Mudras and Bandhas IMPORTANT MUDRAS AND BANDHAS There are several varieties in Mudras and Bandhas, viz., Maha Bandha, Jalandhara Bandha, Uddiyana Bandha, Mula Bandha, and Maha Mudra, Maha Vedha, Nabho, Khechari, Viparita Karani, Yoni, Sambhavi, Asvini, Pasini, Matangi, Kaki, Bhujangini and Yoga Mudras. Among these I will give you a short description of the few important ones. You can select that which suits you well and practise regularly. Cough, asthma, enlargement of spleen and liver, sex-sublimation, venereal diseases, consumption, chronic constipation, leprosy and all sorts of incurable diseases are also cured. These Mudras and Bandhas will bestow on you all that you want. “Nasti mudrasamam kinchit samsidhyai kshitimandale”-There is nothing in this world like the Mudras for giving success. MAHA MUDRA Press the anus carefully with the left heel. Stretch out the right leg. Catch hold of the toe with the two hands. Inhale and retain the breath (Kumbhaka). Press the chin against the chest firmly, Jalandhara Bandha. Fix the gaze at the Trikuti, Bhrumadhya Drishti. Retain the posture as long as you can. Practise first on the left leg and then on the right leg. This cures consumption, haemorrhoids or piles, enlargement of spleen, indigestion, Gulma (chronic gastritis), leprosy, constipation, fever, etc. Life is increased. It confers Siddhis on the practitioners. When you do this Mudra, the posture will be almost similar to Janusirshasana. YOGA MUDRA Sit in Padmasana. Place the palms on the heels. Exhale slowly and bend forwards and touch the ground with the forehead. If you retain the pose for a long time, you can breathe in and out as usual, or come to the former position and inhale. Instead of keeping the hands on the heels you can take them at the back. Catch hold of the left wrist with your right hand. This pose removes all kinds of disorders in the abdomen. KHECHARI MUDRA `Khe’ means in sky and `Char’ means to move. The Yogi moves in the sky. Hence this is known as Khechari Mudra. This Mudra can be performed by a man only if he has undergone the preliminary exercise under the direct guidance of a Guru who is practising Khechari Mudra. The preliminary portion of this Mudra is in making the tongue so long that the tip of the tongue might touch the space between the two eyebrows. The Guru will cut the lower tendon of the tongue with a bright, clean knife, little by little every week. By sprinkling salt and turmeric powder, the cut edges may not join together again. Rub the tongue with fresh butter and draw it out. Take hold of the tongue with the fingers and move it to and fro. Milking the tongue means taking hold of it and drawing it as the milkman does the udder of a cow during milking. Cutting the lower tendon of the tongue should be done regularly, once a week, for a period varying from six months to two years. By all these means you can lengthen the tongue to reach the forehead. This is the preliminary portion of Khechari Mudra. Then turn the tongue upwards and backwards by sitting in Siddhasana so as to touch the palate and close the posterior nasal opening with the tongue and fix the gaze at the space between the two eyebrows. The respiration will stop. The tongue is on the mouth of the well of nectar. This is Khechari Mudra. By practice of this Mudra the Yogi is free from fainting, hunger, thirst and laziness. He is free from diseases, decay, old age and death. This Mudra makes one an Urdhvareto Yogi. As the body of the Yogi is filled with the nectar, he will not die even by virulent poison. This Mudra gives Kaya Siddhi to Yogins. Khechari is the best of all Mudras. VAJROLI MUDRA This is an important Yogic Kriya in Hatha Yoga. You will have to work hard to get full success in this Kriya. There are very few people who are experts in this act. Yogic students draw water first through a silver tube (catheter, specially made) passed into the urethra (urinary canal) for 12 inches inside, then milk, oil, honey, etc. They draw mercury in the end. Later on they can draw these liquids directly through the urethra without the help of the tube. This Kriya is of immense use in the establishment of Brahmacharya. On the first day you should send the catheter inside the urethra for one inch only, the second day two inches, third day three inches, and so on. You must gradually practise till you are able to send 12 inches of the catheter inside. Raja Bhartrihari could do this Kriya very dexterously. Even a drop of semen cannot come out of the Yogi who practises this Mudra. Even if it is discharged, he can draw it back through this Mudra. The Yogi who draws his semen up and preserves it conquers death. Good smell emanates from his body. Lord Krishna was a skilled expert in this Mudra. That is the reason why He was called a Nitya Brahmachari though He was amidst several Gopis. VIPARITAKARANI MUDRA Lie on the ground. Raise the legs up straight. Support the buttocks with the hands. Rest the elbows on the ground. Remain steady. The sun dwells at the root of the navel and the moon at the root of the palate. The process by which the sun is taken upward and the moon downward is called Viparitakarani Mudra. The positions of the sun and moon are reversed. On the first day do it for a minute. Gradually increase the period to three hours. After six months wrinkles on the face and grey hair will disappear. The Yogis who practise this for three hours daily conquer death. As the gastric fire is increased those who practise this for a long time should take some light refreshment such as milk, etc., as soon as the Kriya is over. Sirshasana posture also is called Viparitakarani Mudra. SAKTI CHALANA

Science of Relaxation Life has become very complex in these days. The struggle for existence is very acute and keen. There is very keen competition in every walk of life. The bread problem has become very difficult to be solved. There is unemployment everywhere. Even brilliant young men with extraordinary qualification and recom- mendations hardly get job in these days. Therefore, a great deal of continuous mental and physical strain is imposed on modern humanity by its deadening daily work and unhealthy mode of life. Action produces movement; movement causes habits. Man has acquired many artificial habits. He has allowed nature’s original habits to lapse. He has brought tension in many muscles and nerves through incorrect habit-positions. He has forgotten the first principles of relaxation. He will have to learn lessons from the cat, dog and the infant in the Science of Relaxation. If you practise relaxation, no energy will be wasted. You will be very active, and energetic. During relaxation the muscles and nerves are at rest. The Prana or energy is stored up and conserved. The vast majority of persons who have no comprehensive understanding of this beautiful science of relaxation simply waste their energy by creating unnecessary movements of muscles and by putting the muscles and nerves under great strain. Some persons shake their legs unnecessarily while sitting. Some play Mridang or Tabala (drum) with their fingers on the table when their minds are idle or vacant. Some whistle. Some shake their heads. Some tap their chests or abdomen with their fingers. Energy is thus dissipated or depleted through un- necessary movements of the parts of the body on account of lack of knowledge of the elementary principles of the science of relaxation. Do not mistake laziness for relaxation. The lazy man is inactive. He has no inclination to work. He is full of lethargy and inertia. He is dull. Whereas a man who practises relaxation takes only rest. He has vigour, strength, vitality and endurance. He never allows even, a small amount of energy to trickle away. He accomplishes wonderful work gracefully in a minimum space of time. When you wish to contract a muscle in order to perform an action an impulse is transmitted from the brain through the nerve to the muscle. Energy or Prana travels through the motor nerves, reaches the muscle and causes it to draw its ends together. When the muscle contracts it pulls the limb which you wish to move. Now you can perform the action with ease. First there is thought. Thought takes form in action through contraction of muscles. Suppose you wish to lift up a chair. The desire creates an impulse in the brain. The impulse is transmitted to the muscles of the arms from the brain through the motor nerves. A current of prana or energy is transmitted along the nerves from the brain. The muscles contract and you perrform the action of lifting up the chair. Similarly all other conscious or unconscious actions are performed by you. If the muscles are overworked more energy is spent and you get fatigue. There is much wear and tear in the muscles through overwork, strain and tension on account of heavy expenditure of Prana or energy. When you perform an action consciously message is given to the mind and the mind immediately obeys by sending a current of energy to the desired part. An unconscious act is done instinctively or mechanically. The mind does not wait for orders. When the scorpion stings you in a finger, the finger is at once withdrawn. You do not argue here. This is an instinctive or mechanical movement. A man of easily irritable nature cannot enjoy peace of mind. His brain, nerves and muscles are always under high tension. He is wasting every minute abundant muscular and nerve energy and brain- power. He is a very weak man though he is endowed with physical strength, because he loses his balance of mind very easily. If you really want to enjoy unruffled peace and abiding joy, you must try to possess a calm, controlled and balanced mind by eradicating worry, anxieties, fear, anger, and impulses. You do not gain anything by worrying yourself unnecessarily and manifesting anger for nothing at all. Anger belongs to brutal nature. Anger does posi- tive injury to brain, blood and nerves. You are not profitted a bit by exhibiting anger. By repeating an action, a habit is formed in the mind. If you worry yourself frequently, a worrying habit is developed. Your vitality and energy are simply drained by worry, anger, fear. Why should you be afraid of anything at all, when everything is nothing but your own self ? Fear, anger and worry are the products of ignorance. The muscles and nerves of a victim of anger and worry are always under contraction and high tension. The action of one set of muscles can be checked by the operation of another set of muscles. One impulse may try to put one set of muscles in motion and by sending another repressive impulse through another set of muscles you can counteract the action of the first set of muscles. If a man abuses you, you may jump at once to beat him. An impulse has already put one set of muscles in motion. You may check the impulse through discrimination and reflection: “I do not gain anything by beating him. He is an ignorant man. He does not know how to behave. Let me forgive him now.” A repressive impulse will check at once the operation of the first set of muscles by another set of muscles. Raising of impulses and counter-impulses or repressing or inhibitive impulses cause high tension in nerves, muscles and brain. Vast majority of persons are slaves of impulses; hence they do not enjoy peace of mind. They are tossed hither and thither The science of relaxation is an exact science. It can be learnt very easily. Relaxation of muscles is as much

Utkatasana Stand up. Keep the feet close together. Keep the hands on the hips, one on each side. Then slowly lower the body. You will experience a little difficulty when you lower the body down. In the beginning you can catch hold of the sides of the two doors to your hip level and then with their support, lower the body. You can take the help of the two arms of a chair also. He who practises Pranayama can practise this Asana very easily. This Asana does not require much strength. One should know balancing of the body. A thin man with a wiry body can do this very beautifully. When you lower the body, you may lose the balance and the body may be tossed either laterally or anterio-posteriorly. But a few days’ practice will enable you to keep up the posture steady. When you perform the Asana perfectly, your legs from toes to knees and the part of the body from the buttocks to the head will be in a perpendicular line to the ground and your thighs will be in a parallel line with the ground. In the beginning when you practise this Asana, you can sit in a chair. Slowly raise the body two or three inches above the chair and try to keep up the balance. After a few days, ask your friend to remove the chair silently and try to keep up the balance. Sit on the toes. The whole burden of the body is placed on the toes only. The buttocks will touch the heels. Lumbago is cured. Wrists and toes are strengthened. This is very useful for elephantiasis. You can lower the body still further as shown in the second variety. This pose is used for Basti Kriya.

Kukkutasana (Rooster Pose) In Sanskrit, Kukkuta means a Rooster. When the Asana is demonstrated it resembles a Rooster. TECHNIQUE First do Padmasana. Introduce your two arms one by one as far as the elbow joint into the space between the calves. Place the palms on the ground, fingers pointing forwards. Raise the body from the ground as shown in the picture. The lock of the feet should come as far as the elbow joint. If you raise the Padmasana a bit, it will be easy to introduce your hands. Fatty persons will find it difficult to insert the hands between the thigh and calf muscles. Remain in this Asana as long as you can. BENEFITS All the benefits of the Padmasana can be derived from this Asana to a maximum degree. Alasya (laziness) vanishes. The Nadis get purified. Biceps of the hands, deltoid of the shoulders, pectoralis major and minor, etc., are developed well. The chest becomes broad. Then hands get lengthened.

Garbhasana (Child-in-the-Womb Pose) When this Asana is demonstrated, it resembles the position of the child when it is in the womb. Hence this is called Garbhasana. TECHNIQUE As described in Kukkutasana introduce both hands in the space between the thighs and calves. Bring out the elbows of the two hands. Catch hold of the right ear with the right hand and the left ear with left hand. You should perform the last stage of the Asana with great care. Because when you try to catch hold of the ears with the hands, you may fall down backwards. You will have no hands to support the body and you will be helpless. But by practice you can slowly balance the body on the buttocks. The body will remain steady after a few days’ practice. If you find it difficult to perform the Asana, you can do it without the Padmasana. Catch hold of the ears or neck by introducing the arm behind the thighs. In this modified pose the legs will be stretching downwards. Remain in the Asana for 2 or 3 minutes. Repeat it five times. BENEFITS The digestive power is augmented. Appetite increases. The bowels become quite free. You will get clear motions. Many intestinal diseases are removed. Hands and legs will become strong.

Tolangulasana (Weighing Scale Pose) This Asana when demonstrated will resemble the form of a weighing scale. Hence this is named as Tolangulasana. TECHNIQUE Lie down in Padmasana as in Matsyasana. Place the palms of the hands underneath the buttocks. If you find it difficult to keep the palms below the buttocks, slowly rest on your two elbows by gradual reclining. Raise the head and the upper part of your body above the ground. Now the whole body will be resting on the buttocks and forearms. Press the chin against the chest. This is Jalandhara Bandha as you can comfortably keep and then exhale slowly. You can do this 5 to 30 minutes. BENEFITS This Asana removes flatulence. Meru-Danda is expanded and developed. Owing to the tension of the abdomen, the faecal matter is pushed down to the rectum from the colon. As the chest considerably expands, the pigeon-chest is slowly removed and you will have a broad, fine chest. You will obtain the benefits of Padmasana. The muscles and the nerves of the arms and forearms get increased supply of blood. Therefore, they will become strong.