True Path to Common People's Breathing, Postures, Relaxation and Concentration is a book about the Science of Yoga. We have quite a number of books about Yoga and Spirituality. His is one born from his inner self-discovery; that is why there is the urge, with all humility, non-assertion or didacticism, to share his experience to others. The book expounds for our hectic world with all its distress and woes the healing balm of proper breathing, relaxation and other benefits as the little suggests. Our mind, body and soul complex can then be better refreshed and re-energised. The book is a useful guide for the proper and true maintenance of mental and physical health. The approach is both practical and positive. Ours is a face-paced one with people leading a hectic life. For all our technological so-called progress, what do we see around us? A world of distressed and woes! This book has much to offer in a therapeutic way the path to a lesser degree from our anxiety and emotional disorders. With the proper yogic techniques advocated here; we can enlarge and deepen our spiritual inadequacy, so rampant today. Here is a book with the denunciation of a too much materialistic and dehumanizing world and the annunciation of genuine happiness, true liberation and bliss!

True Path to Common People's Breathing, Postures, Relaxation and Concentration

By Surendrhananda

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Surendrhananda
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-3659-0

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.........................................................................vPRELUDE.................................................................................viiINTRODUCTION............................................................................ixCHAPTER 1 - SECRET OF YOGA..............................................................1CHAPTER 2 - PRAYANAMA (The Science of Yogic Breathing)..................................12CHAPTER 3 - PRANAYAMA EXERCISES.........................................................23CHAPTER 4 - YOGIC AND RHYTHMIC BREATHING................................................54CHAPTER 5 - SURYA NAMASKARA - SIMPLE ASANA (Posture)....................................69CHAPTER 6 - NERVOUSNESS V/S RELAXATION..................................................89CHAPTER 7 - CONCENTRATION - YOU ARE WHAT YOU THINK......................................113CHAPTER 8 - MEDITATION (DYANA)..........................................................133CHAPTER 9 - FOOD - YOU ARE WHAT YOU EAT - DIET - Means Balance Diet.....................142CHAPTER 10 - SOME INDIVIDUAL SPECIAL SPIRITUAL NOTES....................................156CHAPTER 11 - CONCLUSION.................................................................211

Chapter One

SECRET OF YOGA

"Remember that all religions are good and must be followed with Love. And the ultimate purpose is the same. Maintain same respect for all religions, Gurus and God. At the highest spiritual, all Saints and Gurus become equal. There is no difference."

"To be fanatic of a particular religion or faith is like bringing a barrier over one's mind which can't see beyond one's own fault."

"Unless one broadens one's mind in this respected field, one cannot hope to reach the ultimate goal, which is God."

It viewed from the spiritual angle, the world is a paradise. It has always been so in the past and it will always be the same in the future. Actually, this peak time of the Iron Age, what is really wrong is that 99.999% of the human's mind is very sick, fragmented and people's characters and behaviours are being devoured by animalism or devilish tendencies such as the ego, the main one, selfishness, jealousy, lust, pride, arrogance, ignorance, hypocrisy, envy, evil desires, pleasures, mainly the wrong ones, vice, hatred, etc, etc. If people don't change their way of living, starting from now, they will leave behind them a world such as Sodom and Gomorre referred to in the Bible, and what is more dangerous is that this world will have a new generation who will be living as if in a furnace, which we can call a terrestrial hell.

It is crystal clear to see that human beings have become the total slave of their base and unruly senses, as the urges of these senses have become very strong. No effort or goodwill is made to control these senses. So people must practise Yoga to acquire a strong mind, to curb down these senses, otherwise the poor body, which is interrelated to mind and senses will have to pay for the consequences. That's why there are lots of various killings, diseases in this modern world. However, if one becomes a master of one's mind and senses, one becomes a Yogi and will have a healthy body and a peaceful mind.

MIND

1. One must detach and control the mind, then the senses also will be under control. One must have the will-power and faith in oneself.

2. PRANA

Without Prana, which is the life force of everything, that is, animate or inanimate in this universe, nothing exists. So one must do PRANAYAMA, breathing exercises to keep the tranquillity and balance of the mind. And if the mind is pure and at peace, the body also will remain healthy and without any sickness.

3. FOOD

There are three classes as follows:-

(1) SATHWIC – pure food

(2) RAJASIC – medium quality food.

(3) TAMASIC – Inferior food

Actually in this modern world, most human beings use Rajasic and Tamasic food. In fact, there are no special dietary rules for the practice of Yoga, though it is better if one eats natural food which is a balanced diet, full of energy. Contrary to what people's opinion is, Yoga does not say one must become a vegetarian, though in the higher stage, a vegetarian diet is recommended. A practitioner of ASANAS and PRANAYAMAS is advised to fill half his stomach with food, one quarter with water and to leave the remaining quarter empty. One must eat enough to satisfy one's hunger but not too much that one feels heavy and lazy; being a glutton is to invite all sorts of diseases, mainly the evening meal (dinner) must be very light. EAT TO LIVE RATHER THAN LIVE TO EAT, the seers of India have known it long before Molière. The research done by Ayurvedic and Yoga shows that food is a source of vitality; improper intake of food will cause diseases in the body. This is why one should be conscious of the properties of the food one takes daily.

In this modern era, the great struggle and difficulty humans face is to live a better health without diseases. In order to confront such a drawback, scientists, Ayurvedic researchers and Science of Yoga are doing their best to alleviate these horrific diseases and drastic situations which human beings are beset with. Even money and worldly materials cannot buy health. Major precautions, practices and disciplines in each individual are required to improve one's health.

(1) You reap what you sow.

(2) You are what you think.

(3) You are what you breathe.

(4) You are what you eat.

Although human beings are taking all kinds of precautionary measures, they often get and suffer from diseases. This seems to be the intractable reality of life; There is no escape. It is all due to our hectic city's life which has become more congested and unhygienic, the water is getting impure and the air is polluted in most of the industrialised cities, towns and rural areas; all these are due to industrialization, pollution of our modern development. Everybody keeps one's house clean but the surrounding area also should be kept clean so as not to impair one's health. Recently, it has been proved that even social care is lacking due to people's ignorance and neglect.

Nowadays, people have got all materials necessary to live luxuriously, but still they are searching for good health. Why? It is clear because they are intelligent in every field, in science, medicine, engineering, the much-vaunted information technology etc... but when it comes to know THYSELF they are still ZERO. Their OWN SELF, which is hidden in themselves, should have to be realized through the Science of Yoga.

"ONE WHO HAS MASTERED HIS SELF IS A REAL KING IN THIS WORLD"

As an overall review, the average human's level of consciousness is very low. Human has descended into the last degradation. He is a slave to this modern and artificial life and live on fake hopes and illusions. He is living a life of ignorance by experiencing joy and sorrow, success and failure, love and hatred without ever realizing the Highest Realisation.

The greatest aberration is that the whole of mankind is led, controlled and dominated by their demoniac senses. By yielding to noxious sensations and passions, humans indulge in frivolous living which eventually they have to repent or regret. In fact, they are making errors consciously while looking for peace, happiness and...