janakananda will be teaching at Bihar Yoga Bharati in India,
before returning to Sweden for a winter season of yoga teacher seminars, meditation courses,
satsangs and the yearly 3-month course (see p.20-21).
A 10-day residential course: 25 September - 5 October 1996
in Mackay, Queensland
This book offers an alternative to the
misconception put forward by many yoga
books, that one must take on a new life
style to use yoga and meditation.
Swami Janakananda describes yoga
from within, based on his own experience
- from a yogi’s point of view.
As you follow the exercises in this
book, you will realise that yoga is based
on a profound knowledge of human
nature. It is the fruit of a living tradition,
where knowledge is passed directly from
teacher to student, from generation to
generation. Step by step you are guided
through the subject and in a practical
manner you can benefit from the different
poses, breathing exercises, meditations
and the Tantric sexual yoga.
“For a long time I have had a yearning
to take up yoga, but have been put off
by the narrow scholarly and religious
approaches that often seemed apparent.
Your approach, and the convenient
inclusion of tantra and kundalini was
so refreshing, and just what I had been
looking for. I could thoroughly identify
with everything you said; not only
that, but I felt that the way in which
you communicated your knowledge and
beliefs was perfect.”
(V. Williamsson, London, UK.)
“It is now two days ago since we left the course in Acre and I still have an elated and
self-contradictory feeling of super-charged energy and deep inner calm.”
(Student from a course held in Israel)
Ajapa Japa, a preliminary form of Kriya
The course begins with preparatory exerciYoga. In nine steps you go from the coarse to
ses for relaxation and meditation and a gentle
the finer levels of your being, from using a speand refreshing cleansing process (see p.4).
cial way of breathing to contacting the chakras,
The main part of the course is centred
the inner space and your psychic symbol.
around different yoga poses, breathing
Yoga Nidra, a unique deep relaxation (p.27).
exercises and methods of cleansing the
Silence (Mauna), a valuable and integrated
energy flows of the body, thus establishing
part of yoga. Two and a half days of silence
a healthy field of energy in and around
raises your awareness further - thus increasing
your body. Other methods used are:
your capacity to experience. It makes you
Inner Silence (in Sanskrit: Antar Mauna),
better able to experience the finer stages of
a meditation method through which you can
the meditations that we practice at this point.
come to terms with your mind and learn to
Lectures. Swami Janakananda and Sita will
accept your personality in a constructive way.
also give lectures on the Tantric tradition,
You develop your capacity to think creatively
yoga and meditation techniques and how
and thus realise your visions. But first and
these can be used and integrated in daily life.
foremost, you get closer to your self and
Dance and Music play a small but
experience your true identity (see also p.10).
important part in the process of the course.
Venue: Department of Education Camp, Kinchant Dam (approximately 30 Kms south
west of Mackay, Oueensland). The camp is located in a quiet, rural setting in close proximity to Kinchant Dam. There are many bush walks with an abundance of wallabies,
scrub turkeys and birdlife. Bunkroom accommodation. Please bring your own bedding
or sleeping bag. Fee: $ 750 all inclusive for 10 days tuition, accommodation and meals.
Weekend courses:
Mackay, Queensland
Tea Gardens, New South Wales
Venue: The Green Hall, East Lope Way,
Venue: Concept Training, cnr Victoria
North Arm Cove. NSW 2324
and Brisbane Streets, Mackay, Q 4742
Friday 18 to Sunday 20 October
Dates and times:
(same times and fee as Mackay).
Friday 20 September 6.00 pm - 9.30 pm
Contact Gillian Young, P.O. Box 118 Tea
Saturday 21 Sept.
9.00 am - 6.00 pm
Gardens, NSW 2324
Telephone:
Sunday 22 September 9.00 am - 6.00 pm
(049) 971601
Fee: $ 225.
Bookings for Mackay Courses: contact Robyn Taylor, Concept Training, PO Box 89,
Mackay Q 4740, Telephone: (079) 531 594.
25
Read
Bindu
Previous issues
are still
available, with
articles on:
No. 2: Music
and meditation
No. 3: On the ability to experience.
Headstand. Nose Cleansing...
No. 4: Kriya Yoga I. The effect of
yoga on the finer energy. The Source of
Energy - a Tantric meditation...
No. 5: Kriya Yoga II. Psychic energy.
Scientific research on the 3-Months
Courses. The Pyramid and Pratyahara.
No. 6: The twilight hour - did we
have a living meditation tradition in the
North? Invent tomorrow's education.
Shoulderstand...
No. 7: Silver Jubilee issue! Read about
Kriya Yoga III. Yoga for pregnant
women. Savasana.
Yoga shop
The book: Yoga, Tantra and Meditation
in Daily Life
175 Sw.Cr. + 55 Sw.Cr. postage.
See also page 25.
The tape: Experience Yoga Nidra
120 Sw.Cr. + 30 Sw.Cr. postage.
The periodical: Bindu, no. 2-7,
25 Sw.Cr. each + 30 Sw.Cr. postage.
Nose cleansing pot
with instruction brochure:
Joghus, (short spout) blue, red, yellow,
green or black.
145 Sw.Cr.+ 55 Sw.Cr. postage.
Krutis, (long spout) blue, sand,
white or green, 195 Sw.Cr. +
105 Sw.Cr. postage.
We can only accept payment in
Swedish Crowns by Eurocheque,
international money order or to our
postal giro acc. 73 86 03 - 0 in Sweden.
No personal cheques please, as they are
too expensive to cash.
Please send money and order to:
Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
School, Håå Course Center
340 13 Hamneda, Sweden.
The brochure (free): about the
retreats at Håå International Course
Center (see pages 20-21).
Subscription
Sweden
Håå Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda
tel. +46 372 55063
Stockholm
Västmannag. 62, 113 25 Stockholm
tel. +46 8 32 12 18
Århus
Elsinore
Norway Bergen
Oslo
Finland Helsinki
Germany Hannover
Vestergade 45, 8000 Århus C
Kongensgade 12 B, 3000 Elsinore
Georgernes Verft 3, 5011 Bergen
Skytterdalen 6, 1300 Sandvika
Sukula, 30100 Forssa
Egestorffstrasse 3, 30449 Hannover
tel. +45 86 19 40 33
tel. +45 49 21 20 68
tel. +47 55 32 78 40
tel. +47 67 56 95 55
tel. +358 16 4350599
tel. +49 511 454163
Denmark Copenhagen Købmagergade 65, 1150 Copenhagen tel. +45 33 14 11 40
Publisher: Bindu,
Håa Course Center,
340 13 Hamneda,
Sweden. Tel. +46 372 55063
Fax. +46 372 55036
Postal acc. 73 86 03 - 0.
email: [email protected]
Circulation: 4,000 in English
26
(Also printed in German, Swedish
and Danish)
Printed: Håå Course Center,
by Erling Christiansen & Mark
Richards
Translation: Mark Richards, Uri
Andersen & Robyn Taylor.
Pictures: Front page:
You are welcome to support us, so we
can continue to distribute Bindu. Pay
45 Sw.Cr. for one issue or 80 Sw.Cr. for
2 issues + 30 Sw.Cr. postage (payment,
see above). Further contributions
are also welcome.
Anandananda and
Omkarananda,
back page: “Oseberg man”,
Ove Holst,
© Oslo university’s museum,
p.2 Ingela Hageman,
p.11 “Anahat Chakra”
Anandananda,
p.14, 15, 18 and 19
Knud Hvidberg,
p.17 Tibetan Tanka,
p.23 Ambika,
p.26 Jörgen Hastrup,
other pictures: Omkarananda.
Copyright © 1996 Bindu
& Scandinavian Yoga and
Meditation School.
Experience
Yoga
Nidra
- a cd you can use in your daily life
All you need to do is to lie down and follow the
instructions - completely still and with closed eyes!
Two deep relaxations, based on Swami Satyananda’s classic Yoga Nidra,
created and guided by Swami Janakananda, who has also composed the
background of nature sounds. Music by Roop Verma.
“This tape is a hit, if you can talk about hits within relaxation.”
(A. Thomson, therapist and New Age bookseller in England)
“The tape is one of the most inspiring I have heard for a long time. It is a multi-dimensional work of art
of a nature that is rarely seen.” (M. Lammgård, musician and therapist, Växthuset Kaprifol, Sweden)
“After a number of years of having a stressed life with a job that almost ruined my ability to live in the present, I’m now
again happy to face each new day, not to unnecessarily worry about tomorrow. I have learnt to laugh again. I think it’s
fantastic.” (E. Berg, Ludvika, Sweden)
“Yoga Nidra sounds like nothing I’ve heard before. It is accompanied by nature sounds, and the Indian musician Roop
Verma. Sound symbols for the various chakras are also played, from that music tradition called Nada Yoga. Naturally,
this practice is an individual experience . Personally, I find it utterly fascinating. I feel refreshed and revitalised after the
practice, and I know I will continue with it.” (Nils-Olof Jacobsen in the magazine Sökaren)
27
Celtic figure in Lotus Pose - found on a Viking ship near Oslo, Norway