Yoga Room Blog

by Joumana Saber Sharath, and many many many students, have been sick for the last few days. It is getting chilly in Mysore, we're all walking around with sweaters and wrapping scarves around our necks. Sharath always starts conference with a mantra, which he recites so quickly that I can never make up what he's saying (not that I speak Sanskrit fluently, but I could recognize mantras). This time, I was lucky enough to sit so close to him that the recording was super clear. I googled the mantra and so here it is. Please note that two different links spelt some of the words (in english) differently. 

"I will do my best today to do the conference, I'm very sick today. I'm always sick, now I'm really sick!"

The Hatha Yoga Pradipika says by doing asanas, the sweat what we get, don't waste that sweat. Try to rub that sweat back to your skin. It opens the pores and all the poison inside - whatever poison is there, the toxin is there will come out. It makes your body light and strong. I know nowadays, yoga has changed. They have all this different crazy kind of yoga: hot yoga, warm yoga... there, what happens? As soon as you enter the room, which is already preheated to a certain degree, as soon as you step inside you start sweating. But shastra says by working out and by doing hard work. So there is lots of difference between these kinds of sweat, as soon as you enter. If you go to sauna, suddenly you start - in Finland, I went so many times - as soon as you step inside, you start sweating. But this kind of sweat is not good. How the sweat should come? By working out, by doing asanas. When we work out, when we do different asanas, the sweat will come from inside. It brings all the toxins outside. So there should be effort, by putting lots of effort. Doing asana needs effort; when you do that, then sweat should come. Then your body becomes light and strong. So how to build stamina? Now today, we did intermediate class. After that, I added only 7 postures of Advanced A. May students were tired! They were imbalanced. But how? This happens to everyone. It's not that they're very weak, because they are not used to doing for such a long time. 

Once you keep practicing everyday, you build up stamina, strength and flexibility. So there are very important. I know many people say "oh, I'm very flexible", but when you go on the mat you'll come to know they are flexible but they don't have strength. Many people are very good at back bending, but if you tell them to do some arm balances, balancing asanas, they will fail to do that. So you should balance everything. That's why in this system, Guruji always used to teach first Primary Series. Only once you get perfect in Primary Series, he used to take you to Second Series. Why is that? First you should build up strength. When a new student comes, first we teach them Surya Namaskara. We'll see how his vinyasa is - how he has understood the vinyasa, if he's applying that properly while doing Surya Namaskara. These things, we have to see, then we'll carry on and take him to the next posture. This is the way it should go. Slowly, your body will adjust and gain strength and as I told you, gain stamina. Nowadays, the trend is different, the teachers are different. They want to attract students... it's unfortunate. As soon as you go, they teach you 15 asanas. "Oh do this, do that". It is not good for your body, because your body has to adjust to these postures, has to adjust to this system, the vinyasa system. Then only, we can build up strength within us. 

Guruji used to make me practice for 3 years. I used to go to Lakshmipurum at 3:30(am) till 6:30 I was practicing. Sometimes, when I started, I couldn't even get up from the bed. Afternoons I used to take nap, but after that I couldn't get up. I was so tired. I don't know, I was in a different world.. I don't know where I was, I was totally unconscious! Slowly then, the stamina, everything built in me then it was so many demonstrations I had to do. One I did in New York, one in Sydney... you have to be very quick. There is no time to think. Why I'm saying this is when practicing, you should be aware of all these things, you should allow the body to change, to slowly progress in this especially when doing asanas or all yoga - you should have patience. Slowly slowly, once you build up, the knowledge also will build up. Your asana will come first, then you'll have better clarity and better knowledge of asana, why it is important. This is not the gym, you're not here to work out. You're here to bring peace to yourself, to know who you are, to know what we are. Our practice can give that answer to us. I know I am Sharath... Sharath is just identity, that's all, identity for this body. (He starts to name a few students and points towards them) that is just to call, it is all external. Who we are inside, that is very important. To know that, it doesn't come that easily. You are everything, but you're nothing. You can be anything, but you are nothing. When I say this, each one of us has the capability, everyone is capable of realizing who we are. It's not only that I can realize, everyone has that potential. Everyone can realize. Once we practice yoga, these kinds of thoughts should arise in you. It's not just doing asanas, drinking coconut, going home. You go coconut here, you go there, spend one hour here, spend one hour there... it is fun! Everyone likes to gossip, talk... everyone wants to update now - updating through Facebook, through Twitter. Socializing is good, I don't say it's bad, but sometimes too much is too bad. 

Another thing I would like to say is many students have this question: how much I should practice? How much should I eat, how much should I sleep, how much should I do asana practice? There should be limit in all these things. Eating little food, only how much we need - if we eat this big thali, morning evening night, it is not good because your digestive system/organs can't handle this much food. Once we have too much food, your mind also becomes very dull. Then, you become depressed. Last week I was in a marriage so we had to eat. When you go to Indian marriage, they'll feed you and you can't say no.. it's like insulting them, so you have to eat whatever they put. Suddenly after eating, I wanted to go and sleep! You can see once you work too much - some students they practice yoga here, they go home they practice, again in the evening they practice.. they don't understand their limitations; how much you should practice. If you keep on practicing so much, then you are hurting your body. Your over-exercising your body. After, they blame on yoga! You should understand your limitations. If you sleep for too long also, you become very dull. For healthy living, you need only 6.5 to 7 hours of sleep every day. Actually, I read an article 3 months back in the newspaper - they had done survey: how much each person should sleep according to their age. Up to 12 years, they should sleep around 8 to 9 hours. Children are growing. After your sleeping patter changes, it becomes 8 hours, 7 hours. So they have done survey, old people sleep less! 50-60 years old, people they sleep less. I don't know how true it is, but this is the survey they did and wrote an article. So, we should understand our limitations. 

sūrya-bhedanamujjāyī sītkārī śītalī tathā |
bhastrikā bhrāmarī mūrchchā plāvinītyaṣhṭa-kumbhakāḥ || 44 ||

Translation: kumbhakas are of 8 kinds: surya bhedan, ujjayi, sitkari, sitali, bhastrika, bhramari, murchcha, plavini.

8 kumbakhas which is recommended in Hatha Yoga Pradipika, that is it comes there. Don't get confused with this and that. 15-20 years back, Guruji told "do free breathing", someone asked "Is it ujjayi breath?" Guruju said "yeah, ok". That's how it came! If you do that, then you'll understand what is the difference between that and this.

Q: In free breathing, is the inhalation and exhalation still even?

A: Even, even, always. Inhalation and exhalation should be equally done. 

Q: Should the sound be coming from the throat or from the nose?

A: When the air travels, it makes a sound. Guruji always used to compare to cobra. If you see cobra when it is breathing, it goes (Sharath demonstrates).. just the air makes sound. You're not squeezing your throat, or you're not doing anything like that. Once you are squeezing, then it becomes ujjayi pranayama. You're not doing that. If you that, you will die, when doing asana. If you hold breath, you'll die. That kind of breathing might kill you - (he laughs) - I mean it won't kill you, but it'll be different - you can't relax in the posture. If you want to relax in the posture, this free flow of breath is very important. Sometimes in difficult asana, we go out of breath, but once we relax in the posture, the state of the posture, then you relax into the breathing, then you see each time you do that your asana will get better and better, you're more relaxed and relaxed. Each time you do it, you're more relaxed. 

Q: Can you explain the relationship between the bandhas and the breath? Inhale goes to which bandha and exhale goes to which bandha...

A: Bandha... why I didn't mention bandha in this is bandha should be done all the tine, not only in asanas. (Sharath recites something in Sanskrit. So, I googled what I could make of it and this is what I found):

pūrakānte tu kartavyo bandho jālandharābhidhaḥ |

kumbhakānte rechakādau kartavyastūḍḍiyānakaḥ || 45 ||

Translation: At the end of Pûraka, Jâlandhara Bandha should be performed, and at the end of Kumbhaka, and at the beginning of Rechaka, Uddiyâna Bandha should be performed.

Back to what Sharath was saying:

Once exhalation, exhalation, exhalation, then hold mula bandha. Once you have held mula bandha, with inhalation when it goes then you do uddiyana bandha. Jalandhara bandha - some asanas you have to, mostly it's in pranayama techniques. When you do pranayama, you're totally blocking the breath; no external air should come inside. If you don't do it consciously, sometimes air will go. Like now (while talking), air is going and coming, I don't have control of that. I'm not controlling the breath. While doing pranayama, these three things should be perfect: mula bandha, uddiyana bandha, jalandhara bandha. There are more than thousand different types of pranayama. Kevala kumbhaka is regularly done, but to gain higher consciousness there are different pranayamas. Every nervous system in your body will get purified, then the sushumna (energy) will start flowing towards anahata (heart chakra). Now there are different kinds of sounds in your anahata; different sounds are producing through anahata. After all those sounds will dissolve are will be destroyed, there will be only one sound, the divine sound will arise there. That is the state of dhyana. Pratyahara, dhrana, dhyana... all these stages will start from here, but you have to reach to that; it's a long way to go. That is possible only when your fundamentals are correct - that is the breathing in your asanas. Try not to get confused; this is leading towards that. First, you have to go to first grade, second grade then you have to go to pre-university, university, then you'll get the degree. When you're 5 years old, you can't go to university and get a degree. it has to go step by step. This is also like that, slowly slowly... in pranayama, it's very important that bandhas should be perfect. This is your training, how to perfect bandhas; this is where you have to practice - in your asanas. You can't say "oh, when will I get bandhas", it'll come automatically. I can't give you time... it takes 2-3 years, the more you understand, the more you are refined in the breath, regular flow of the breath is coming then the bandhas also will come. So in many commentaries Shankaracharya has written beautifully - many research has been done on bandha itself. What is the source for this panchabootham (5 elements - air, fire, earth, water, space), what is the divine or the creator or what you call as God? If I say God, people will ask "what is God" - God is the energy. Now they have discovered that there are god particles! It was there, nobody knew! Only yogis knew. So what is the source for this panchabootham is that energy. What is the source to control your mind, is the mula bandha. If your mula bandha is correct, especially when you're doing pranayama, you can control your mind. Pranayama comes not only in asana practice, but even when we do our daily rituals, that's called sandhyavandanam (3 brahmin rituals) - pratahsamdhya, madhyanika, sayamsamdhya - these three we have that all brahmins should do. When we do that, also pranayama comes there.. it's different kind of pranayama. It's very similar, but little different than what we do in Hatha yoga. 

One day I was doing sandhyavandanam in old shala, Guruji taught me all the sandhyavandanam because my father was always traveling, he was out of India all the time. When I became a Brahmin, when I got my thread ceremony, I used to go and learn with my grandfather; he used to teach me. He taught me all the mantras. I was not practicing (asana) then, I was only doing these rituals. After when I studied my yoga asana studies again, one day he taught me how to do pranayama. One swamiji came, a very simple swami, he had many questions to ask because he was a software engineer before became swami in the US - for 5 years he worked there and he left everything, said "this is enough" and he came back to India. He got his green card, but he left everything. He wanted to study philosophy, especially Advaita philosophy. He became a follower of Shankaracharya. He had many questions about pranayama because he had read many books. He devoted himself to this; he was doing asanas, after, different pranayamas, which is done through rituals. When he came and Guruji was teaching him, he asked me to sit there and observe and do it. So he (Guruji) taught both of us how to do it - pranayama through our rituals. It was a very big experience. Usually many people they don't know about this. 

Q: A question about rituals: it's very hard to follow yama and niyama perfectly and in the West we're obsessed with making up for things. If we do something wrong to someone else, how do you seek forgiveness?

A: It depends on the culture. You are from a different culture - you do all the sins and you go to church and confess with the Father, you sit in a dark room "oh, Father... can I confess?" Even here in India, everywhere, every part of this world, people do sin. India is the source for yoga, doesn't mean that people are not doing sins here. Everywhere they are doing sins. There are good people also, recognize those people. How they become good? Through their actions. How do you correct your mistakes? How do you work on your sins? By being a better person./ Past is past, now to compensate that, I'm going to be a good person now. I'll do some good work. Whatever sin we have done, knowingly or unknowingly, it happens. Some are extremes, but some small... small here and there. How to overcome that is to be a better person in the future. Try to be nice to everyone, try to do some social work. That is how we can make up with whatever we have done. Some people say if you to Ganges and dip there, all your sins are gone. Again, they'll come and do sin. What's the use of going there? Some people illegally earn money, and they build cottages in a holy place, they think the sin is gone. Yoga is a very big tool for us to be better person. That, you understand first. Here, you're not just bending your body, you're not coming here to prove to your teachers or others that you can bend your body, that you can do back bending, that you can do this asana.. If you're coming for that, don't come (we all laugh)! Don't practice yoga. Why you should practice yoga? To be a better person. We need good people in this world. Each one of us practices yoga in proper way, then we'll be good person. That's the whole idea why we should practice yoga. If I do asana for 30 years not realizing why I'm doing.. you can keep on doing it. It's like 70% I would say is water in this earth. You keep on sailing, you keep on going round and round and round and round.. sailing on the sea. You can keep on doing it, sailing for many years. Only when you dive inside the sea, then you will know the beauty of the sea, or else the sea becomes only ocean, only water. The sea becomes only water! "Oh asana, I've done... yoga I've done for 30 years"; bending your body.. but have you put that effort to know what it is? Have you gone deeper inside to realize what it is? I want you to do that, not just sail on the surface. Good answer? Whatever I experienced, I want to share with you... that's all.

One more thing is you have to have that thirst to know. One swami will be there, he's got a student.. he walks with swamiji, he washes his clothes and he takes care of swamiji, he's an assistant of swamiji, he wants to learn, he wants to know what is yoga, but he just casually practices, like many people... (The student says): "It's been 5 years swamiji, Guruji, I have not learned what is yoga. It's been 5 years I'm with you!" Swamiji is very quiet, 9 o'clock he goes takes bath everyday near small river. His student is coming next to him, giving him towel. Instead of taking the towel, swamiji grabs his neck and puts him inside the water. He loses his breath, he's struggling to take one breath, he's struggling to come out. And then, swamiji lets him go and tells him "this is how you should feel to know what yoga is". The thirst should be there. That interest should be there. It's like one breath, to take that one breath, your body struggles to get that one breath. Like that with yoga also, it comes. You go to yoga center, you think you know everything... before a teacher is telling something, they (yoga students) say "oh, I know!" If you know everything, why should you come to me (teacher)? You go to a teacher to learn what you don't know! That thirst should be there! Like when the breath was not there, "oh, I want to take one breath to survive."

"I don't know" is learning - that is how you go further. "I know" is the end. Even I don't know many things, I'm struggling to know. But I am much better than how I was 15 years back. I have realized many things, but that's not the end now! I'm still a student, I want to know so many things. Many times I think I should take break and just do my own practice and try to advance my practice, which I will do! I don't know when, I won't without giving you any notice (we all laugh). If you had asked me questions 15 years back, I was not able to answer so many things. 

Q: Can you speak a little bit about doubts? Perhaps doubts in practice, or teaching...

A: Doubts will come to everyone. Without doubts, there's no learning. Many doubts will come through your practice, through your experience, and how much you involve yourself in this spiritual path. Once you are totally submersed with this, then you'll get answers for your doubts. And a guru is very important. Guru is the ultimate. As I told you last time, the journey between agnyaana and gnyaana is that guru which takes you from agnyaana to gnyaana. HJe's the one who mkes you realize. When some question was asked about the 6 enemies of Ashtanga yoga, how to get rid of these six enemies? Only a guru can tell you how to work on that. That's the prayer which I say: Agnyaana Timiraandhasya Gnyaana Anjana Shalaakayaa Chakshu Unmeelitam Yenam Tasmai Sri Gurave Namaha. I pray to that guru who opens my eyes, who brings me towards the journey between agnyaana, the ignorance, to gnyaana, towards the light, the proper spiritual knowledge. So only that guru is the vehicle. 

A: Here, you're trying to bring focus in your practice. There, you're putting music and distracting yourself. Your attention is towards the music, not towards the asanas; the essence of asanas. Your mind is there, not here. So it (music) is a distraction, that's why we don't recommend music. Music you listen different time. There's different time to do different things. You're not putting enough attention to your asana, you're listening to the music then it's possible to hurt your body, it's possible to lose your breath. Various things... you're not attentive to your practice. Your attention is diverted to somewhere else. Motivation has to come within you. You put Guruji's photo and get motivated. First it's difficult; how to bring motivation to our self-practice. Once yoga becomes part of your life, then automatically you'll go and just do. Two days I was not able to practice properly because I'm sick, but there are lots of changes I can see, I can feel. When I go to forest also, I do my practice. When I go to Africa, I do my practice. My mat is everywhere with me, because that's my life, that's my breath. 

*Sharath ended conference by announcing that they started a yoga program in a semi-government school. For the last year and a half, Ganapati (one of Sharath's students and assistants in the shala) has been teaching there. Students of this school need yoga mats. Before, there was around 200 students, now the number has increased. This year, more students are attending this school. He let us know that there is a way to contribute and help supply yoga mats to these children. The KPJ Charitable Trust already does all that it takes to share this practice with the school's students, which includes buying yoga mats. This is a great opportunity for us, students of Sharath and the Jois lineage, to do some social work. 

The KPJ Charitable Trust was established when Guruji was 90 years old, in 2005. Through this trust, they've been helping many organizations and charitable trusts in whatever way they can. 3 years back, there was a huge flood in north Karnataka, millions of people lost their homes. The situation was terrible. There were big fundraisers throughout the whole state, and many people came forward to sponsor homes. KPJ Trust sponsored 3 homes.

There's always a way to contribute and help communities and people in need :).