January 24th, 2015
*with the Highest Respect for Sharathji
Ajñāna-Timirāndhasya
Jñānāñjana-Śalākayā
Caksur Unmīlitam Yena
Tasmai Śri-Gurave Namah
TIME TO DO SHIRSHASANA
“Last week I told you about how important Primary Series is, so many good Asanas to cure many diseases. And the finishing postures, what are those? Sarvangasana, Halasana, Karanpidasana, Pindasana, Urdhva Padmasana, Matsyasana, Uttanasana Padasana, those Asanas are very important. For what? To store Amrita Bindu, allow the blood to circulate properly and to purify the nervous system and blood. These are very important postures in your practice. But I have been watching and many of you have not been doing Shirshasana properly. Today I thought I will show you how to do properly. When you do Shirshasana, your hand should be like tripod. When you do Photography, you can’t lift big lens, so you use a tripod. The elbows and hands should be in proper position like a tripod. Then you will be able to balance properly.”
(He sets up and starts showing and explaining the proper way of doing Shirshasana)…
“When you do Shirshasana, if you have difficulty doing it, you should have some assistance. A Teacher should teach you how to do the Sarvangasana and Shirshasana. Without guidance from your Teacher, never do Shirshasana, even Sarvangasana. These things are very important. And when you don’t have too much time, you only have time to do half of Primary Series, then do half of Primary Series and do these finishing postures. One day you have only fifteen minutes, you don’t have time at all, just do Surya Namaskara and the finishing postures, these are very important pastures in your practice. And when you have time, you can stay longer in Sarvangasana and Shirshasana for twenty minutes, half an hour. But you should build up slowly, don’t do at once. You’re not used to it you might get dizzy, then there’s lack of oxygen, lack of circulation in the body. So slowly you have to build up. One day you do for five minutes, next day add on. Don’t do it here, the Shala is so full and everybody is waiting. When you go home, when you go back to your country, when you have more time, at least one day in a week, try to do five minutes, ten minutes, fifteen minutes, try to stay in Shirshasana and try to relax there so that you build up strength, stamina, everything will come. Many diseases can be cured by Shirshasana. Some people they can’t breathe properly, they have respiratory problems, there’s not enough oxygen coming through blood. They go dizzy sometimes, they get headache, too much anxiety. All these problems can be cured with Shirshasana. You can’t do it anytime during the day. It has to be early morning or in the evening. Brahma Muhūrta (God’s Hour; one hour and a half before Sunrise) is very important. Early morning you all have time. You have time in front of computer, you have time for Twitter, WhatsApp you can do all those things. I think you definitely have time. NOBODY HAS TIME. YOU HAVE TO MAKE TIME. So early morning is recommended. You cannot do it during the day. Brahman Muhūrta, early morning, is the best time to practice Yoga. Why early morning? Because the whole society is sleeping. Automatically, half of your practice is done, it becomes very calm. Everything is silent. Everybody is sleeping. And the air, what we get…later in the day the pollution starts, all the vehicles will start moving. If you see, in the early mornings, your mind is also very fresh. Problem starts when you meet people, when you travel, all these things happen in the day, then mind also doesn’t stay. It keeps wandering here and there, see so many things, you interact with so many people. The concentration won’t be there to practice. So it is very important to do practice early morning.
THE HEAT IS ON
If you have temperature, don’t do Asana practice. Take rest. Because already when we practice we generate so much internal heat, so you get more tired. When you have temperature, you never practice. You just lie down and rest. But sometimes you get Yogic Fever or Asana Fever. Asana fever, head ache, diarrhea, you get all these things. This is all cleansing. Sometimes when a student comes, who has never done Ashtanga Yoga or Asanas, suddenly he gets fever, he gets temperature. That will go in one day. If you have regular fever, then it stays for two or three days. Twenty three years back, my Grandfather made me catch here (knees) in back bending, the whole day I had fever. (Smiles and laughter). Fever is not temperature but you feel so tired, you can’t get up. So like that, many things happen. Sometimes you get diarrhea, especially when you’re dong back bending. Once you do deep back bending, it twists your lower abdomen, it puts lots of pressure there. It’s all cleansing. All the opinion in your body will go, your body becomes more lighter. Then you can practice, it’s not a problem.
GRATITUDE AND RESPECT
Are you practicing Ashtanga Yoga? All Ashtanga Yoga? All the Eight Limbs? You’re practicing Asanas. Sometimes you have to see what kind of injury you have. Sometimes you have torn meniscus then you have to have surgery. Because of what you have done previously, it’s your previous karma, what you have done. Jogging, these things will stiffen your knees, hips, shoulder. Then you come and study Yoga. Because of this stiffness, you push yourself too hard. So once you’re doing this, you should stop doing everything else you are doing, like bicycling, running, jogging, even waking too long. It’s not good, it makes your body very stiff. But here in Asanas, everything becomes flexible. So first you have to see what kind of injury you have. According to that, you do it slowly. Get it fixed first, let it heal for three months, then practice. Asana is so attractive, we get so excited by seeing Asanas. ‘I want to do this, I want to do that.’ There’s no control. You’re body is ready to do that or not. It won’t think all these things. You just want to do, and you break your body. That’s why it’s very important to understand. When someone ask me to climb Mt. Everest I won’t go, because I’m not ready to climb. It needs preparation. Many years of preparation. That I know. I’m intelligent enough to know that. I’m clever enough. So that is why you should understand how to do when it’s time. Many times I’ve said, strong Foundation, strong Practice. The Spiritual Practice within You, it has to be a slow process. QUICK COMING WILL QUCKLY GO. If you do it for long time…it should happen when it should happen. You should give time for everything. Slowly, slowly when you get more understanding, when your body changes, when you get more knowledge about your body, knowledge about the Spirituality, knowledge about this whole practice system…it takes time…then you will have the proper Foundation. Proper Foundation is very important. Without proper foundation, you can’t build a strong building. While practicing, the Practice should be for many years. Nowadays, many people have spoiled Yoga, certifications, workshops, Teacher Trainings. It’s no use. Only your Practice will stay for long time. Again, for what purpose you are doing Yoga? You’re doing for Spiritual Practice or just to get a Certificate? It’s your choice. If you want a Certificate, it will never make you understand what Yoga is. Yoga you should give Time. Yoga Practitioner doesn’t have an agenda. His agenda is only to learn the System, experience it. When we stated, I didn’t want a certificate. Because I wanted to relish Yoga. I just wanted to practice. IF YOU RELISH THE PRACTICE, AUTOMATICALLY THE YOGA WILL HAPPEN WITHIN YOU. If you say ‘oh I want to get Authorization, Certification, that’s why go to Mysore many times.’ With this kind of an attitude, you will get Authorization yes, but you won’t understand what Yoga is. First you have to understand what Yoga is. That takes TIME. That takes HARD WORK. That takes DEDICATION. That takes DEVOTION. That takes DISCIPLINE. Many D’s are involved in this. DEDICATION, DEVOTION, DETERMINATION. If you bring a 44year old man, he can’t do Shirshasana, like how I showed you. That’s many years of practice. The balance, everything, automatically it comes. Automatically my legs goes in this posture. It’s many years of dedicated practice. Everyday getting up 12 o’clock, now I’m getting up at 12:30am doing my own practice because of you. I have to come here on time 4 o’clock. If I go ‘oh I should go sleep, why should I care about teaching or this practice?’, I can be like that also. But I won’t be. It’s not my thing. I could have been like that. Because I loved Yoga. I loved practicing. I wanted to know what it is. These should come. What is Yoga? How we should live our Life? It will change your practice! So your own practice of Yoga will change once our own perception of this changes. Our sacrifice is only this much. If you. See Krishnamacharya, Pattabhi Jois, what they did to learn this practice, our struggle is nothing. They used to walk many many kilometers to go to school and then to learn Yoga. Guruji was living in Kowshika and there was a small town called Hasan which is 6 kilometers. He used to walk there for school. Someone told him that Krishnamacharya was doing Yoga Asana demonstration in his hometown? In the evening, after school, at six o’clock there was a demo. He came and he saw Krishnamacharya demonstrating with his students. It was very attractive for him. We all step into Yoga through Asanas. Asana is the one which attracts you. Then he liked it very much, he said ‘I want to learn this.’ There was no application then, fill up and send it (laughter). You have to go to the Teacher and ask him ‘Can you please accept me as your student?’ He will ask millions of questions. You should convince him with all of the questions. He asked, who are you, where are you from, who is your Mother and Father, what they do? Because receiving is also very important, you can’t just give it to someone ‘Come, I’ll teach you.’ He should be willing to take that. When giving some knowledge, you can’t just give it to someone. As I told you, if you give this much gold to an ant, it can’t handle that, it’ll be crushed under the gold! If you give a big diamond to monkey, monkey doesn’t know it’s a diamond. Monkey thinks it’s a stone and it starts playing with that stone. So this precious Knowledge, to give also…you should know, who is receiving this Knowledge? Are they ready? Are they capable of handling this? If you give, then it will be a disaster, they will make it into Circus Yoga. It doesn’t become Spirituality, it becomes only Circus; bending body, going in the beach doing handstand, building their body, it becomes like that. And then after there is so much pain, you can’t do back bending here. Because you are doing here and there. No respect…
Sa tu dīrghakāla nairantarya satkāra-ādara-āsevito dṛḍhabhūmiḥ YS 1.14
That is also very important. GRATITUDE TOWARDS THIS PRACTICE. RESPECT TOWARDS THIS PRACTICE. Then only, you’ll have arp per foundation within you. All these things are very important in your practice.
DISCIPLINE = WHAT TO DO?
You all know through practice what kind of man Krishnamacharya was. If you take the Knowledge what he had, I don’t know how many Births you have to take. How much Dedication we should have. Krishnamacharya, he’s the man to bring this Yoga alive, to give Life to this Practice. He’s the one who went and learn for many years. Now see millions and millions of people practicing Yoga. He was strict. He was disciplined. WITHOUT THE DISCIPLINE IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO TEACH YOGA. I have to be strict for you to make you understand or else you’ll take it easy ‘My time is 9 o’clock, oh I’ll go 9:30am. Sharath, he’s very cool.’ I won’t accept you. My Grandfather had Theory class at 12 o’clock everyday. So they had to go to Krishnamacharya’s house in the noon. So if they’re five minutes late, he used to make them stand outside. Until he calls them in, they were supposed to go. Before 12 o’clock they used to just go straight into the house, but if they cross 12 o’clock then they have to wait outside. There were lots of stones, it was very hot, they had to stand on that because they are not supposed to wear foot wears inside anyone’s house in India. You have to remove your footwear, wash your feet, before going inside the house. So they had to stand until Krishnamacharya called them inside. He was very principled man, very disciplined man. I know many of you are disciplined, many people don’t like you. But what to do? YOGA NEEDS DISCIPLINE. YOU SHOULD FOLLOW PRINCIPLES OF YOGA IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT IT IS. I told you, a real Guru is not one who makes you go to sleep. A GURU WAKES YOU UP. He says ‘Get up, it is time to practice, it is time to be attentive to your Practice.’ Otherwise you do Surya Namaskara and you look at your cellphone. Cellphone is good but sometimes it can be annoying. It’s like the diamond giving to the monkey. You don’t know when to use, how to use…when you have to use it, when you shouldn’t use it. My friends they call me, after 8 o’clock my phone is switched off, afternoon it’s switched off, 12n-3pm. ‘Tried to call you, you’re phone is switched off!’ But what to do?
NO FEAR, NO FUN…with Coffee!
Fear in Asana? Fear is good. NO FEAR, NO FUN! Sometimes when you have fear, you concentrate more on your practice. If you don’t have fear, everything comes so easy, then your mind also starts wandering here and there. Fear is good. By practicing more and more, Fear also will go in the Asana. You become more focused in your practice, the Fear will also go, the distractions also will go, everything will go. So always there is Fear. Whenever you get new Asana, the Fear starts. Especially in back bending, dropping back, coming up. So all this Fear, your Tecaher will you ‘Relax more.’ The more you relax in the posture, the Fear will also go. WHAT YOGA DOES IS IT STRENGTHENS YOUR BODY AND IT STRENGTHENS YOUR MIND. When we do lots of Breathing Techniques, when we do Asanas, this whole process will strengthen your body and strengthen your mind. And this is what we want. Some people they do body building, they look so tough, but they are very emotional. I’ve seen some people. They look very tough but they have so much emotion inside. That is why Sthira means stable, strengthening the body and mind. To make your mind stable, so that it doesn’t distract here or there. These two things are very important. That’s why in the Yoga Sutra also it says…
Sthira sukham āsanam YS 2.46
Prayatna śaithilyānanta samāpattibhyām YS 2.47
Tato dvandvānabhighātah YS 2.48
Dvandvā, all these dualities are happening. Sometimes you’re so happy, sometimes you’re depressed. That depressed-ness becomes Fear. It brings so many things. Happiness never brings Fear. Does it bring Fear? But Depression, when you get depressed, when your mind is not stable, it brings more, all these things. So to get rid of this, the Asana is very important. YOU HAVE TO GO THROUGH MANY THINGS.
Vyādhi styāna samśaya pramāda ālasya āvirati bhrānti-darśana alabdha-bhūmikatva anavasthitatva citta vikśepa te antarāyāh. YS 1.30
Mind keeps on…there is sickness in the body, sometimes you can’t even move. That is why we do practice, why? To make the body stable, to bring good health to your body. Health is also an obstacle that won’t let you go further in your practice. If you have some other problem, coughing, breathing problem, then how can you concentrate about Yoga? How can you concentrate about Dharana, Dhyana, all these things? It’s impossible. You want to sit quietly, but you have to cough. This is also an obstacle. Laziness…sometimes ‘oh I don’t want to practice, early morning, today I don’t want to practice.’ Then you have to boost yourself. Take half cup of coffee (), that day will be your best practice! (😛) You doubt your practice, what you’re doing is correct or not. Sometimes we have carelessness, we don’t have too much attention to practice. So all these pramāda, all these things…sometimes we get false attraction, false knowledge. When you don’t have strong foundation, even if you practice five years, you can have all these things, lack of concentration, because you’re disturbed with so many other things, then it is difficult to put more, you can’t focus in your practice. When you can’t focus in your practice then that can also give you fear, depression, all these things.
THE SWEET PAIN OF PERFECTION
Practice whatever you have learned here. Not getting too many Asanas….WHATEVER YOU HAVE LEARNED, MASTER THAT, BRING PERFECTION IN THAT. what’s the use of doing 200 Asanas? There’s no Perfection on that. Learn 30 Asanas first, perfect those asanas. Then go to next Asana. How many living beings are there? That many Asanas are there. When you can learn all those Asanas? I have learned 650 Asanas, but if I say I want to learn 5,000 Asanas, it’s not possible. I have to work on this 650 Asanas for this life, this is enough! So whatever you do, DON’T RUN BEHIND ASANAS. ‘Oh I’m ready, I want to do More, More!’ Perfect on your Asanas. IT’S THE PRACTICE. THE BODY WILL CHANGE. When you are dedicated, but limit your practice also. You can’t do the whole day. You do this Asana here, going home doing again, this will hurt your body. So in this practice, bring perfection in the Asanas, what you have learned here. Then next time, you can progress many more. That is how I have learned. It took me 16years to learn. My Grandfather, he didn’t teach me ‘oh, you’re my grandson, I’ll teach you 30 Asanas today!’ He never taught like that. I have to show him Perfection. He was watching everyday ‘oh ok, today you’re ready to learn this Asana.’ And I had to work on that. It build up slowly, slowly. How much pain I have gone through, you can’t even imagine! It’s physical pain but it’s all SWEET PAIN. Once you get sweet pain, no pain no gain eh? (laughter) This one practice in the morning is enough. You’ll need the whole day to relax and to do all this practice.
GURUBHYO NAMAHA
Teacher always tells you when you’re ready but it’s your thing to understand what he is saying. Teacher can’t go and monitor you like the Police, go behind y, see what you’re doing, how many times you’re practicing. If you are not ready for an Asana then you have to stop. Teacher will tell you. If you go to a Teacher that teaches 10 Asanas in one day, then your body is not ready, you can’t handle this. Then you’ll quit, tomorrow you’ll get body pain, then you cannot move. That is why when someone comes to us who has never done Yoga we teach them ONLY Surya Namaskara. He has to perfect in Surya Namaskara before he goes to next posture. So for first week only Surya Namaskara A. After that Surya Namaskara B. How has he understood the Vinyasa? It’s not only body changes, you have to develop stamina, strength, all these things are very important. That only comes when you have understood the Vinyasa, where you have to inhale, where you have to exhale. These are very important tool in the practice. There has to be coordination in the posture and the breathing. You can feel the Energy flowing inside. To perfect in Surya Namaskara also, it takes time. And one thing you have to remember is, OUR WHOLE PRACTICE IS BASED ON THE SURYA NAMASKARA! Chaturanga Dandasana, Urdhvamukha Śvanasana, Adhomukha Śvanasana, everytime we have to do that. So perfection in Surya Namaskara is very important. That doesn’t mean you have to do Surya Namaskara 108 times! You do 8times and 5times when you’re a Beginner, understand the Breathing Technique, where you have to inhale, where you have to exhale. Just perfecting that, then all the standing postures will come one by one. Like that you should keep on building slowly, slowly, slowly. If you go too fast, too many Asanas, you’ll hurt your body. Then you can’t move your body. Everything is not correct. Relaxation is not there. 23years back, my Grandfather taught me a deep back bending Asana, Eka Pada Rajakapotasana. I went deep ‘oh it feels very good! I can go deeper, deeper!’ Then suddenly there was a big tear here in my shoulder. Then 15days I couldn’t lift my hand. The funny story is, I came the next morning, I don’t cry. I’ve cried only 4 or 5 times in my whole Life. Again in the evening I came to help him in the evening class. I was taking to my Grandmother, she was very close to me. Guruji came. He said ‘Sharath tomorrow I have a demonstration in a College.’ I asked ‘oh, who’s dang the Demo?’. He said ‘You!’ This was next day after my injury! I only looked at my Grandmother’s face because I couldn’t tell Guruji. I said, ‘what do I do I can’t even lift my hand.’ He said ‘no no, I’ve already agreed. You have to do it.’ The whole day, whole night I didn’t sleep. The next day we went to College and I just said ‘ok, Gurubhyo Namaha.’ I just surrendered to Guru. And he just started counting, and he counts very fast! You have to keep up! Especially when you’re dong Demo, you never know which Asana is coming next! The only thing I thought is Surrendering. There was no other option at all! So just surrender to your Guru and do it. The Demo came really nice…but…after the Demo…two months even Surya Namsakra was difficult (endearing laughter). I couldn’t even take deep inhalation, it was so painful. It was there for long time. It was here in my shoulder and these two fingers were numb. Two months these were numb. Two months it took long time to heal. But the only thing that helped me was the Practice. Everyday doing Asana, whatever I could. Just ding Primary Series, it allowed the blood to circulate. When we’re not focused in our practice…when we’re young we want more, more, it’s easy to injure ourself. But there is no Tea her like Pattabhi Jois. He’s the Greatest Master. Many Masters are there but he is totally different because he doesn’t have any Ego. And all the students are equal for him. If it is grandson or some other student who came, even a child he used to teach. What he teach to his grandson, same thing he also taught to others also. There was no Ego at all in him. That makes him a very very Great Yoga Master.
THE GREAT YOGA KNOWLEDGE
THE GREAT YOGA KNOWLEDGE IS INSIDE, WITHIN YOU. Don’t search Knowledge, here, there, don’t run around outside. It’s inside you, here (hand on his Heart). As I told you, all the Arishadvargas…Kama, Krodha, Moha, Lobha, Mada, Matsarya. Once we get rid of these things, we will understand the Pure Yoga which is Within You. So Yoga is Within You. You are running behind so many things; workshops, Teacher Trainings, searching for Yoga…externally. But it’s Inside You. First we have to change here (mind), then the Yoga will happen. Then whatever practice we are doing gets a Meaning.
THE ONE AND A HALF HOUR PRACTICE
Breathing, was we do, is also Pranayama. Pranayama means dragging the Prana. It strengthens your mind and it calms your mind also. What is Meditation? Calming the mind is Meditation. Dhyana is totally different, withdrawal of all the senses. There is no external activity. Just camping the mind can Meditation. Withdrawal of the senses is called as Dhyana.making it stronger, to grow it stronger within you becomes Dharana. When that happens, external activity will stop, you won’t be affected by any external activity. Everything becomes internal, you become so focused within you, that whatever nonsense is happening around outside won’t disturb you. That is Dhyana. When you go to Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi, nothing will affect you. No disturbances will happen, because you have withdrawn everything. Why you are so affected? Because all your senses are working outside now. Inwardly when we withdraw our senses and try to focus within us, then this external activity will stop. Everything will happen inside. You are already doing Meditation in the Practice…you’re focusing, you’re calming the mind. So this is a great practice, what we are doing. There is Pranayama, there is Meditation, and there is Asanas. So you are getting all the benefits. You bring good health to your body, you’re getting a healthy mind, and you’re getting Pranayama, Breathing, purifying the nervous system. So many things are happening in your practice and you say ‘oh, I only did Primary Series’ but I that Primary Series, for one and a half hours, you don’t know so many things are happening. You just think one day, sit and see. ‘Oh, I did Breathing, I did Posture, I was so focused in the Practice, that one and a half hour I don’t know what happened around me, I didn’t check e-mail, I didn’t see anything, I didn’t talk to anyone.’ So many things have happened, you didn’t recognize these things. With that same one and a half hours you spend outside in the coconut stand, how much gossip have you done, talking to so many people? So many distractions, so many people move around you, how many vehicles you have seen, how many people you have seen, so much disturbances happening, non-yogic. But here, so much Yoga Practice has happened. So much calmness, breathing exercises, how focused you became in one and a half hours.
OM
Satya Yoga 