Delinquent in Pranayama

To: AM-GLOBAL
Subject: Delinquent in Pranayama
Date: Sun 31 Oct 2010 22:04:19 +0500 (IST)
From: Ram Sahay Kulshresth

Baba

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The audio file of the studio version of this below Prabhat Samgiita #334 is now available on our blog,

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"Labhi yadi punah ma'nav janam, karibo go a'mi toma'ri ka'j..." (PS 334)

Purport:

O' my Lord, if, by Your grace, in my next birth I again receive human life, I will only do Your work. O' the most beloved One of my heart, I will devote my entire life to serving and pleasing You. By Your grace, I will preach Your gospel and spread Your teachings. I will dedicate myself wholly to serving the humanity. Baba, in this life, You have brought me under Your shelter. By Your grace, I am doing sadhana and I am serving You. You have blessed me and done everything for me & my welfare. Because of You, I am. I have no other desire in life than to please You.

O' Prabhu, everything has come from You. I was in You at the very start of creation; and, each and every moment, You have been with me. You have graced me and taught me sadhana. Baba, You are my Ista and I want to become one with You. By Your grace, today, the trail of Your footsteps leads me right to the Goal. Your guidelines and ideals of shravan, manan, niddhidhyasana [1], and kiirtan bring me to the abode of bliss. At the end of my life, I desire to be on Your lap, eternally. Baba, You are the culmination of everything.

Baba, since You have brought me under your shelter, I am moving on the divine path, which is jagged. Sometimes sadhana is easy and sometimes it is very difficult. Sometimes I advance and sometimes I fall. Even then, keeping my eyes fixed on You, I am moving ahead towards my cherished Goal. O' Divine Entity who is glorified in this entire universe and who is beyond all logic and reasoning, You cannot be attained by karma or jinana, You can only be gotten with love. Baba, by Your grace, You have tied me in the bond of Your love. Baba, I never forget You, I cannot forget You.

O' my Lord, by Your causeless grace, please reside eternally in my heart...


NOTES TO PS #334:

[1] Shravan, Manan, Niddhidhyasana: Here below Baba explains the great import of these three devotional practices.

Baba says, "To attain Him human beings have to take recourse to shravana (constantly hearing His name), manana (constantly ideating on Him) and nididya'sana (constantly meditating on Him). The Supreme Entity is Gurha, that is, He is lying hidden in the innermost recess of the human entity. To attain Him one must penetrate deep within oneself, and for that the
development of an introversial outlook is essential." (TK-3)

== DELINQUENT IN PRANAYAMA ==

Namaskar,
Our AM sadhana system is unique - all the lessons hold deep value and none can be interchanged or discarded. All are needed, including pranayama.

A FEW BASICS OF PRANAYAMA

As we know, pranayama controls the pra'nah, or the ten va'yus or ten vital airs. So it brings a great resurgence to one's existence and works in a unique manner. While most of our sadhana lessons use the repetition of mantra and mental ideation to bring a sense of calm and beatitude over one's existence, pranayama works in the other direction. It is primarily physical in nature-- i.e. controlling of the breath-- and by this way the mind becomes settled and quiet.

Baba says, "Pran'a'yama is a physical process but its effect is on the mind. If the body is controlled, mind is also controlled." (AV-15)

So pranayama works from physical to psychic, as opposed to psychic to physical, which is the case with first lesson and dhyana etc.

One last fact about pranayama is that it is an absolute requirement for doing proper dhyana. Baba has told this on numerous occasions. And in reporting sessions, Baba would ask people about their dhya'na. So from numerous angles of vision, we can understand that pranayama is an integral part of our sadhana system.

A SENSITIVE LESSON WHICH SOME SKIP

Some sadhakas however skip pranayama because it is such a sensitive lesson. Either they skip it because the air quality is poor, or because their nose is too dry or too clogged, or because the general environment is not good.

And, they also skip it when they think their mind is not sentient or not concentrated. Because, Baba has warned us about doing pranayama when the mind is imbalanced or thinking undesirable thoughts as then pranayama will have a detrimental effect on the mind.

However, people should not become overly fearful and skip 50% or 80% of their pranayama practice because they are so concerned (i.e. paranoid) and think their mind is not in a proper flow. That type of paranoia about pranayama is not at all good. Skipping pranayama is in itself harmful and detrimental as that will lead to a lazy and defective way of doing sadhana.

Thus, we should all be sure to keep pranayama as a mainstay of our sadhana practice.

Pranayama brings mental balance and control of mind; it makes the body healthy and the glands strong; it is an invaluable tool for enhancing one's concentration; it is a key practice for increasing one's vital energy and stamina. Indeed the benefits of pranayama are numerous and well documented. And all of that will be totally gone from the life if pranayama is not regularly practiced.

So no one should allow themselves to become habitually delinquent in pranayama because they feel unsure about their mental state. That is not the proper way. Rather, one should approach their pranayama lesson with great determination and make it a regular and proper practice. Then the mind will be come strong and that lesson will be a vital point of their sadhana routine.

Remember, there is no gain in being habitually delinquent in pranayama, rather there is a distinct loss.

IT IS JUST LIKE....

Okay, it is true, pranayama is a sensitive lesson and should not be mishandled-- but that does not mean one should shy away from it entirely.

It is just like if one finds out that electricity can also be dangerous at times, and then in their paranoia they decide to build their new house without any electricity at all. Then they will inevitably experience so many problems and difficulties because of not having electricity. Hence, not having any electricity at all is a losing proposition. It does not solve anything rather it makes things worse.

Same is the case with pranayama. If one becomes skittish or fearful about doing pranayama because they think their mind is not balanced, then they will miss out on so many benefits. Their dhyana will be disturbed and so many other plus points related with their well-being will be utterly gone from their life. Because pranayama is so beneficial for the entire human existence and taking that away from one's life is sheer robbery.

So no one should fall into the syndrome of not doing pranayama. Rather we should cultivate a strong and healthy pranayama practice such that when we start that lesson the mind is trained and ready to perform. Then that will give a huge boost to sadhana and in particular dhyana. As sa'dhakas, we have all found this to be the case at one time or another in sadhana.

Everyone then should be absolutely vigilant to generate a strong practice of pranayama by His grace. Because, pranayama is one needed step for taking sadhana to a higher realm.

And sadhana is a needed practice in this modern world.

SADHANA IS NEEDED IN THIS 21ST CENTURY

Nowadays in this 21st century, so many people base their happiness and so-called mental stability on external things like a fancy car, a prestigious job, a big house, a new swimming pool, and so much more. But that does not bring peace of mind or true happiness. That is why in this fast-paced modern era, when human beings are required to do so many things in order to survive, then most often those very wealthy or materialistic people suffer from so many psychic problems. By visiting Hollywood, Bollywood, Wall Street, Champs Elysees, we can readily find this to be the case.

So what is missing then? Sadhana and all its practices, including pranayama. Not the fake pranayama that is taught in so many new-age yoga studios, but true pranayama that is part and parcel of our sahaja yoga system.

The way to lead a happy and balanced life is through sadhana as that will cultivate a healthy mind and proper mental outlook. In a phrase, one will have stability from within.

So now, more than ever before, sadhana is needed for the humanity, otherwise people will lose their sense of calm and become totally frazzled.

Baba says, "These days many psychic diseases have appeared as a result of this mental complexity. Many people are committing suicide; many people are becoming lunatics. The reason is that people are unable to adjust with the various types of complexities in life." (AV-22)

BABA'S BLESSING

By Baba's grace, He has given us our integrated and complete sadhana system that allows us to lead a healthy and peaceful life and reach up to Him. Within this, pranayama is an absolute necessity.

Baba says, "The process by which the pra'n'as in the body are controlled is called pra'n'a'ya'ma. Pra'n'a, apa'na, sama'na, uda'na, vya'na, na'ga, ku'rma, krkara, devadatta, and dhanainjaya – the collective name of these ten vital forces is pra'n'a'h. If you wish to increase your apperceptive power you must control the pra'n'a'h. Through regular practice, the mind will become concentrated. Pra'n'a'ya'ma is meant for sa'dhakas." (CC-3)

Namaskar,
Ram Sahay