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approaches of resolving con- flicts, which was recently drawn up by the Conflict Resolution Net- work 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 well-being 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

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 some- thing for your- self, 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 present-ing 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”.

Like circles on the water

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 bene-fited 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

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Silver JubileeIt 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. This September and October Swami Janakananda will be holding courses in Queensland, Australia and taking part in a yoga congress in Sydney. Following this, in November he will be teaching at the new University of Yoga in Bihar, India.

ContentsIntestinal Cleansing - Shankprakshalana: 4A cleansing process that sharpens the senses. Four simple exercises are practised and the entire intestinal tract is rinsed with warm salt water.

Harmony between the experiencer and the experienced 10An 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“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 1996-97.

The Lotus pose - a classical meditation pose 22Why 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.

Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life 25Swami Janakananda's book on yoga from a yogi's point of view.

Australian tour with Swami Janakananda 25and Sita in Queensland and New South Wales

The Yoga shop 26Neti pots, tapes, books...

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Intestinal cleansing - Shankprakshalanaindigestion, 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 insu-lin 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 pos-sibility 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 breath-ing exercise Kapalabhati cleanses the lungs. It is also said to “purify the fron-tal region of the brain” (partly by oxi-dising 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:

ShankprakshalanaHere 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” accu-mulates, 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 resi-due 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.

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 YogaThe 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

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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.

PreparationEven 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 intes-tinal 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 saltThe 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 procedureIntestinal 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 cleansingNow 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”.

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3/ The third exercise is called Tiryaka Bhu-jangasana, 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.

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 cleansingThe 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 foodWhen 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 pleas-ant music. The rest following the intestinal cleansing is described in this way in Yogic Management of Asthma and Diabetes, by Dr. Swami Shanka-radevananda 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 dietA 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:

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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.

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

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Intestinal cleansing and gall stone treatmentbut 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

slightly elder doctor, who performed the ultra-sound examination said to me in all confidence that research was being car-ried 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

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 think-ing 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,

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 per-haps 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 cleansingThere 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.

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

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Harmony between the experiencer and the experienced“When a mood against someone or for someone arises, do not place it on the person in question, but remain centered.” (Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)

Yoga and TantraThe 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; breath-ing 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 obsta-cles to yoga 2300 years ago, in his

book Yoga Sutra, as being “disease, dullness, doubt, carelessness, laziness, craving for enjoyment, erroneous per-ception, lack of ability to reach the finer states, lack of stability...”

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 lit-erature has generally been identified with this interpretation, and with the branch that developed after Patanjali called Raja Yoga. In his four small books, each con-taining 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, phi-losophise and moralise instead of realis-ing 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 exer-cises fail to appear. In the same way that Puritanism

dominated in Europe, so it was in India, where a rigid scholastic inter-pretation of Patanjali came to over-shadow 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 tra-dition. 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 com-munication 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

On the Tantric meditation Antar Mauna (Inner Silence), its ancestors and cousins by Swami Janakananda

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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 attempt-ing to impede it. Wholly abandon all directing and shaping of thoughts...”(Evans-Wentz: Tibetan Yoga and Secret Doctrines)

“O Beloved, put atten-tion 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 phys-ical 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.

In your essence there is an image of your own good health,of your own true form.And it’s easier than you thinkto bein it,to returnto it.

By using the techniques and medi-tations of Tantric yoga, and thereby realising: what captivated or fascinated the mind are but mere

that emotion, you go on experiencing it and thus you allow what you expe-rience 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 expe-rience the state, the shivering and chattering

ceased at once, and I calmed down and regained warmth.

MeditationMeditation teaches and trains us to be receptive

and creative towards “reality”, instead of con-

strained, 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 cer-tain attitudes and expectations. To become free from habitual thoughts and limiting ideas of our-

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

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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 uncon-scious, automatic thoughts, which colour our reality. It is thoughts that appear by themselves in every situa-tion, 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 disre-gard 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 itselfIn 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 con-stantly 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 Sas-tras [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.

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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 medi-tation 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 phi-losophises and becomes reliant upon one's own notions, thus blocking the experience or the insight in the medi-tation. This probably is the sole pur-pose 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. How-ever, when Maha Mudra is used cor-rectly it can, just like Antar Mauna, embody both the most fundamental and highest form of initiation.

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Or, as it says in the ancient literature from Kashmir:

“Since, in truth, bondage and freedom are relative, these words are only for those terrified with the universe. This universe is a reflec-tion of minds. As you see many suns in water from one sun, so see bondage and liberation.” (Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)

The Tantric meditations do to a great extent go together. That applies to the original Tantric meditations that were found, and are found in India, and the corresponding meditations that were assimilated by Buddhism in general, in Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism in particular. However, there is one crucial differ-

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 experi-ence. In Mahamudra by Takpo Tashi Namagyal from 1986, one reads:

“Saraha states:...Whoever contemplates the nature of

nirvanaWithout spontane-

ous awarenessWill not realise the ultimate.

Tilopa supports this position:Whether by expounding the tantric mysticism, The transcending wisdom, the sacred canon, and the concise sayings,Or by following the various classic treatises And the doctrines of conceptual determination,One may not realise mahamudra as lucid awareness.”

Who is it then that experiences?Who possesses awareness?When I was a child, I experienced myself as a child. When I was a teenager, I experienced myself as a

February 1969, from the time when I received the teaching and training that laid the foundation for the insight on which this article is based.

I shall now recount the step, where the student must give up all his or her con-cepts, even concep-tions that he or she has used all through his or her life on the religious or spiritual journey - up to reach-ing this step. An excerpt from Evans-Wentz’s book:

“... The various concepts, too, being illusory, and none of them real, fade away accordingly. Thus, for example, everything postulated of the Whole, the Sangsara and Nirvana, arises from nothing more than mental concepts. Changes in one’s train of thought [or in one’s association of ideas] produce corresponding changes in one’s conception of the external world. Therefore, the various views concerning things are due merely to different mental concepts... In general, all things mentally perceived are concepts. The happiness of gods in heaven-worlds and of men is another mental concept... The full realisation of the passing away into Nirvana is also a concept of mind. Misfortune caused by demons and evil spirits is also a concept of mind. Gods and good fortune are also con-cepts of mind.”

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teenager, and in this way throughout life I have experienced myself in its different periods. Who am I? The body has changed. Each time I had to have my passport or driving licence renewed, I needed new photos. The old photos do not resemble me any more. And the personality, well, that has under-gone its phases. Ideas have been replaced by insight, hope by content-ment, which again was followed by disappointment, frustration, hope and contentment. It is as though life is a large wheel and we tear along somewhere out on the rim. The rim is divided into life’s phases - phases where everything runs smoothly and falls into place, interspersed with phases of resistance and adversity. It may hurt when we have to let go of customary values, because experience and maturing tells us that they will not hold - and we are torn between action and reflection. And behind the personality? Isn’t something stored? Something individ-ual? A growing knowledge? A knowl-edge that is not merely intellectual in character, a maturation that, in spite of it all, takes you in the direction you once envisioned that life maybe would go? A greater benevolence perhaps, a greater tolerance? And a greater cour-age to stand by that which is of value

and needs defending, a determination to cut through all empty imitations and automatic ways of doing things? Is life, I wonder, a constant spi-ralling closer towards the wheel’s hub, where a real overview exists - towards the hole in the hub? And something else I also got from the meditation: an ability to seek, which extends further than that of thinking or understanding, an ability to experience. Experience what? No, not the meaning of life. Life gives us that, as Piet Hein says, right up to the day when we ask about it. But some-thing else, a search for that “place” which is not really any place, but eve-rywhere, as the water in the sea and the air in the space we live in, a state, an attitude, a symbol.

“Sweet-hearted one, meditate on knowing and not-knowing, existing and not existing. Then leave both aside that you may be.” (Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)

In the beginning comes a glimpse, an experience of what is eventually to become a familiar place, a state. A place to return to again and again, to be, to rest and restore the fundamental har-mony in body and mind. From there I

gaze upon life: Life changes

constantly, but here doesn’t change - here is still, here IS - silence, on whose background life unfolds.

“This consciousness is the spirit of guidance of each one. Be this one.” (Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)

All over the world minor and major philosophies, religions, shamanism, etc., the innermost in people is expe-rienced as something, an identity, an existence, a being, a soul, a self. Whereas in Buddhism (at least in the Theravada branch), the final goal is nothing: “The occidental idea that the human mind grasps a ´thing´ better than a ´no-thing´ is clearly wrong, and I state this on the basis of my Siamese [Thai] professorial experience...”

Informal discussions around the fire, the day before I (on the left) received my initiation to become a Swami by Swami Satyananda (on the right).

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This is how the Austrian Swami Age-hananda Bharati (who lived the most of his life in India and concluded it in USA) expressed himself in his autobi-ography, 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, anatma-vada simply means `doctrine of non-self´, where atma (self) refers solely to his own ego, his particular individual-ity, which Buddhism denies as a fic-tion...” 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 teach-ing 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 progres-sively, 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.

Still, one is faced with a fundamen-tal choice here, when Buddha states that even the idea itself of a self (or a soul) is an obstacle to total liberation:

a choice betweennothing, complete emptinessno self, no I....

or

something(Raja Yoga etc.)concentrationfocusingthe soul

and/or

(Tantra)letting goexperiencebeingand 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 medi-tate. 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 them-selves, 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 com-pare 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 spir-itual 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)

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“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 self-perception. 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 consciousnessThe 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 yan-tras - one of them is the yantra for Ana-hata Chakra, the psychic center located at the level of the heart. It is a symbol which expresses har-mony between the experiencer and that which is experienced - and when this harmony comes about, unity is experi-enced between the two - unity in every-thing.

Energy and consciousnessOne could also talk about the stillness, about the one who is experiencing and the experiences, in another way. One could talk about energy. Every-thing consists of energy. The atoms in the walls are energy, and my

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body is energy. What comes out of my mouth when I talk is energy, thoughts are energy, emotions, everything. It is what I experience, energy. The two triangles make a harmonic form of balance. The triangle pointing downwards signifies energy, the triangle pointing upwards signifies con-sciousness. If the triangles, in this connection, are placed any other way in relation to each other, then balance is not present, and then it is about too much or too little, insensitiv-ity, ignorance, self-forgetfulness, about lack of contact with what is essential, a false identity... Naturally, I have experienced when harmony is not present, when I try to control or suppress my thoughts or feelings, when I identify myself with them, or when I have been overwhelmed so that I forget myself. But here the question is not whether there is control or lack of control. It has neither to do with rebelling nor with taking everything lying down. It is about being present, in the midst of what is happening, inner as well as outer. That is a Tantric definition of yoga.

“When vividly aware through some par-ticular sense, stay in the awareness.” (Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)

This is trained in the meditation Inner Silence, because it isn’t really some-thing you think about or philosophise about. It is something you do and you learn this with the help of the tech-niques. Inner Silence is an absolute necessity for all other advanced yoga and meditation, including the more advanced forms of Kriya Yoga.

Idealism and Consciousness“The mirror is given us humans by God, but the devil has given it the one defect: that it can never show, how one looks, when one is n o t looking in a mirror.” (A “Grook” by Piet Hein)

When my students learn Inner Silence, I ask them not to be idealistic. Try not to be other than you normally are, when you sit down to meditate, you don’t need to act holy, good or “positive”. Begin the meditation as you are. It is unimportant for the outcome of the meditation whether you feel happy, unhappy, tired or full of energy. Or whether you are restless, shaken or apathetic. Sit down and begin the meditation wherever you are, the way you feel.

If you want something from the meditation, then cease to have all kinds of expectations or associations between you and what appears of itself in your meditation. You need neither to have negative nor positive notions of yourself. You are the Inner Silence, the silence on the background of which you expe-rience what happens in your mind. Experience what happens without wanting to influence it, so it can happen spontaneously and without being restrained or changed by your ideals or expectations. Only thereby can you get to know it as it is. Let the experiences come of them-selves without you interfering in the least. Remain the one who is experiencing. “Whenever your mind is wan-dering, internally or externally, at this very place, this.” (Vigyana Bhairava Tantra)

SummaryAntar Mauna is a meditation that starts in the totality of where you find your-self, in the world that you experience through your senses, in that place and in those surroundings of where at the moment you are meditating. You train your ability to experience. From the senses you progress gradually and inevitably through the states, habits, thoughts and emotions that your personality normally contains. You learn to experience the personality without immediately becoming critical or analytical towards it, without inhibit-ing or changing it. You get to know it. Then you go deeper, through the vari-ous dimensions of your inner universe, to the innermost of your being, from where you experience everything.

It was a time when Swamiji taught everything himself. What appealed to me was a view of life which in a great many ways harmonised with

my own. He was sober-minded, yes, almost atheistically scientific.

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“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 prac-tical and methodical. It should be done stage by stage. First we practice a witnessing of sense experiences that come from out-side, then we practice a witness-ing 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 thoughtless-ness.” (Swami Satyananda)

This is a meditation that is best learnt directly, from teacher to student, so that the mind does not resort to equivocations, so that one is constantly guided back to oneself, to the one which expe-riences behind it all. It is based on laws or tendencies in the mind which are common to all people. It is not surprising, therefore, that also in Europe we find references and instructions, through various ages, that point toward a similar insight, like the one Inner Silence is based on. We will deal with these specific instances at a later date in Bindu, just as in the future we will go on revealing some of the secrets of Inner Silence. The knowledge and insight sprouting from the meditation also influence daily life. It represents the essence of Tantra, the Tantric attitude. You accept how you are, how you live. You don’t need to be another person to realise yourself - or to live. You don’t need to change, you are already - your self.

“You are the one observer and, as such, you have indeed always been free. Your only bondage has been that you see someone else as the observer.” (Ashtavakra Gita)

The first preliminary exerciseThe following is an example of how a part of the first step in the medi-tation is guided verbally by a teacher, when during the learning process, one practises it in a group.

Sit with a straight back (it can be on a chair, or in a meditation pose) and close the eyes. - Sit for a moment without being busy with having something to do, other than just sitting. Do not demand anything of yourself. Do not expect anything from the meditation.

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, c o m p l e t e l y s t i l l ,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.

Consciousness is like a light, that shines equally in all directions. It perceives everything with the same

interest, nothing is emphasised, nothing pushed aside.

Hear the car in the street, for example, at the same time as the ticking of the clock, at the same time as the television upstairs. Perceive the surroundings as a whole, all the sounds, at the same time.

Do this for five to fifteen minutes, sitting some place where you have time to do it undisturbed. And also try it for a short while, a minute or two, on the train, in the bus, in a queue, on a bench in a park or at a market place. In town or by the sea, in the woods or in the countryside - wherever. Become one with the sounds of the surroundings...q

It was a concrete teaching in exercises and meditations, and a training in awareness - a spiritual attitude without any form of

worship or manipulation of people's religious feelings.

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“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)

“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)

A yoga holiday at Håå Course CenterWill deepen your experience of yoga and meditation, yourself and your daily life

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Welcome to our CoursesKriya Yoga Course20 July - 18 August 7500 SwCrSwami Janakananda & Anandananda

3-Months Course 199722 Jan. - 19 April 18000 SwCrSwami Janakananda, Sita and other ashram teachers. This is a sadhana retreat. Sadhana means 'that which leads to the goal'. You learn to apply some of the most profound yoga and meditation methods from the Tantric tradition. For example during 33 days of silence you will be instructed in the great Kriya Yoga (with up to 24 Kriyas) and advanced versions of Antar Mauna. The peace and energy you achieve helps you to get a perspective on your life and gives you the strength to do what you really want to do.

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 tra-dition of an ashram; a spiritual work-shop. 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...

There are many transport options for reaching Håå Course Center. Please contact us for further help with travel plans.

10 and 14 days Courses16 - 26 May 4200/3300 SwCrShanti & Omkarananda26 May - 8 June 4500/3500 SwCrGunnar Petersen & Yoga Shakti9 - 22 June 4500/3500 SwCrJörgen Hastrup & Joachim Rodenbech23 June - 6 July 4800/3900 SwCrAnanda Murti & Robert Nilsson7 - 20 July 4800 SwCrFranz Jervidalo & Laxmi1 - 14 September 4800/3900 SwCrRobert Nilsson & Mette Kierkgaard10 - 20 October 4200/3300 SwCrMira & Anandananda19 Dec. - 1 Jan. 4800 SwCrSwami Janakananda & Bhawana Murti2 - 12 January 4200/3300 SwCrBhawana Murti & Ambika

Please note: Swami Janakananda and Sita are touring Australia and possibly New Zealand, giving retreats, see p.25.

Contact us for the Håå Course Center brochure which describes it all thoroughly.q

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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

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 (includ-ing 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 pos-tures since the posture has an effect

in itself.

The Lotus poseOnce 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 restless-

ness and muscu-lar 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.

The Lotus pose - a classical meditation posture by Joachim Rodenbeck

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EnergyIn 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 chi-ropractor will in many cases treat dis-eases by removing blockages in the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.) When we go on to a finer dimen-sion, 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

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 medi-tation is directed into its proper paths and that a harmonic expansion of con-sciousness 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 sur-prisingly enough the group who had “only” been sitting in the Lotus pose.

To some it comes easy to learn to use the Lotus pose - children for instance do it spontaneously while they play

- 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 system-atic way. Refer to the second part of the program Air- and tension-releasing exer-cises, 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.

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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

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 ter-minology 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 diges-tion. 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 spe-cial 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 blad-der-, the spleen-, the kidney- and the liver-meridians, which again influence other body parts and organs. The use of the Lotus pose is instru-mental in bringing about a series of curative and health improving effects, when the energies of the body are fun-damentally harmonised. The actual pur-pose of the pose, however, aims further - as an aid to spiritual absorption.

Not only in IndiaIt 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 rock-carvings 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 pre-Columbian and northern cultures. The tradition in these and other cultures are, compared with the living tradition

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

of India and China, less accessible. However, there is no doubt that the use of meditation once was world-wide. 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

The Lotus pose can also be used as a variation in different yoga poses. Clay sculpture from West-Colombia.

Museum of Ethnology, Berlin.

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Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily LifeSwami Janakananda’s book in a revised and extended edition.(Rider Books, UK and Weiser, USA)

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.)

Australian tour with Swami Janakananda

A 10-day residential course: 25 September - 5 October 1996in Mackay, Queensland“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)

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).

The course begins with preparatory exerci-ses for relaxation and meditation and a gentle and refreshing cleansing process (see p.4).

The main part of the course is centred around different yoga poses, breathing exercises and methods of cleansing the energy flows of the body, thus establishing a healthy field of energy in and around your body. Other methods used are: Inner Silence (in Sanskrit: Antar Mauna), a meditation method through which you can come to terms with your mind and learn to accept your personality in a constructive way. You develop your capacity to think creatively and thus realise your visions. But first and foremost, you get closer to your self and experience your true identity (see also p.10).

Ajapa Japa, a preliminary form of Kriya Yoga. In nine steps you go from the coarse to the finer levels of your being, from using a spe-cial way of breathing to contacting the chakras, the inner space and your psychic symbol. Yoga Nidra, a unique deep relaxation (p.27). Silence (Mauna), a valuable and integrated part of yoga. Two and a half days of silence raises your awareness further - thus increasing your capacity to experience. It makes you better able to experience the finer stages of the meditations that we practice at this point. Lectures. Swami Janakananda and Sita will also give lectures on the Tantric tradition, yoga and meditation techniques and how these can be used and integrated in daily life. Dance and Music play a small but 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 proxi- mity 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 Venue: Concept Training, cnr Victoria and Brisbane Streets, Mackay, Q 4742Dates and times:Friday 20 September 6.00 pm - 9.30 pm Saturday 21 Sept. 9.00 am - 6.00 pm Sunday 22 September 9.00 am - 6.00 pm

Tea Gardens, New South WalesVenue: The Green Hall, East Lope Way, North Arm Cove. NSW 2324Friday 18 to Sunday 20 October (same times and fee as Mackay). Contact Gillian Young, P.O. Box 118 Tea Gardens, NSW 2324 Telephone: (049) 971601

Bookings for Mackay Courses: contact Robyn Taylor, Concept Training, PO Box 89, Mackay Q 4740, Telephone: (079) 531 594.

Fee: $ 225.

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Yoga shopThe 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.

The brochure (free): about the retreats at Håå International Course Center (see pages 20-21).

Sweden Håå Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda tel. +46 372 55063 Stockholm Västmannag. 62, 113 25 Stockholm tel. +46 8 32 12 18Denmark Copenhagen Købmagergade 65, 1150 Copenhagen tel. +45 33 14 11 40 Århus Vestergade 45, 8000 Århus C tel. +45 86 19 40 33 Elsinore Kongensgade 12 B, 3000 Elsinore tel. +45 49 21 20 68Norway Bergen Georgernes Verft 3, 5011 Bergen tel. +47 55 32 78 40 Oslo Skytterdalen 6, 1300 Sandvika tel. +47 67 56 95 55Finland Helsinki Sukula, 30100 Forssa tel. +358 16 4350599Germany Hannover Egestorffstrasse 3, 30449 Hannover tel. +49 511 454163

Publisher: Bindu, Håa Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda, Sweden. Tel. +46 372 55063 Fax. +46 372 55036 Postal acc. 73 86 03 - 0.

email: haa@scand-yoga.org

Circulation: 4,000 in English

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

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 Center340 13 Hamneda, Sweden.

(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:

Knud Hvidberg, p.17 Tibetan Tanka, p.23 Ambika, p.26 Jörgen Hastrup, other pictures: Omkarananda.

Copyright © 1996 Bindu & Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School.

Read BinduPrevious 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.

SubscriptionYou 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). Fur-ther contributions are also welcome.

26 27

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)

All you need to do is to lie down and follow the instructions - completely still and with closed eyes!

Experience Yoga Nidra - a cd you can use in your daily life

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