Lesson - 05

Fifth Week

The numerable forms of philosophy, of arguments and of the rules capture the intellect in their nets and lead it away from the true knowledge.

—YOGABIJA UPANISHAD

The Headstand: Third Stage

We shall begin this week's lesson by doing the final stage of the Headstand. In case you are wondering why we always start with this posture, preceded only by the Rocking, the reason is that it is easier to balance while standing on your head when your body is not yet tired from other exercises. This time let us try the Headstand in the middle of the room, without the support of walls. Choose a place big enough for you to turn a somersault freely, for most likely this is exactly what you will do at first—more than once.

TECHNIQUE: First place a big pillow on the floor right in front of your exercise pad, kneel down before it, and do the Half-Headstand the way you have been doing it right along. Now make an additional step or two towards your head. Take a deep breath and, with a gentle bounce, get both legs off the floor and start slowly raising them, while still keeping the knees bent (see illustration).

Just before straightening the legs, tuck in the buttocks, otherwise they will keep weighing you over and you will not be able to stay up. Also remember to keep the elbows not too far apart, as the whole body is supported by the head and forearms, not by the head alone. Now straighten your legs. If next you find yourself on the other side of the pillow after an unexpected somersault, don't be alarmed: get up and try again and again until you are able to maintain your balance. This may take several days, but do not get impatient and under no circumstances try to get up on the head more than four or five times in succession, as it is too exhausting. After four or five attempts, successful or not, lie down and relax. Do not overdo it.

Once on your head, keep spine and legs straight, toes pointed and body relaxed. Close your eyes and do deep breathing. Remain in this upside-down position for a few seconds, then slowly start coming down, first bending the knees and lowering the legs until your feet reach the floor. Remember to keep the toes inverted! Stand up slowly, stretch both arms above your head, take a deep breath and lie down for a rest.

The Headstand: (Top Left) First, assume the Half-Headstand position. (Top Right) Be sure to use arms, elbows, and hands for support. (Bottom Left) Start raising the legs slowly, knees still bent. (Bottom Center) Tuck in the buttocks for better balance. (Bottom Right) Slowly straighten the legs. (Photos by Jim Buhr)

Don't ever remain standing on the head if you are not feeling comfortable. Come down at once, and start all over again.

I cannot emphasize often enough that the head, neck, shoulders and spine should not be strained. If you find yourself unable to lose the fear of getting into an upside-down position, it is wise to continue with the Half-Headstand until you feel you are inwardly ready to try the complete posture. Don't start with the attitude of bravely taking a jump into deep water, because you will only become tense and your attempt will fail. Try it only when feeling relaxed and self-confident, without any sense of fear, rush or strain; otherwise stand on your head in the corner or near the wall. Enjoy it. Never force the issue.

Since the various benefits and warnings concerning the Head-stand have been given in previous lessons, please look them up to be sure that you make no mistakes.

The Headstand, posed by the author's mother. (Photo by Jim Buhr)

TIME: Hold the Headstand for fifteen seconds at first, adding fifteen more per week. If the Headstand is done alone without any other exercise to precede or follow, it can eventually be done for fifteen to twenty minutes by an advanced student, otherwise the limit is twelve minutes.

The Triangle Pose

After taking a little rest, get ready to do the Triangle Pose, or Oopavishta-Konasãna in Sanskrit.

TECHNIQUE: Sit up straight and spread your legs sideways as wide apart as possible.

Inhale deeply, and while exhaling stretch out your arms and bend forward to the right till you can get hold of the toes of the right foot with both hands. Touch the right knee with your forehead. Retain this position, holding the breath; return to the sitting position and inhale.

Repeat the same movement, bending to the left, then to the middle. Now stretch out both arms sideways when starting the exhalation, at the same time bending your body forward until the hands reach the toes, the forehead touching the floor. If you cannot bend that far, simply bring your head down as low as you can. Use straps around the feet, or grasp your ankles if your hands cannot reach the toes.

The Triangle Pose, or Oopavishta-Konãsana, stretches both muscles and tendons. (Photo by Jim Buhr)

TIME: TO start with, keep this posture as long as you can hold your breath. Later on increase its duration to one minute, during which time you do deep breathing. Repeat two or three times.

The Twist Posture: Second Movement

We shall do now the second stage of the Twist Posture. I hope it will not present any difficulties after you have been practicing an easy version of it for a whole week.
 
TECHNIQUE: Start by assuming the familiar first stage of this Asana: First stretch out both legs, placing the right foot over the left knee. Now bend the left knee so that the left heel touches the right buttocks. Keep the left hand on the right foot as you did before, and wind the right arm around the back of the waistline, with your palm open. Take a deep breath and slowly make a complete turn to the right, keeping the shoulders straight and the chin up.

Second movement of the Twist Posture, combined with deep breathing. (Photo by Mischa Pelz)

TIME: Retain the posture for ten seconds, then slowly straighten your head, shoulders, and chest. Do the whole exercise once more, then reverse the position of legs and arms and repeat the twisting movement to the left.

After that lie down to relax. When your breathing has returned to normal, take a few deep breaths.

The Shoulder stand

Now you will do the Shoulderstand, called Sarvangãsana in Sanskrit. Next to the Headstand, this posture is considered one of the best Asanas.

You see it done in many gymnasiums, beauty salons, and health clubs, but there it is seldom coupled with the deep breathing without which it is no longer a Yoga posture, but an ordinary exercise with much less therapeutic value.

It has been nicknamed "The Candle" because the body is kept as straight as a candle in this posture.

It is a very important Asana both for men and women, and should you imagine that you are "too old" to try it, just look at Ruth St. Denis—America's ageless dancer who posed for the picture. Though over eighty, she is doing the Shoulderstand with great ease and skill and practices it every day.

You will find it very similar to the Reverse Posture, with the difference that the body is kept in one straight line from shoulders to toes and the position of the hands is changed from the hips to the spine for better support. Moreover, the Reverse

Ruth St. Denis, over eighty years old, considers the Shoulder-stand indispensable to her daily exercise routine.

Posture affects primarily the gonads, or sex glands, and partly the thyroid, whereas in the Shoulderstand the thyroid gland is influenced more and the gonads less.

TECHNIQUE: Lie down on your back and while inhaling deeply, slowly raise your legs until the toes point to the ceiling. Support the base of your spine with both hands and let the body rest on the nape of your neck and shoulders. Keep it as straight as a candle. Press the chin against the chest, straighten the knees and point the toes. Close your eyes and breathe deeply, trying to remain steady in this position.

Maintain the posture for several seconds, then while exhaling, slowly return to the lying position: First bend the knees, put the palms on the floor, then, curving the spine, gradually unfold it the way one unrolls a carpet. When your entire back touches the floor, straighten the knees, take a deep breath and slowly lower your legs to the ground while breathing out.

TIME: Retain the posture for from fifteen seconds to six minutes, adding fifteen seconds per week. If the Shoulderstand is done alone, without any other exercises to precede or follow, it can be retained from fifteen to twenty minutes by an advanced student.

BENEFITS: The Shoulderstand affects the thyroid gland and the sex glands and has, therefore, a powerful influence on the entire organism. It vitalizes the nerves, purifies the blood and promotes good circulation, strengthens the lower organs and helps them to stay in place. It is especially recommended for women after childbirth. People troubled by asthma, constipation or indigestion should diligently practice this posture. It is also helpful in overcoming painful menstruation, other female disorders, and seminal weakness.

CAUTION: The Shoulderstand should not be practiced by persons with organic disorders of the thyroid gland, and should be done cautiously by those troubled with chronic nasal catarrh.

The Supine Pose

A prolonged Shoulderstand sometimes produces a feeling of discomfort in the neck; you should therefore always follow it with the Supine Pose to relax the neck.

This pose somewhat resembles the Fish Posture, except for the position of the legs: instead of being crossed as in the Lotus

The Supine Posture relaxes the neck after the Shoulderstand. It tones both nerves and glands. (Photo by Jim Buhr)

Pose, they are kept on the sides as in the Supine Pelvic Posture. Since both of the above-mentioned postures have already been described in my previous book, you may prefer to learn a new one, which is a combination of the two.

TECHNIQUE: Kneel down, keeping knees together and feet apart with toes stretched. Now sit down on the floor between the heels, thus assuming the Pelvic Posture. Start reclining the body, leaning first on one, then on the other arm and elbow; throw the head far back. Continue the reclining movement until the top of your head rests on the floor. Keep the hands in the middle of the chest, palm to palm and finger tips up as at prayer.

Stay in this position for a while, breathing deeply, then return to the Pelvic Posture, leaning first on the elbows and arms, then on the palms. Relax for a while before starting with the breathing exercises.

TIME: Keep the posture from two to thirty seconds. Relax.

BENEFITS: This posture affects the pituitary, pineal, thyroid and adrenal glands. It limbers and stretches the neck, strengthens and tones the nervous system, the kidneys, the stomach and intestines, the pelvic organs, and the nerves connected with sex functions.

BREATHING EXERCISES The Recharging Breath

Now stand up, keeping the feet close together and holding the hands near the chest, with palms joined. Close your eyes and take several rhythmic breaths, visualizing how with every inhalation you draw in the vital cosmic energy, or Prana, and with every exhalation you send it circulating all over the body. A receptive mental attitude greatly helps the absorption of Prana from the air. Nor will the Prana "leak out," since you have closed the circuit, so to speak, by keeping your palms and feet together. Another variation of this exercise is done sitting in the Lotus Pose with palms placed on the upturned soles.

This exercise helps restore vitality when you feel as if all strength and life have left you. You can also use the Recharging breath for protecting yourself against the disturbing influences of gross or depressing vibrations. For this purpose it will suffice to keep together the thumb and third finger as if you were holding an invisible flower in each hand, then do the rhythmic breathing and at the same time visualize that you are building a protective circle around you.

In India one often does that when traveling a long distance by train with people whose vibrations might be of a low or an evil order. A friend of mine, a well-known artist in California, found himself doing it, too, when using subways and buses in New York, as he was so sensitive to alien vibrations that they would make him feel almost sick.

The Wood-Chopping Movement

Stand with your feet wide apart, stretch out your arms, clasp your hands, interlock the fingers and imagine yourself holding an axe. Inhale deeply, slowly raising your hands above your head until your body is swayed back. Remember that you are lifting a heavy axe. Hold the breath a moment, then, vigorously exhaling through the mouth, swing down with the axe in a powerful motion as if you were actually cutting wood. But instead of making an abrupt stop, let the arm swing a little after the first woodcutting movement.

Repeat this exercise several times, imagining that you are really chopping wood. Keep elbows and spine straight and don't move your buttocks when bending down. All the movement should be done by the spine from above the waist.

This exercise is very bracing and energizing and is also good for keeping the spine flexible and for reducing abdominal fat.

CAUTION: Persons with a weak heart and women suffering from female disorders should do this exercise very gently.

Finish the lesson with relaxation.

The Woodchopping Movement: (a) Imagine yourself really lifting a heavy axe. (b) Let your arms swing in strong, rhythmic motion. (Photos by Jim Buhr)

ON THE YAMA-NIYAMA AND CONTEMPLATION

The way of the spirit is selflessness; the way of the body is selfishness. It is up to us to establish the balance between the two.

—SlGFRID KNAUER, M.D.

In India, before a Yoga aspirant is ready to begin his training he must accept, at least for the period of his discipleship, the Yama and Niyama which are the ten rules of the Yoga code of morals.

Yama consists of the following:

(1) inoffensiveness (non-destruction, non-injury);
(2) truthfulness;
(3) non-stealing;
(4) non-desire for what belongs to others;
(5) continence (frugality in diet, disinclination toward sexual enjoyment).

Niyama means:

(1) purification (internal and external cleanliness);
(2) contentment;
(3) strength of character (abstinence, forbearance, discipline, non-complaint, patience, calmness of mind);
(4) study;
(5) complete self-surrender to the Lord (which includes sharing with others that which has been given to you).

Certainly they must sound somewhat familiar to you. Do they not remind you of the Beatitudes and of the Ten Commandments?

But how many commandments and beatitudes do you still remember? Are you conscious of your own attitude toward them? Do you actually try to follow them? Or are you indifferent to them? Many people, for example, sincerely believe they are not guilty of killing. But were they to compare their reaction to the commandment, "Thou shalt not kill," with the attitude of, say, Albert Schweitzer, they would be forced to change their position. For Schweitzer does not allow any kind of killing in his jungle hospital in Equatorial Africa where he preaches "reverence for life"—not only for human life but for all life.

I was reminded of this, when I heard J. Allen Boone, who wrote Kinship with All Life, 1 telling us about the time when, just as he was about to spray his room in order to rid himself of ants, it suddenly occurred to him that they too were part of the Great Life and had a right to exist. After some hesitation he decided to talk to them, telling them that he respected their desire to live and would not kill them, yet since their proper place was outside in the garden, would they please leave. He gave them two days' "notice," warning them that he might be impelled to take measures if they refused to listen. "Believe it or not," he said in conclusion, "within two days the ants had actually disappeared."

This amusing story impressed me very much. Soon after this, Olga, our maid, discovered a stream of ants in the corner of the living room where a big night moth lay dead behind the curtains. Remembering Allen Boone's experience I asked her not to touch them, but to let me handle them. After she was gone I sat down on my knees to present my plight to the ants, asking them to go where they belonged and ending with a promise to keep some sugar for them outside. A few days later they were gone. "Because there is nothing to attract them," argued Olga; but when she lifted the curtain, we saw two more big moths lying on the floor and not a single ant around. Overwhelmed with joy I looked at her triumphantly.

This little incident opened up a vast new world for me. True, I know that some yogis, because they feel attuned to every living creature, can tame even tigers and other wild animals; but since I don't think of an ant as an animal, and I am not a yogini, I felt very elated when my gentle persuasion worked. From then on I started talking to all sorts of creeping and crawling things, which included a beautiful snake I encountered in the ruins of an ancient temple in Cambodia.

I am not so sure, of course, that I would be as successful with a tiger or a wild boar as I was with insects. So at this point we had better change the subject and return to Yama, which we were discussing.

I suggest you write down on a piece of paper the ten Yamas and Niyamas, or the Ten Commandments, or the Buddhist Commandments which are also ten in number. Here they are:

(1) Kill not, but have regard for life.

(2) Steal not, neither do ye rob; but help everybody to be master of the fruits of his labour.

(3) Abstain from impurity, and lead a life of chastity.

(4) Lie not, but be truthful. Speak the truth with discretion, fearlessly and in a loving heart.

(5) Invent not evil reports, neither do ye repeat them. Carp not, but look for the good sides of your fellow-beings, so that you may with sincerity defend them against their enemies.

(6) Swear not, but speak decently and with dignity.

(7) Waste not the time with gossip, but keep to the purpose or keep silence.

(8) Covet not, nor envy, but rejoice at the fortunes of other people.

(9) Cleanse your heart of malice and cherish no hatred, not even against your enemies, but embrace all living beings with kindness.

(10) Free your mind of ignorance and be anxious to learn the truth, especially in the one thing that is needed, lest you fall a prey either to scepticism or to errors.

I would suggest that every evening you take up just one point. Don't be in a hurry to answer it. Ponder about it and take time carefully to think over your answer before putting it aside.

1 New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1954.

A student of mine once cheerfully subscribed to the first Niyama, thinking that internal and external cleanliness were taken care of by tooth brushing and a daily bath. She had to reconsider, however, when it came to keeping the colon clean, and furthermore to cleansing the mind and heart of hatred, envy, jealousy, anger, malice, greed, and lust.

The last Yama concerns the sex life of the disciple, or chela, who is required to become a brahmacharin, or celibate, for the duration of his training. This, as you already know from our previous discussion on the Kundalini power, is necessary in order to conserve his sex energies so that they may be converted into finer energies, or Ojas. Except for this, the whole point of celibacy becomes useless. Yoga does not advocate the suppression of sex, but a sublimation of it. Remember, too, that all the strict rules and Yoga disciplines concern only a true disciple, not a student of Yoga such as you. But generally speaking the Yama-Niyama or the Commandments may well be taken into consideration by all human beings, especially so by those interested in spiritual advancement and understanding —not in their animal nature alone.

To recognize our own shortcomings and to see ourselves in a true light is a most difficult thing, more difficult than to do your hair, to shave, or make up and dress for a performance without a mirror. That is why we need an impartial third person such as a teacher to point out our faults to us. We cannot possibly see them ourselves, nor trust completely the criticism of our family or friends since, as is so often the case, they may all be prejudiced in one way or another.

What is one to do if there is no one to turn to for advice and guidance, no one to point out our wrongs to us, no one to tell us the truth about ourselves?

When, at one time, I found myself in such a situation— suddenly alone before I was ready to stand on my own feet, and surrounded by people to whom Yoga was nothing more than a target for jokes and uncomplimentary remarks—I remembered the advice once given me by Krishnamurti 2 in a desperate moment of my life, when I was going through very painful and distressing personal experiences.

"Do you know the real cause of your suffering?" Krishnamurti asked me then. "It is fear, although you may not realize it. You are unhappy because you are afraid to face your troubles and are trying to patch them up somehow. You want to run away from them instead of calmly examining what has caused your sorrow. You must face utter loneliness. If you really want to free yourself from the cause of your sorrow, you must be alone, and in facing that loneliness you will become watchful and alert. One is fully aware only when one is not trying to avoid something, nor trying to escape from the inevitable, which means to be alone. Through the ecstasy of that solitude you will realize the Truth."

He was right. When I began to analyze it, fear was at the bottom of my troubled state of mind. According to Krishnaji it was necessary to acquire a detached point of view; to see things from a different angle. But how was I to go about it? He advised me to remain completely alone and to see no one for several days. "Stay with your problem and look at it very closely. When you do that you will not be afraid of it any longer."

I followed his advice although I could not see how it was going to help me. Until then I had always thought that sympathy and warmth would help me more than solitude. I was wrong. After a few days spent alone in tears and despair a wonderful feeling of peace and joy suddenly entered my heart and filled my entire being. It seemed that all my torments belonged to a remote past; they meant no more to me now than the agonies of a crushed worm mean to a flying bird.

Later, recollecting the change this experience brought about in me, I resolved to keep regular days of complete silence, so that I might turn for advice and inspiration to that most reliable friend, teacher, and guide—the Over Self, the Truth within us. ...

Setting aside a special time for this "meeting," I decided also to fast on the day of silence, to see no one and speak to no one, in short, to remain "absent" from everybody and everything.

In the beginning it felt a little strange to remain alone in my room in a sort of vacuum all day long. I had made it a point not to go on with my usual routine but spent the day meditating, listening to music and chants, reading the poems of Krishnamurti, books on Yoga and on the lives of great sages and saints. At times, I would just let thoughts pass by like the white clouds outside my window.

Soon after the beginning of the meditation I would become acutely aware of a presence that would fill the room like the blue smoke of incense. At first I would remain motionless, overwhelmed with joy at the visit of my unseen guest who soon became my judge, advisor and friend, one with whom I could frankly discuss all my troubles, difficulties, and shortcomings.

It is not difficult to solve a problem once you can see things from the detached point of view of an onlooker who is fully aware of the real, objective motives underlying every action. No cheating, no concealing, no twisting of facts is possible. One's most secret and hidden thoughts are brought to light and one's actions stand before one in all their nakedness. One knows then what is right and what is wrong, the reasons for having done this or the other thing, and what has brought about someone else's reactions.

2 Krishnamurti, reverently called Krishnaji in India, is widely known as a thinker, writer, and speaker. He is the author of Education and the Significance of Life, The First and Last Freedom, and Commentaries on Living.

Towards the end of the day I would generally break the silence and the fast. Sometimes I kept it till the next morning, reluctant to leave the different world I had found. These days of silence, which I kept just once a month, became a great source of strength and inspiration to me during one of the most difficult periods of my life.

Once, when coming down from my room for a stroll in the garden, I happened to overhear our house boy answer the telephone: "Yes, Missi home" he was saying, "only she not talk, not eat today." A Chinese, he did not approve of this.

From time to time all of us should make a point of clearing our mental storeroom lest it become overcrowded with fears, unsolved problems, worrisome thoughts, suppressed emotions and thwarted hopes. We undoubtedly would be much better off if we did so. Usually we keep all this bottled up until finally something explodes either in the form of a nervous breakdown, a serious ailment, or a violent revolt of one kind or another.

Unfortunately, people are seldom capable of coming out with the whole truth—part of it invariably seems to get lost the moment one tries to put thoughts into words, whether because of fear or of shame at baring one's whole self to another person. But when you turn in all earnestness to the Higher Power within you, no pretense is any longer needed.

Should you find it impossible to arrange for a whole day of silence, try to spend a quiet half hour alone at the end of every evening, and let all your day's activities with their feelings, thoughts, and motives pass one by one before the Supreme Judge within you. Don't cover up anything. Do not justify your motives nor, above all, try to blame someone else for what has happened: make an honest effort to find out where your mistakes lie.

"I don't need to keep any special hour for silence," a woman once said to me, "since I live alone and have no one to talk to anyway." She had missed the whole point, of course, for one can actually remain alone for hours and days on end with the most trivial, superficial, and senseless thoughts, jumping from one to another like a grasshopper. If the hours of solitude are not utilized for introspection, contemplation and meditation, they have no special value and most likely will become a dreary, monotonous time.

A quiet evening's deep reflection, on the other hand, may enable you to look deep down into the "inner chamber" of self, see yourself as you really are, and thus come to recognize your faults and solve your problems. We know ourselves so little after all!

For instance, I know a woman whose cousin was so talkative that everybody in the family was ready to jump out of their skins. When gently told about the problem, she was hurt and simply refused to believe it, sincerely thinking of herself as a quiet person who seldom opened her mouth. Finally someone had the bright idea of setting up a tape-recorder, then playing it back to her. The effect was startling. The poor woman was completely crushed, realizing only then that she almost never closed her mouth.

Self-discipline is not as hard as one sometimes imagines and may even turn into an interesting experiment. We know of instant metamorphoses of sinners into saints, but in most cases we have to make a constant effort to remain alert. "Know thyself!" Difficult? Yes. But certainly something worth trying.

Now one last bit of advice: When reflecting upon your day's actions, thoughts, and words, dwell only on your misgivings, without counting your accomplishments. For accomplishments should come naturally and spontaneously. Otherwise you may end up by complimenting yourself for every trifle, like the little cub scout who, while putting down his good deeds for the day, wrote in all earnestness: "Got a chair for Grandmother!"

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