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HEALTH IS THE GREATEST WEALTH

(Excerpts from BE TENSION FREE)
By Kinkar Vitthal Ramanuja

There is an old adage in Sanskrit—”Shariram aadyam khalu dharma saadhanam”— the body is the prime means of spiritual as well as material advancement. Chanting, meditation, devotional singing, scriptural or secular study, teaching, job or a business, in all these endeavors the body happens to be the prime instrument.

There is a popular saying—”A sound mind lives in a sound body.” The mind can be healthy only in a healthy body. It is necessary to take to some physical exercise or yoga in order to keep the body and mind healthy. Practice of yoga as propounded by the ancient saints and sages can keep the healthy mind and the body hale and hearty. This is exactly the reason even after thousands of years the science of yoga is being revered, preached and practiced among the people of all nations. Its popularity is on the increase daily, and it is also recognized as a viable form of health therapy, the world over. In view of the pronounced interest in yoga in the present times, it would not be an exaggeration to call this age “the Age of yoga.” There’s an imminent need for Yoga in today’s world. One can gain freedom from all stress through Yoga, in today’s world.

SKY, the abbreviation form of the term Sahaj Kriya Yoga, one of the most popular variations of classical yoga, which has been initiated anew by our most revered Preceptor Yogirajadhiraj Ananta Sri Thakur Omkarnath. Open to all faiths, SKY is nothing but old ambrosia in a new container. SKY is an easy solution to the tension stricken humanity at large, irrespective of caste, creed, faith or nationality. SKY includes

I) Some common free hand exercises
II) Twelve easy Pranamasanas, consisting of Naam and Pranam, Asana and Pranayama
III) Three important Samanu Pranayamas (Pranayamas with Mantras) – Kapal Bhati, Anulom Vilam and Bhramari which protect to a large extent – the three main systems of the body – abdomen, heart and head, finally leading to a peaceful and blissful state.
IV) A short prayer for personal wellbeing as well as universal welfare.
V) Finally a light meditation for some time according to one’s own convenience.

The subject of one’s Meditation may be one’s personal Guru like Sri Sri Mahaprabhu, Sri Sri Ramkrishna Dev, Sri Sri Thakur Omkarnath, Sri Sri Shirdi Sai Baba, Sri Sri Guru Nanak, Sri Sri Mahavir, Peygamber Mohammad, Jesus Christ etc. If you like you may meditate on your favourite deity or the Supreme Entity - Brahma, Paramatma, Allah, God etc.

SKY is unique because no other system can confer physical fitness, mental peace, intellectual brightness and spiritual awareness all at once. In the modern age a vast number of people seem to be covetous of such gain! And yet when time is at a premium, how shall we fulfil these basic needs for human existence! SKY encapsulates a series of so simple and easy physical and mental exercises that can be practiced by setting aside some time, say half an hour to an hour a day. Students, even children may perform the SKY exercises in less than half an hour. This will enrich their physical fitness, power of concentration as well as memory. With the regular practice of SKY people from all walks of life can return to their own personal duties so peacefully with fresh zeal and better efficiency.

Finally one cannot be genuinely happy until one enters the divine kingdom within and experiences touch of the Supreme. SKY gives the practitioner the key to this inner realm.

We cannot go through all the Asanas and Pranayamas of SKY in this document, but here we put briefly the method of Shavasana, an infallible remedy for patients suffering from tension.
Shavasana (No Life Posture)

Method:

  • Lie down flat on the ground as if you have no life in your body. Keep your legs straight with a gap of one feet only.
  • While both your hands are to be placed straight beside your body, your palms will remain upwards, head straight but easy, eyes closed softly.
  • Breathe normally and withdraw mentally your control over the entire body –feet, legs, thighs, hands, waist, breast, shoulder, head, eyes, one by one. Do the same in the reverse direction i.e. begin from the head and end with the feet or toes.
  • Now pacify your mind totally: Be free from all sorts of distractions, diversions, tensions, even fond thoughts and ideas.  Rikting Kuru Monoghatam goes the Sanskrit dictum which means: Keep the pot of your mind entirely empty.
  • Stay in this motionless and thoughtless position for 5-15 minutes, 2-3 minutes for the students or busy persons.

Benefits:
In the remote past the saints and sages of India used to spend day and night in deep meditation or intense scriptural studies or both. And to get rid of mental or physical strain undergone, they used to take recourse to this Shavasana for a short period, say, half an hour. As an immediate result, they would get back their full vigour to dive deep again into studies or meditation.
Even now a days the students or the hard working class – beginning from the ploughmen in the fields or the women at home or kitchen, the labourers in factories and firms, or the games and sports-lovers around the world, the multi-millionaires or the wayfarers, overtaxed intelligentsia or over-burdened ashramites –if they practice this Shavasana for a short period, they must get immediate relief from the mental stress and strain.

A short-cut Pranamasana
If you are too busy or too uneasy to go through all the Asanas, or if you are a student facing the same problem, here is for you a short-cut Pranamasana. This is so simple, yet so powerful to keep your body and mind fit simultaneously:
Method:

  • Sit straight with folded hand upon the chest.
  • With the mental utterance of the mantra ‘AIM’ inhale deeply with the Antar Kumbhak (internal retention) for 4 seconds.
  • With the exhalation (with the mantra Sri Guruve namah) slowly bend the trunk of the body to touch the ground by the forehead stretching out the folded hands in namaskara mudra in front of you with the Bahya Kumbhak (external retention) for 4 seconds. [This is almost like the Ardha Kurmasana.]
  • Lift up the body with inhalation (with the mantra ‘AIM’), Antar Kumbhak (internal retention), for only 4 seconds. Now follow the same process mentioned above.
  • For the students or busy persons 28 times and for the spiritual aspirants (sadhakas) 108 times.

Benefits:
Makes the spinal cord flexible, the entire body fit like a fiddle, abdominal diseases controlled. Awakens the dormant spiritual power or the serpent power (Kundalini Shakti) within the body. 
The Three Pranayamas:
All three Pranayamas help a lot, apart from their respective healing capacities, to keep the mind inward and tension free.
Kapalbhati Pranayama
Method:

  • Sit still with all attention. Close your eyes. Place two hands upon the knee-joints in Jnana Mudra. Pay attention to the lower abdomen. Pulling it inwards and slightly upwards, exhale forcefully, mentally chanting ‘GU’ as Rechak.
  • Forthwith inhale normally without applying any initiation, mentally chanting ‘RU’. This is the shortest Purak. While inhaling the lower abdomen will expand only to the natural limit.
  • The intensity of exhalation should be strictly tailored to forbearance.
  • The exhalation should follow moderate speed whatever be your strength and enthusiasm.
  • The alternate tightening and release of the abdominal muscles will play like waves with the exhalation and inhalation.
  • Repeat the sequence about 300 times initially, breathe normally whenever necessary. Exhale forcefully one time per second, thus it comes to 60 per minute, 300 per 5 minutes.
  • Very gradually if the strength permits, you may increase the duration by degrees — 3-5-10-15 minutes. 15 minutes especially for the diseased persons or advanced spiritual seekers.

Benefits:
This Pranayama reduces obesity, constipation indigestion, acidity, diabetes, hepatitis B, allergic problems, asthma, clogging in arteries etc.
It is, in some cases, known to have contributed in the remission of even cancer.
Precaution:
Heart patients, high blood pressure patients and weak persons should perform it in extreme moderation and at a slow speed (one stroke in every three seconds) without any loss as to the benefits. If you have undergone any operation this Pranayama is allowed only after a year or two and that also with the permission of your doctor.
Anulom Vilom Pranayama
Method:

  • Sit still with all attention. Close your eyes. Place your left hand upon the knee-joint in Jnana Mudra. Exhale completely, pulling the lower abdomen inwards and slightly upwards. Do it easily with no-body tension.
  • Place your right thumb on the right nostril and close it.
  • Inhale through the left nostril, mentally chanting ‘Aim’.
  • Stop the left nostril using the ring and middle finger.
  • Exhale through the right nostril mentally chanting ‘Guru’. The lower abdominal muscles should move inwards and slightly upwards.
  • There must be normal, comfortable and peaceful gap of a few seconds only when the inhalation or exhalation ends.
  • Repeat the same in the reverse direction: First inhale through the right nostril and then exhale through the left with the same mantra. Now one Pranayama is complete.
  • Perform this Pranayama for at least 5-10 minutes, or 10-20 times.
  • As you carry on, a certain comfortable rhythm of inhalation and exhalation gets established. The duration of the exhalation will be approximately more than that of inhalation.
  • If an oxygen debt develops, you may yawn, breathe normally a few seconds and then restart the process, determining the comfortable pace and intensity.
  • With more practice, you may deepen the inhalation and exhalation. In its perfect practice you breathe silently and delicately so you feel that you are drawing in the air, and blowing it out, as through a straw.
  • As you get used to the Pranayama, you may pay attention to the evenness or the lack of evenness of the breath flowing with the inner sound of the mantra.

Benefits:
This Pranayama benefits heart patients and also those with high blood pressure. It tremendously aids the healing of arthritis, bent ligaments, Parkinson’s disease, paralysis, migraine pain, depression, asthma, cold problems, sinus problem etc. This process also increases oxygen-storage in the body.
Precaution:
·           Perform the Pranayama slowly and attentively.
·           Do not be in a hurry to develop this Pranayama to perfection.
·           If under strain, interrupt the process, take intervals and rest.

Bhramari Pranayama
‘Bhramar’ in Sanskrit means ‘bee’, ‘Bhramari’ Pranayama means the Pranayama in which you make the sound of a humming bee. It also means that you listen to the inner sound or ‘Naad’ during the Pranayama. ‘Naad’ is a principal means of meditation in many renowned schools of meditation and philosophical thought which is broadly called Laya-Yoga.
Method:

  • First close your two ear drums lightly with the help of two thumbs.
  • Close your eyes putting two forefingers on two eyebrows.
  • Place the ring and middle fingers softly on the eyelids and the little finger under the nose.
  • Keep the lips closed.
  • Inhale deeply (puraka) mentally saying ‘Aim’.
  • Exhale slowly with the nasal sound of ‘Aim’.
  • With full attention listen to the inner sound of ‘Aim’ during inhalation, and the outer sound of ‘Aim’ during exhalation.
  • Repeat the sequence of inhalation and exhalation with ‘Aim’.
  • The position of the fingers will remain the same throughout the Pranayama. Avoid discomfiture in the positioning of the hands and fingers.
  • The sensory inputs from the outside world are minimized so that you may turn your attention as much inwards as possible.

Benefits:
Reduces predisposition to tension, high blood pressure, heart blockage, migraine specially pain and sleepless nights. It notably boosts self-confidence, the powers of concentration as well as memory. It is thus specially advised to intellectuals and students.
Precaution:

  • The duration of the exhalation should be equal to the inhalation.
  • Perform the Pranayama slowly and attentively.
  • Do not be in a hurry to develop this Pranayama to perfection.
  • If under strain — interrupt the process, take intervals and rest.

An Attitude Of Gratitude And Visualisation
Before you start or conclude the Pranayama session if your thoughts run along the following lines naturally and devotionally — you are bound to get the best result out of the practice:
Thanks to this Pranayama, I am able to have direct contact with the Supreme Power House, the Almighty, my Guru, my Beloved Saint or my Beloved Deity. By this divine practice all my negative elements—disease, tension, depression etc are being eliminated and I am getting enriched physically, mentally, intellectually, materially as well as spiritually—simultaneously.
For the Advanced Practitioners, it will be far better if they can concentrate, step by step, on the following points:
Step I (While performing the first Pranayama Kapalbhati):
By the infinitely graceful glance of the Supreme Power (my Beloved Guru / Deity etc) all the bad elements in me—physical and mental are being flushed out with this exhalation as well as the mental utterance of ‘GU’ (Darkness). And with this short inhalation and mental utterance of ‘RU’ (Light) I am being gradually able to imbibe His immense Spiritual Power within me.
Step II (While performing the second Pranayama  Anulom -Vilom):
Through the infinitely graceful glance of the Supreme Power (my Beloved Guru / Ishta-Favourite Deity etc) with this inhalation as well as the mental utterance of ‘AIM’ I am being able to hold within me His enormous spiritual energy to a large extent. And with this exhalation as well as the mental utterance of the mantra ‘GURU’— the rest of all my negative elements… are bidding a prompt farewell.
Step III (While performing the third Pranayama Bhramari):
Through the infinitely graceful glance of the Supreme Power (my Beloved Guru / Ishta-Favourite Deity etc) with this inhalation as well as exhalation with the same mantra ‘AIM’ I am getting entirely filled with the Supreme Power within and without. There is nothing but my All-Powerful, All-Peaceful, and All-Blissful Guru (or Ishta) within my inner world as well as the outer world. I am totally saturated in Him, who is none but Satchidananda.
Sat: The Supreme Entity who was in the past, is in the living present, will always be there in the ensuing future.
Chit: The Supreme Entity who is all-Consciousness.

Ananda: The Supreme Entity who is all Blissful.

In the state of perfection as you become more and more used to these Pranayamas, through the waves of exhalation and inhalation, you may, by divine grace, be able to visualize your Guru or your Beloved Deity surrounded in an effulgent halo, right there in your heart or just near you.

Let us remember, the realized Saint, the realized Guru, the Beloved Deity are all identical to the Supreme Power undoubtedly.