Lesson - 06

Sixth Week

Concentration is the source of strength in politics, in war, in trade, in short in all the management of human affairs.

—RALPH WALDO EMERSON

You are now starting on the final week of your yoga course. You have learned a great deal in this short time and, let us hope, have derived some benefit from what you have learned. Your real task now will be to continue the daily practice of Yoga postures, not permitting yourself to grow lax simply because you have completed the lessons.

It is usually a good idea to do the exercises with a group at least once a week. This enables you to share your knowledge with others and also to continue perfecting yourself. Quite a few of my old students have formed such continuation groups. They meet weekly in someone's home, and if the attendance outgrows the size of the room they simply rent a small hall and share the expense. If you are at a loss as to how to contact interested people, try to do it through a newspaper or a health food store.

After finishing the course you will also have to decide on some sort of fixed schedule for your daily practice, and also choose which postures you are going to do every day and which you will leave for occasional practice.

Bear in mind that most important of all are the ten basic Asanas. You have learned them all in the past six weeks and you should keep them up. The other postures can be varied according to your requirements, time, and preference. Each person has his favorites. With some it is the Cobra, with others the Twist or Reverse Posture. The Headstand is a favorite with a great many people.

For you, the average Occidental with so many other things to do in the course of the day, the basic ten Asanas, two or three breathing exercises, and a few extra postures performed occasionally, will suffice to keep you in a healthy and youthful condition.

In India, the yogis usually favor about eighty-four Asanas, thirty-two of which are considered very beneficial, and ten are actually essential for the well-being of every individual. The original number of Yoga postures described in the old texts mounted to eighty-four thousand, but I doubt that any one among the living yogis today knows all of them.

Practice Schedule

Here is the order I suggest for your exercise schedule, unless you prefer some arrangement of your own that might be more suitable for your particular needs.

We shall not count the leg stretching exercise you are to do in bed before getting up. We shall begin with the Rocking exercise, the one you are supposed to do first of all, soon after arising. Next go on to the Headstand, which you should never skip under normal circumstances as it is the most valuable of all postures. I myself manage to do it even on a long plane journey, performing it while everybody is still asleep so as not to attract attention. My teacher, Sri Krishnamachrya, often used to say that one should stand on the head whenever tired, hungry, worried or sleepless. This, by the way, is not a paradox. On the one hand, the Headstand can actually put you to sleep when you are suffering from insomnia; on the other hand, it acts as a refreshing tonic when you feel tired or low.

After the Headstand, do the Shoulderstand and either follow or precede it with the Reverse Posture. You can alternate these two, practicing the Shoulderstand one day and the Reverse Posture the next. Then comes the Plough Posture, which should be followed by the Supine Pose. The Supine Pose will relieve any tension in the neck that might have been produced by the Shoulderstand and the Plough, which is the reason for putting it in here. If you are familiar with the Fish Posture from my previous book, you can alternate it with the Supine Pose.

Next do the Yoga Mudra. If you are not yet able to assume the Lotus Pose, practice the Knee Bouncing first. Follow this with the Stretching Posture. After that get into the Twist, then the Cobra, and do the Abdominal Lift as the last.

Now you can do any of the other Asanas for which you have the time and inclination.

Do not forget to rest between the exercises. Give most time to those postures which you feel are most beneficial to you, even if these are not among the basic Asanas. Always finish up with a few of the breathing exercises and the Relaxation.

The Angular Rest Pose

Now let us try something new, the Angular Rest Pose or Soopta-Konãsana.

TECHNIQUE: First lie down and assume the Plough Posture, then move both legs as far apart as possible, keeping the knees straight. Get hold of your toes by inserting index and third fingers between the big and second toes.

TIME: Retain this position for about ten seconds and breathe deeply. Then bring the feet together again, put the arms down and start slowly to uncurve the spine in order to return to the lying position. Take a little rest.

The Angular Rest Pose combines the benefits of the Shoulder-stand with those of the Plough Posture. (Photo by Jim Buhr)

BENEFITS: The Angular Rest Pose combines the benefits of the Shoulderstand and the Plough Posture. It is also a good exercise for acquiring a sense of balance.

The Angular Balance Pose

TECHNIQUE: Sit up straight with knees bent, keeping the feet sole to sole. Hook index and third fingers around the big toes as you did in the previous posture. Take a deep breath. On exhalation raise the feet off the floor and start very slowly stretching them sideways until both knees and elbows are completely straight. Do not slant the body: it should rest balanced on the lower part of the spine, or coccyx.

Remain motionless in this position for about ten seconds, breathing deeply. Then, still holding on to your toes, give the body a little jolt backwards. You will find yourself in the Angular-Rest Position once more.

TIME: Keep this pose for about ten seconds, careful to remain steady. Repeat several times, changing over from one position to the other and back without letting go of the toes.

In the beginning, you will find it difficult to hold yourself steady in either of the two postures, for as soon as you assume the sitting position you will be pulled back to the floor, while when trying to get into the Angular-Rest Position you will be pulled up again. In order to keep the body balanced in this pose, pick out a specific point on the floor, or anywhere in front of you, and gaze at it steadily.

The Angular Balance Pose, a real triumph of balance for the advanced student. (Photo by Jim Buhr)

The Twist Posture: Third Movement

The third and last movement of the Twist is done almost like the second, with only this difference: you change the position of the outstretched arm.

First, get into the second pose of the Twist, as given in Lesson Five: bend the left leg, place the right foot over the left knee, left hand on the right toes, right arm on the back of the waistline.

Now raise your left arm, place the elbow cap on the right knee and glide it down along the right side of the right thigh until you can reach the toes of the right foot with your left hand.

Then assume the Twist Pose by first inhaling deeply, then exhaling and twisting your head, shoulders and back to the right as you did before.

Repeat two or three times, then reverse the position of legs and arms and repeat the Twist to the left side.
 
If you are unable to reach your toes, simply keep them up off the floor until you can master the correct posture, or put a strap around your toes and hold on to that.

The Twist Pose: The third and final movement, demonstrated by actress Mala Powers. (Photo by Miller)

The Twist gives a good many persons trouble at first. I remember the slim six footer, hero of many adventure films who wondered aloud in my class what was wrong with him. "Are my arms too short or am I too fat?" Neither was the case, of course. His limbs were just too stiff and his spine not flexible enough to accomplish this posture. "But I'll get into this position yet, even if I break my arms or my back trying," he announced, watching his wife and children do it with the greatest ease. He eventually did it, too, without the slightest injury. But it took time.

BREATHING EXERCISES The Mountain Pose

Assume the Lotus Pose or sit with both legs crossed tailor-fashion. Raise the arms, interlock the fingers, then twist your hands so that your palms face the ceiling. Straighten the elbows. Do deep breathing while remaining in this position.

Another variation is done as follows: Kneel down, keeping your body straight from the knees up; stretch the arms up above your head, keeping the elbows straight and the palms joined, and do the breathing in this position.

The third variation is quite difficult and you need not feel too badly if you are not able to hold this position: First assume the Lotus Pose, then raise the buttocks off the floor and balance the body on the knee caps. Both hands should be stretched out above your head without the fingerlock, or else with palms joined.

This posture, in all its variations, is called "The Mountain Pose," Parvatãsana in Sanskrit.

The Mountain Pose, or Par-vatãsana. First Variation (Top Left): Begin with the Lotus Pose, or else seated tailor-fashion. Second Variation (Top Right): Simplest of the three, it is done in the kneeling position. Third Variation (Bottom Left): Derived from the Lotus Pose, this takes considerable practice (Photos by Jim Buhr)

It is important to keep the outstretched arms steady while doing rhythmic breathing.

Second Breathing Exercise

Face the wall. Stretch out your arms, leaving a space of a few inches between your fingertips and the wall. Then, keeping your whole body as stiff as a board, place both palms on the wall, arms outstretched and elbows straight—this will tip your body slightly forward. Take a deep breath. While exhaling, slowly bend your elbows until your forehead reaches the wall. Keep your heels flat on the floor as you do this. Now inhale again while straightening your elbows and pushing your body away from the wall; exhale again while bending elbows. Repeat this to and fro movement several times.

Always remember to keep your body completely stiff. The normal tendency is to bend a little in the waistline, which ruins the effect of the exercise. Your only movement should be that of alternately bending and straightening elbows.

After a few days you may try to do this exercise faster. Do it as follows:

The Second Breathing Exercise resembles simple pushups in technique. (Photo by Jim Buhr)

Take a deep breath, and do several of these push-ups against the wall while holding it, then exhale. Rest, then repeat. This exercise reduces fatty forearms and ankles and strengthens them. It also develops the chest and firms the muscles of the bust, forearms, and calves.

Still more effective, but more difficult and strenuous, are the same push-ups done on the floor instead of against the wall.

After practicing this exercise against the wall for some time, you should be able to do it on the floor without immediately falling flat on your abdomen.

Lie down on your stomach, keeping the toes inverted and palms on the floor at shoulder level. Take a deep breath and, while holding it, straighten and bend the elbows alternately, keeping your body stiff and motionless. Then, while exhaling, lower yourself slowly to the ground, chin and chest first, abdomen last. Do not neglect to concentrate on correct breathing.

Finish the lesson with the Relaxation.

ON CONCENTRATION AND MEDITATION

When the mind has become poised, the Self appears in its true state and we do not have to make any effort to perceive it.

—SWAMI PARAMANANDA, Concentration and Meditation 1

The topic for the concluding talk in our course will be concentration and meditation, for these form an essential part of the training of a Yoga student.

What is the basic difference between concentration and meditation? In concentration, one involves only the mind; in meditation one involves the heart and the whole being as well.

"Concentration," to quote Patanjali's Yoga Aphorisms "is holding the mind steadily fixed on some particular object. Meditation is a continuous flow of thought on that object." In concentration you stay "on this side" of the particular object, in meditation you go beyond the limits of earthly manifestations. Whether you are a Christian, a Buddhist, a Hindu, whether you belong to some other religion or to none at all, the source of meditation is always of a spiritual nature.

The ability to concentrate is the mark of genius; the ability to meditate is the mark of saintliness.

Degrees of depth of concentration and meditation naturally vary with the individual. One person is able to keep his mind undistracted for only several seconds at a time, whereas another can do it for hours on end; this depends upon the natural gifts and training of each. Unfortunately, the art of concentration is seldom cultivated or taught in the West. This is especially true in America, where everything possible is done to provide constant distractions for the mind, which eventually dissipates itself. Overburdened with too many superficial and non-essential ideas, our mind finally loses the ability to concentrate, discern, and discriminate.

1 Cohasset, Mass.: The Vedanta Centre.

As a result, more and more people here never form the habit of thinking their own thoughts, making their own decisions, solving their own problems. They grow into emotionally immature men and women, who are unable to draw upon their own inner resources, and become completely dependent upon what other people do, say or think. Like small children, they begin to look for external diversions or what they consider thrills to break the monotony of their empty and meaningless existence. Here I suggest you look into How to Live 365 Days a Year by Dr. John A. Schindler, 2 a book from which I have quoted earlier. It will help you gain a better understanding of the people around you and of their behavior.

Our mind is actually almost the sole source of our pleasures and pain, failures and success, well-being and ills. This is true to a large extent of physical ailments as well. About eighty per cent of our diseases are said to be psychosomatic in origin. This fact alone speaks louder than any words, since it means that out of every ten sick people eight suffer from illnesses originated in the mind, whether by fear, worry, anger, jealousy or other hostile emotions.

This does not imply that the resultant suffering and pain are not completely real even when emotionally induced. Symptoms may often be treated medically. Yet any radical cure can only be effected through the mind, since that is the seat of the basic causes of illness.

For some reason most people, especially men, resent being told that their condition is due to emotional stress. "Ridiculous," snapped one businessman who came to see me. "If I can't sleep, it's just on account of these damned shingles, and my doctor told me that Yoga-breathing and relaxation might help. I am not a hysterical woman—I'm a sound businessman, a successful one at that!" However, a talk with him revealed that he was not nearly so invulnerable as he thought he was. He admitted he had been overworking of late, that business wasn't as good as it used to be, that he felt tired at times, and that a misunderstanding he had with a brother, who was also his business partner, had hurt him deeply. When we finally discovered that his shingles had first appeared on the day following their argument, I managed to persuade him to have a frank talk with his brother although at first he would not hear of it. As was to be expected, his troubles vanished as soon as his mind was put at ease, and he not only was able to sleep soundly again but got rid of the shingles as well.

2 Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1954.

The mind often behaves like a mischievous monkey that will play all sorts of tricks on us unless we watch it carefully. To illustrate, let us go and watch a Mr. John Brown as he gets ready to go down to breakfast after a rather disturbed night. We come upon him as he searches for the belt to his jacket. He is getting more and more annoyed. Finally, giving up his search, he goes down for coffee in the garden. To his surprise, he sees his belt lying in the grass under his bedroom window. Pleased to have found it at last, he starts to pick it up when his wife cries, "It's a snake, be careful!" Stepping back quickly, he collides with the maid who drops the breakfast tray. The hot coffee spills not only over the new jacket but also on Mr. Brown's little son who has come tricycling over to see the snake, and who now starts crying bitterly. At last the gardener, alerted by all the commotion, arrives with a big shovel to kill the snake. He stops and grins broadly. "That's no snake—that's the old garden hose I threw away this morning." And that is what it actually was all the time. So you see, our Mr. Brown's joy ("Ah, there is my belt!"), and his fear ("It's a snake!") were only imaginary. But the consequences of his mind-tricks were very real: his little boy is covered with blisters, the china is broken to pieces and the new jacket is soiled, not to mention a badly spoiled morning for everybody.

Who is to be held responsible for all this? Mr. Brown? His son? The gardener? The maid? She is probably the one who will be blamed in the end for "running into" Mr. Brown with the tray, while the real culprit—his mind—will escape unsuspected.

Yet if Mr. Brown's mind had been calm and objective in the first place, he would not have been so easily irritated, excited, and frightened in turn, nor would his imagination have so quickly turned the old hose first into a belt, then into a snake.

If we knew how to concentrate and use our minds, our life would often be very different. We would not only be free of our daily fears, but would also make a success of almost everything we chose to do, whether in the field of art, science, business, politics, or personal relations.

A person who has mastered the art of concentration usually also develops a magnetic, vibrant, and inspiring personality to which people are easily drawn.

Take the biography of any successful man, and you will find that even if he started his career without money or education, yet he always possessed one important quality, namely the ability to concentrate. Without this quality he could never have been a success.

Concentration can be taught to a child through games as soon as he begins to think independently, at the age of about six or seven. I recall one such game we used to play in my family. It was a guessing game. One of us would pretend we had been given a certain sum of money with which to buy whatever we pleased, except that it must be neither black or white in color. We were also not allowed to answer "yes" or "no" to the questions the others asked while trying to guess what we had bought. It took a lot of concentration for a child not to say "yes" when asked whether she liked the dress she had bought, or refrain from saying "no" when questioned whether it wasn't a white one.

There are dozens of such games which may be played with children, provided the grown-ups are not too busy, too lazy, or too disinterested.
Interesting experiments with thought-projection have been conducted here in Los Angeles by a prayer group formed by Franklin Loehr, who showed us some astounding results produced by the influence of concentration on plant life. He had, for instance, a large container covered by lush greenery on one side, while the other half was completely barren—just plain earth. We were told that an equal amount of seeds had been planted on both sides of the container and that both sides had been given exactly the same attention, with only one exception: the group had been praying regularly for the seeds on the right side to grow and live and for those on the left side to wither and die. This experiment, in case you wish to refer to it, is recorded in The Power of Prayer on Plants.3

The question of whether it is right to pray for the destruction of any life, even plant life, is another matter, and one we are not discussing here. Nor will we discuss the fact that during a war both sides pray regularly for the victory of their own armies and the destruction of the enemy!

The power of positive thinking undoubtedly works. But so does the power of negative thinking. Like electricity, the power itself is neither positive nor negative; it simply exists, and it is up to us human beings to put it to use one way or another. That is why in Yoga concentration is usually preceded by Yama-Niyama and followed by meditation. Both, it is felt, safeguard the student from possible misuse of his thought-power.

With most people the driving force behind concentration is usually desire. When a person desires something passionately, he automatically concentrates upon it and drives towards the achievement of his goal. The goal itself may be creative or destructive, but in either case desire is the force urging its realization, and a person will use concentration to overcome the various obstacles in his path. Concentration is a powerful double-edged weapon which can cut for you or against you, depending on how you use it. Therefore we must always be aware of the real motives directing our actions and creating our problems.

"Awareness is the silent and choiceless observation of it hat is," says Krishnamurti. "In this awareness the problem unrolls itself and thus it is fully and completely understood." 4

3 The Reverend Franklin Loehr, The Power of Prayer on Plants, New York: Doubleday & Company, Inc., 1959.

The often-suggested method of self-improvement through the substitution of one emotion for another is likely to breed hypocrisy, whereas if we become acutely and honestly aware of our shortcomings, a change of heart often takes place and transforms us almost instantly. This was true of the Apostle Paul, of Mary Magdalen and countless others of whom we may never have heard. This, too, is how some alcoholics give up liquor and heavy chain smokers their cigarettes.

An elderly woman who used to be crippled with arthritis recently told me that someone had once said to her that she would never get better so long as she continued to hate the people around her. She was intelligent enough to listen, and once she became fully aware of her faults she changed almost overnight. Before long she was able to leave her wheel chair and go back to work.

The great majority of people live in total unawareness of the real cause of their miseries, drudgery, and unhappiness. When still in Russia and a girl in my teens, I learned an unforgettable lesson from a friend who used to write to me from a dull provincial town where his regiment was stationed. In one of his letters he said that since he had no interesting people to talk to and no good books to read, he had made friends with the sun, moon, and stars, with the birds, trees, and flowers. "Every day I talk to them and listen to their fascinating stories. And then, when we fall into silence, it seems to me that I can perceive the gentle image of Christ smiling through them to me. Thus I live in constant awareness and expectation, treating every day as though it were the last of my earthly existence. Everything then appears in a different light and acquires a greater meaning. I am never bored, lonely or unhappy: I have learned to live in the eternal Now."

Awareness born of solitude and meditation gives one a new and different understanding of life. You too may, during a quiet evening of reflection, find that you are suddenly able to look deep down into the "inner chamber" and see yourself in a true light, "as you are." All of us can profit by such an experience since all of us know ourselves so imperfectly. A despot, for instance, seldom thinks he is tyrannical, a miser does not believe he is stingy, a chatterbox is not aware of talking incessantly.

During one of my recent lectures someone in the audience asked me to define the difference between prayer and meditation. In prayer, one usually asks a favor, thereby creating a division between the asker and the one who is being asked, the begger and the giver. In meditation, one does not ask for anything. Swami Sivananda, in Practical Guide for Students of Yoga,5 calls meditation "the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God." It is directed to the higher being within. In order to be able to meditate we must first develop the ability to concentrate, to keep our minds still and steady.

4 Jiddu Krishnamurti, Commentaries on Living, New York: Harper and Brothers, Publishers, 1956.

5 Hong Kong: Divine Life Sty.
The first step in concentration is the practice of Yoga postures, deep breathing and relaxation.

"One who has not proper control over his body cannot make proper use of his mind, he can never concentrate—much less can he meditate. A man who lacks mastery over his physical organism cannot possibly gain spiritual consciousness; hence the need to practice posture," writes Swami Paramananda in Concentration and Meditation.9

Since our mind is in a perpetual state of restlessness and motion, we cannot succeed in keeping it quiet without a certain amount of training. If you, or any other person who has had no previous experience, were asked to concentrate for just five minutes on a single object, you would probably find yourself unable to do so: your thoughts would start drifting after the first few seconds.

Supposing you were to concentrate on a red rose. First you would look at it with your mind's eye, admiring its beauty, warm color and soft, velvety leaves. Then another thought would probably cut in: "How like my new velvet dress ..." or something to that effect. Your thoughts would leave the rose and drift in another direction: "That dress looked very effective the other night at Peter's farewell party. . . . Silly boy, he asked me to think of him while he is in Germany. . . . Why do they send our boys to Germany anyway? . . . the Frauleins there are bound to get hold of him. . . . Peter said that Japanese girls make the best wives. . . . They looked quite cute in the film on Japan. . . . Do all women there carry babies on their back? . . . Mary once sent me a picture postcard from Australia that showed a kangaroo with a baby in its pouch . . . She said Sydney was a big place ..." and so on and so forth until the red rose on which you started to concentrate is completely forgotten.

The same thing, with infinite variations of course, is likely to happen to almost every beginner. During the few minutes of his concentration period he will have to discipline his thoughts again and again, like so many monkeys on a leash. As soon as you notice your thoughts beginning to stray, rein them in and return to the object of your concentration.

Every normal human being possesses the faculty of concentration, but we seldom know how to apply it consciously. Most of us use it automatically and instinctively. Only after we have gained command over our mental and spiritual forces do we learn to concentrate successfully.

6 Cohasset, Mass.: Vedanta Centre.

It has been my experience that for a beginner the most suitable object for concentration is the light of a burning candle. Before you begin, select a quiet place where you are not likely to be disturbed. Then choose a comfortable position in which you can sit at ease, keeping the spine erect. You may assume any of the meditative poses I have outlined or merely sit cross-legged. Use a chair if you prefer, but remember to straighten your back.

Then light a candle and, your gaze fixed steadily upon the light, start on your rhythmic breathing. Look at nothing except the flame—neither at the candle itself, nor at the wall behind, nor at any other object. Do not stare, however, and do not tense up—remain inwardly relaxed though motionless.

Let a minute pass, then close your eyelids but continue to envision the flame with your inner eye. In other words, you must be able to see the flame uninterruptedly, even with your eyes closed. If you cannot successfully capture the vision of the flame, or if it vanishes too quickly, immediately reopen your eyes, look at it, then close them again. Repeat this several times until you are able to capture and hold the vision of the flame. Resume the rhythmic breathing from time to time.

Now begin reflecting upon the qualities of the flame, upon its color, its shape. Look at it with a warm feeling of affection.

Ponder on its symbolical meaning as representing the eternal divine Light. Thus you begin to meditate on the light.

After a few days it will no longer be necessary to light the candle. You will be able to visualize the flame by simply closing your eyes and concentrating on it. To start with, set aside some five to ten minutes a day for the practice of concentration.

The next stage of meditation is more difficult: You start by concentrating on the light as you have been doing so far. Then dismiss it and do the rhythmic breathing for about half a minute. Imagine now that the light which you have been contemplating is no longer outside but within you. Place it right in the sacred chamber of your heart and let it shine there, brightening every dark corner, sending out warmth and friendliness in all directions, to every living being. Let the flame in your heart grow bigger and brighter all the time, dispelling the darkness of loneliness, fear, hatred, anger, envy, jealousy, greed and lust . . . dispersing disease and pain . . . giving you health, strength and courage, becoming the source of love, compassion, and happiness.

When finally the light in your heart permeates your entire being and you have become one with it, you will attain a union with the eternal divine Light which is Love, which is Truth, which is God.

In a week or so, after you have succeeded in visualizing the candle flame without difficulty, you may change to something else or take up another object in addition to it.

It is not advisable, however, to make this change before you are able to concentrate successfully or meditate on the first object you had chosen. Abandon it only when you find that it is too hard for you to hold your attention on it.

One of my students, for instance, had great difficulty in concentrating on an apple because after visualizing it he instinctively felt like eating it. In a case like this, one should not try to persist. Dismiss the object and replace it by another one.

Always choose something beautiful and pleasant to concentrate on.

When you notice that you have begun to make good progress, you can start concentrating and meditating on abstract matters, on various qualities and ideas. But be doubly careful to select only those which are positive, right, noble and elevating.

"We must not remain content with lower forms of concentration," writes Swami Paramananda.7 "These may bring us physical health, prosperity or success, because concentration always gives power; but even though we acquire more wealth, greater honor or increase bodily strength, we shall find that one part of our being still remains unsatisfied in spite of all our worldly acquisitions. Never will it be content until we awaken and begin to work for our higher development."

As concentration gives added power, we should be very careful in choosing what we want, so that we do not concentrate on the fulfillment of base or selfish desires.

It is not always easy to determine whether our wish is selfish or not. Is the wish to be healthy, for instance, a selfish one? Is the desire to marry a person you love selfish?

Therefore, whenever making a wish, we should add "if it is right for me." By doing so, we do not superimpose our will upon the Higher Will. In other words, we say, "Thy will be done." But if we are bent on getting what we want, we may find eventually that it was the worse thing that could have happened to us; we simply didn't know it at the time we were in pursuit of it.

It is only through proper and unselfish meditation that the student can finally enter the temple of the undistracted mind, and in silence and aloneness come to the realization of the One Ultimate Reality and the peace beyond understanding.

7 Op. cit.

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