It is hard to pull up a full-grown weed, easier to pull up a weed that
is just a seedling, and easiest of all to throw away the weed’ s seed before it
has sprouted. Karma  is the Sanskrit word for “actio n,” but it doesn’ t refer to every
tiny thing you do or that your body does. Karmas are actions that leave a
memory behind. Your first day at school, your first kiss, losing money at a
casino, wrecking your car—these are memorable events. If a memory is
strong enough, it can take charge of, color , or even control your life in
various ways. A painful divorce  colors your next relationship, for example. Because some events are painful to recall, memories of humiliation, defeat,
failure, setbacks, and loss indicate the power that the past holds over us. In the operation of karma, a positive memory can color or control your
life, too. The high school quart erback who discovers that nothing in later
life feels quite as good as being a teenage hero is overshad owed by a
positive memory . Good or bad karma is how most people think of karma,
but Royal Yoga is concerned with the binding power of all karmas, the
stickiness that allows memories to color or control our lives. In pratyahara , there are pract ical ways to achieve a state of awareness
where you use your memories, instead of the other way around. GAINING CONTROL OF YOUR MEMORIES
Don’t believe everything you remember. Substitute positive thoughts when a bad memory arises. Don’t dwell on the past. Feel the fear but move ahead anyway. If a memory throws you off, take time to center yourself. Don’t repeat the past just because your memory tells you to. Practice being in the light through meditation. Remind yourself that the only permanent reality is bliss.The most untrustworthy memories arise from fear . Let’ s say you want to
ask for a raise at work, but you remember that the last time you did that you
were turned down. Memory is using you if this recollection is enough to
stop you from asking for a raise; as a result, you defeat yourself. You can
reverse the situation if you realiz e that today is new, which motivates you to
go in and ask for a raise without being overshadowed by the past. The practices for gaining contro l over your memories work as general
guidelines for everyone, but they are most effective if you have a vision of
constantly movi ng toward the light. Keep in mind that the light of pure
awareness is the ultimate healer and that being in the light place s you in the
eternal now , which the past cannot touch. Exercise
Pratyahara  teaches  that you can defuse your karma by starving it of
attention. Attention is what makes karmic seeds sprout and grow . The
earlier you detec t them, the better. This ensures the least pain and struggle,
and once you master the following exercise, there will be none at all. Lie on your back, eyes closed, and take a few deep breaths. Place your
attention in the region of your heart. Karma is easiest to detect as faint
sensations and emotions in the heart. In an easy way, sense your heart
becoming warm  and relaxed. If it helps, you can visualize a warm, golden
glow suf fusing your heart. As thoughts arise, they might draw your attention, which is only
natural. As soon as you can, return to the warm glow of your heart. A
thought or sensation might be unpleasant. Say to yourself, “I no longer need
you,” and resume the exercise. If a strong negative memory or feeling
arises, open your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and let it subside. Then,
once you feel more at ease in yourself, return to the exercise. You can choose how long to perform this exercise. It works well for a
few minutes or up to half an hour or more. But it would be best if you
started with a shorter duration. If you are dealing with a painful memory ,
the attitude to take is that you can invite the memory to go. There is noreason for the past to linger over the present. All negative energy will
dissipate once you learn how you are meant to use your memories, not the
other way around. WEDNESDAY
Exposing Three Myths
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I share one awareness with my body. I share one awareness with my body. By staying in the light, you begin to dissolve the separation of mind
and body. The same creative intelligence flows through both. They share
the same source in pure consciousness. The place that pratyahara  leads
you to is neither mind nor body , however . It is a silent field of awareness,
and the faint sensations that arise in the field are like creative sparks or
impulses. It takes a shift in your perspective to fully inhabit this field of
awareness. This is where you meet your true self. Any other version of
yourself—physical, mental, social, or emotional—is second ary, a by-
product of the flow of creative intelligence. There is no reason to judge
yourself against  these secondary selves. They spring from the one source
that all of creation springs from . The problem is that we mistake them for
who we really are. Then a set of false beliefs surrounds us and blocks the
journey to the true self. You will dispel your old conditioning and false beliefs by resting in the
field of awarene ss; the light offers a feeling of bliss, oneness, and belonging
that no secondar y self can matc h. But Royal Yoga is also about knowledge
(vidya ) that contains truth, and truth, as the biblical adage says, can set you
free.To get closer to the truth abou t who you really are, let’s examine its
opposite. The opposite of truth  is myth, and three powerful myths about
mind and body pervade society . Myth #1: You are captive inside your body. Myth #2: You were created out of matter. Myth #3: Your brain is doing the thinking. These are such pervasive myths that you have probably never
questioned them, but if we shatter each myth, you will come closer to
merging your bodymind with the field of light. Only then will you
experience who you really are. Myth #1: You are captive inside your body . Can you feel yourself inside your head looking out at the world, taking
in its sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and textures? This is such a convincing
experience that it is hard to fathom that it is false. But Royal Yoga teaches
that it is. Y ou aren’ t “in” your head or your body at all. Your body is a zone of awareness, and your mind shares the same zone
of awareness. Pratyahara  teaches this fundamental truth. When the two zones of awareness are separate, you can feel like a
captive in your body because of pain, disease, and aging. The mind wants to
escape from these experiences and is driven into separation as the only way
out. But once you shatter the myth of being “in” your body , you realize that
there is only one zone—the bodymind—sharing the same life. With this
realization comes the ability to free yourself from being held hostage. Merged as one consciousness, you open the possibility that you are not your
body or your mind. This realization frees you from pain and suffering and
makes aging irrelevant. You grow into the truth that you are timeless, and,
at the same time, bliss overwhelms any physical or mental pain. Myth #2: You were created out of matter . This myth was born out of the worldview that traces all of creati on back
to physi cal events, processes, and things. The thing can be as small as aquark, the event  as titanic as the Big Bang. Worldviews are consistent, but
that doesn’t make them the truth . By showing you that you can experience
yourself as one zone of awareness, pratyahara  frees you from the trap of
materialism. Y ou begin to live the truth that consciousness is all-embracing. Proving that this all-embracing consciousness exists (call it God or the
gods, Buddha mind, Brahman) has vexed humanity for centu ries, yet we
can cut through all the confusion and conflict quite simply . The proof that
consciousness underlies everything comes down to one thing: knowing. Nature knows what it is doing. If Nature were only random events that
shuffled matter and energy around, it would know nothing, and existence
would be meaningless. Yet every cell in your body knows how to sustain
itself by organizing hundreds of thousands of chemical reactions per
second. A cell isn’t a bag of proteins suspended in a watery  soup. It is
organized intelligence. Every living thing is organized intelligence, and
there is no reason to claim that this intelligence didn’ t precede life on Earth. The entire cosmos leading up to life on Earth is a sequence of events
governed and controlled by creative intelligence. Pratyahara  teaches  that you can also govern and control the events in
your body because you are the same creative intelligence that lies at the
heart of everything. The most advanced yogis achieve such an amazing
degree of control that they can consciously lower vital functions like heart
rate, breathing, and body temp erature nearly to zero, as the yogi merges
fully into the zone of awarene ss. The next step is to erase all physical
limitations. Advanced yogis can experience being in two places
simultaneously or even visiti ng other dimensions. Without exploring
pratyahara  that deeply , as Patanjali does in the Yoga Sutras , the issue of
these advanced powers— siddhis —remains apart from everyday life. But
you can achieve much more control over the physical than you realize,
thanks to the freedom of awaren ess that humans are gifted with. At the very
least, by accepting your body as a zone of awareness, you free it to heal,
evolve, strength en its immunity , and resist or reverse aging. Those
processes occur in the one shared awareness of the bodymind. Myth #3: Your brain is doing the thinking.Turning the brain into a thinkin g organ is an offshoot of mate rialism. Whenever you are tempted to believe that your brain is the thinker , not you,
look around. Is your TV making  the actors in a movie do what they do? Has
the piano in the corner learned how to play Bach? Does your computer
know what you mean when you type a word? A television, a piano, and a
computer are passive instruments waiting for consciousness to activate
them. Likewise, it is pure illusion to claim that the brain can think. The chemicals in a brain cell are the same as those in the skin cells of
your big toe, and the functioning of brain cells differs very little from the
functions of every other cell in the body . A three-pound lump of gray matter
cannot escape its status as a batch of chemicals, and we mustn’ t attribute
love, compassion, creativity , and so on to a batch of chemicals , either . The
brain isn’t even aware that it exists. Until the skull is opened to reveal it,
there is no subjective experience that says, “Here I am. I am your brain.”
Pratyahara  teaches that your brain occupies the same zone of
awareness as the rest of your body . Creative intelligence pours through
every cell; a brain cell isn’t exceptional. The creative intellige nce in your
immune system is assigned the tasks necessary to keep you healthy and
protected from disease organism s. This intelligence is so comp lex that the
immune system has been called a “floating brain,” whose home is in the
bloodstream and lymphatic system, which, by their very nature, are
constantly in motion. A brain cell stands out because its task is to transmit words, thoughts,
impulses, desires, hopes, fears, and everything else associated with the
mind. The brain itself has never had a thought. But when merged with
the field of creative intelligence, the bodymind, the brain contributes to
the wholeness of life. Oneness is all. If you claim that the mind  creates the
brain or that the brain creates the mind, neither statement is valid without
the other being valid. This is a natural merging that gives Royal Yoga its
basis in reality . ExerciseThe practices of pratyahara  give you more  control over your body ,
which begins by finding the control switch in your awareness. Lie
comfortably on your back with your hand on your breastbon e above the
heart. Feel your heartbeat, then lift your hand away and sense your
heartbeat in your body awareness alone. You may have to repeat this a few times, but most people can easily
sense a pulsation  in the vicinity of the heart, and many can feel their actual
heartbeat. Now place your hands at your side and move the pulsing sensation to
your fingertips. Feel the faint pulsation of the blood coursing through your
fingers. This exercise shows you that you have more control  over body
awareness than you think. You can have the intention of your body feeling
light or heavy , warm or cold, solid or hollow . With practice, you can
intentionally make your heart rate and breathing slow down, and the
intention will be enough to create these changes. But the whole process
begins by showing yourself that you can merge into the zone of the
bodymind and move your awareness wherever you want it to go. THURSDAY
Magical Lies
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I vibrate in the ﬁeld of light. I vibrate in the ﬁeld of light. When pratyahara  talks about withdrawing the senses, the main reason
is to turn inward, but another reason is just as important: The senses cannot
be trusted. Everyone has a glimmer of this since we all know , despite the
evidence of our eyes, that the sun does not, in fact, rise in the morning and
set at night. But Yoga goes much further , declaring that the five senses wrapus in a web of magical lies. You cannot be in touch with reality , including
the reality of your true self, if you are under the spell of these lies. Yoga describes the whole schem e of magical lies as maya , or “illusion,”
but I find that this terminology makes people uncomfortable. If this world is
an illusion, then what are we supposed to cling to? The physical world and
everything in it aren’ t going anywhere, no matter what Yoga says. Clearly ,
you can’t live in the world and simultaneously call it a total lie—no one
could psychologically endure such doublethink. Pratyahara  shows another way, which is based on an innocent-looking
word that has amazing potency: vibration . Take any object—a tree, a dog, a
skyscraper , or a molecule—and we can trace its origin to a set of vibrations. In quantum physics, these vibrations are described as “ripples in the
quantum field.” In Yoga, there are “ripples in consciousness.” The fact that
the cosmos is held together by invisible vibrations doesn’ t change everyday
life, although it is an astonishin g fact. But vibrations in consciousness are
everyday life. Pratyahara  doesn’t ask you to smash your way through the thickets of
maya . Rather, you learn to choose the level of vibrations you want to
identify with. Being the realm of the five senses, maya  is a gross level of
vibrations—at this level, rocks are hard, the wind is soft, roses smell sweet,
garbage stinks. Thought is a subtler level of vibration, a realm of
imagination, abstract concepts, and the whole scheme of wishes, dreams,
fears, and memories that inhabit the mind. Go one level deeper , and you are in the realm of pratyahara , where
vibrations are born, emer ging faintly from the unbounded field of your
awareness the way that quark s emer ge from the unbounded “quantum
foam” that constantly hums and vibrates. Reality bubbles up like fizz in a
carbonated drink. But this doesn’ t describe the way that every level of
reality does a flip, completely overturning the level of reality next to it. At
the level of maya , one experience s physical qualities, like hardness, solidity ,
warmth, and heaviness, and their opposites, which is why you can instantly
distinguish a rock from a feather .At the level of the mind, there is a flip, and physical qualities become
imaginary . You can see a rock or a feather in your mind’ s eye, but they
cannot be touched or weighed. This level is where most people stop, but
there is another flip if you go deeper . Now the imaginary feather and the
imaginary rock no longer exist, but the vibrations that give rise to them do. What is a feath er without its light softness or a rock without its solid
hardness? Both dissolve into creative intelligence. The whole rationale behind
pratyahara  is that creative intelligence contains all the essentials for
creating anythin g. To make this more personal, this is the level where you
are created, with all your essential ingredients held in place, precisely as the
essentials of a rock, feather , or any other object are held in place. In
pratyahara , your essentials  are very different from the body and mind you
experience, yet you will still recognize yourself if you list these invisible
ingredients. THE “STUFF” THAT IS YOU
Your true essence is timeless, unborn, and undying. Every atom of your body is an expression of creative
intelligence. Every choice you make reverberates throughout the ﬁeld of
pure consciousness. You are embraced by the organizing power of the ﬁeld, which
governs and regulates everything. You occupy a unique place in creation. You are whole because the ﬁeld is whole. Human beings can see what they are made of and access their source in
the timeless field of pure awareness. No one can explain this, the ultimate
mystery known as self-awareness. Each of us is designed to be self-aware—
it is simply a fact of human existence. The field of pure awareness is opento all. No one can be deprived of access to their source. At the same time,
you can choose how self-aware you wish to be. There is an almost complete absence of self-awareness at one extreme,
which is marked by fear, denial, ignorance, unconscious behavior , and
robotic conditioning. At the other extreme is pratyahara , immersing
yourself in the light, which makes you self-aware in every moment. There
is nothing more to seek or desir e out of life. Placed in the flow of creative
intelligence, you identify with your true self as naturally as you once
identified with your five sense s. You have broken the spell of maya . In
place of magica l lies, you expe rience your essence, and every gift of the
light is yours for the taking. Exercise
You were created from the unbo unded field of pure awareness, which is
your true source. To absorb what it means to be unbounded, sit quietly with
eyes closed and take a few deep breaths. Once you feel centered and settled,
direct your atten tion to the air as it passes in and out of your nose. Visualize
each breath as a small puff of air. Now with the next out-breath, see the puff
of air getting bigger , and with the next in-breath, see the air coming to you
from a lar ger space. Continue the process of expansion until you visualize inhaling air from
the whole room and exhaling it into the whole room. If you are sitting by an
open window , continue expanding, seeing air coming to you from the
neighborhood, then the city, the countryside, never stopping until you
visualize the planet giving you air with each in-breath and receiving the air
back with each out-breath. (If your room doesn’ t have an open window or
any windows at all, visualize an open window .) A variation on this exercise is to visualize the expansion of light instead
of air. Direct your attention to your heart. Visualize a dot of white light
there. With each in-breath and out-breath, see the dot pulsate, gradually
expanding, the same way you expanded the air going in and out of you. Watch the pulsing light fill your body , then expand to fill the room, theneighborhood, and the city, until you can see pulsations of light coming to
you in all directions without limit. These two exercises get you in touch
with the infinite field that is your essence. FRIDAY
Last Stop for Karma
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I allow the light to ﬁnd me. I allow the light to ﬁnd me. Every person has a double fate. We are destined to be embedded in
maya —the scheme of magical lies driven by karma. That is our first fate. But we are also destined to live in the light. Both fates are necessary . Karma
keeps the universe going, like a cosmic machine with an infinite number of
moving parts, perfectly meshing together . Anything that requires moving
parts, connections, and cause and effect comes under the purvie w of karma. The moving parts can be the chemicals rushing in and out of every cell; the
connections can be the molecula r bonds that keep these chemica ls intact. At
a subtler level, the moving parts can be your thoughts; the connections are
the story you weave from these thoughts. Out of habit, most people divide their karma along the lines of pleasure
and pain; good karma makes life pleasant, while bad karma brings
discomfort and suffering. But the real issue is karma itself. If you achieved
a life of perfect pleasure without a hint of suffering, you would still be
trapped inside the web of magical lies. The second fate solves this dilemma. Karma no longer touches you
when you live in the light. No other living creature (as far as we know) can
consciously step out of the karmic machine. Unique on Earth, Homo
sapiens can defy biological programming. If everyone knew this fact, Yoga
would be the path chosen by all of humanity . There would be differentmotivations for this choice. The experience of bliss would entice some
people; others would be drawn by the lure of freedom or the end of pain and
suffering. These are obviously very desirable things, so why isn’t Yoga
central to everyone’ s life? The most basic answer is that no one told us we had a second fate—the
web of magical lies is the only reality we have ever experienced. A spider ’s
web is gossamer ; it snares its prey by being sticky . The web of magical lies
has its own kind of stickiness. It is convincing. If you are convin ced that the
reality delivered  by the five senses is real, you will be stuck for life. Yet,
somehow , Yoga arose over the centuries as proof that getting  stuck isn’t
inevitable. The discovery that you can escape, win your freedom, and live in the
light is personal —it is repeated one person at a time. Religion can sweep up
masses of humankind in a vision  of the divine, but Yoga isn’t like that. You
alone can go inside; you alone can experience the light; you alone can make
higher consciou sness your life’s goal. When you do, karma has reached its
last stop. The cosmic machinery , including the machinery of the body , will
keep churning. Nothing can stop it, short of the death of the universe, and
even that event might begin another cosmic cycle. What karma is doing won’ t be your concern, however . You view it from
a place that is timeless, unchanging, unborn, undying, and whole. This
place can’t be reached by karmic  means. That is, you can’t go anywhere, do
anything, or think up a scheme to get there. If karma could bring you into
the light, why hasn’t it? Because that’s not karma’ s purpose. You arrive at
the light by realizing that it exists. Notice that the word realize  has real
inside it. To realize that you can be free of your karma, you must see the
reality beyond the web of magical lies. Pratyahara  is the final turning inward that reveals everything. This is
why it is considered a breakthrough. Your inner experiences all lead here,
like all roads leading to Rome and all compasses showing true north. Each
glimpse of the light points you in the right direction. We humans are
designed to respond to love, compassion, truth, beauty , and the other
qualities of the light. The karmic machinery is powerful, but it cannot standup to the light; we instinctively  prefer bliss to pleasure. The experience of
love can overturn a whole life. The great Benga li poet Rabindranath Tagore phrased it perfectly: “Love
is the only reality , and it is not a mere sentiment. It is the ultimate truth that
lies at the heart of creation.” In the end, the light chooses you, instead of the
other way aroun d. Its appeal draws you closer and closer to your source. However , in pratyahara , there are vestiges of actions you can take that
respond to the light. HOW TO LET THE LIGHT CHOOS E YOU
Notice any glimpse of the light you experience. Rest in the experience, letting it soak in. Value these glimpses and feel grateful for them. Sustain the light by devoting yourself to being conscious. These steps aren’t an agenda or a program. They are an attitude you
take once you realize that you have a chance to escape your karma and the
whole karmic machinery . To put it simply , having reached the threshold, it
takes only the tiniest step to cross it. Exercise
There is no effort involved to live in the light. If you have the right
attitude, the light seeks you out and becomes the place you want to be. A
little practice in adopting the right attitude is helpful, however . Sit quietly
with your eyes closed, and let your mind go to a moment when you
glimpsed the light. This could be a moment of love, truth, beauty ,
compassion, or blissfulness. Don’ t force your recollection. Once you have
the intention, a memory will come to you. Sit easily , take a few deep
breaths, and allow an image to arise. Once it does, the memory will be very pleasant, but it will also tend to
fade. While it is with you, rest in the feeling that surrounds it. Perhaps you
envision seeing your child takin g her first step or a beautiful sunset or anact of kindness that touched your heart. Remain with the feeling and quietly
express your gratitude for it. Say to yourself, “Nothing is more real than
this.”
Let the warmth of the memor y touch you the way the experience
touched you. Sit quietly for a moment or two, breathing deeply before you
get up and resume your day . OceanofPDF .comWEEK 6
THE POWER OF ATTENTION
(Limbs of Yoga: Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi)THIS PART OF THE JOURNEY
Once you live in the light completely , the journey to find your true self
comes to an end. But, from another perspective, life has just begun. The
entire condition of separation is over , and new horizons open up. In separation, you faced every  day with either/or choices. The twin
motivations of desire and fear were ever-present; if you made a wrong
choice, things could easily spin out of control. At the very least, everyone’ s
life was overshadowed by the unpredictable arrival of pain and suf fering. The last three limbs of Yoga are devoted to the ideal life that becomes
possible once you have found your true self. I will treat all three limbs,
known as dharana , dhyana , and samadhi , as one, because they are
intimately joined . Taken together , they provide a map of life in wholeness. Each limb offers a necessary element if you want to find unity instead of
separation. Dharana enables you to pay attention so sharply that anything
can be known. Dhyana enables you to transcend all obstacles to experience
higher consciousness. Samadhi enables you to reach deeper and deeper levels of
awareness. At first glance, this trinity sounds abstract and otherworldly . In
everyday life we don’t think in such terms, being occupied with a constant
stream of thoughts, feelings, sensations, and desires. You don’t need to
understand the workings of pure awareness. But the light is nothing but
pure awareness and being able to navigate it opens the possibility of
miracles, as we’ll see in this final week. MONDAYThe Source
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
My life springs from pure awareness. My life springs from pure awareness. Everything must have a source and a starting point, whether it’s the Big
Bang that brought the universe into existence or the next thought you are
about to have. Yoga brings us to the source of all things, including you
and me. But what is the source? That’ s not an easy question to answe r. When
you take a plane to another city, you get off the plane once you arrive at
your destination. Royal Yoga also brings you to a new destination, but there
is no airport or train station. No destination. What greets you at the source
isn’t anything describable, much less tangible. Yet, somehow , for thousands of years, the source has been the most
valuable attainment anyone can have. The last three limbs of Yoga allow
you to verify this for yourself. Dharana  puts you at the source and allows
you to stay there effortlessly . Dhyana  allows you to realize where you are. Samadhi  enables you to sink deeper and deeper into the source, revealing its
infinite scope. Does this description satisfy the mind of a seeker? Not really . Our minds crave words, sensations, and things we can grasp. But the source
exists beyond the senses, beyond logic. To paraphrase the Tao Te Ching , the
source that can be named is not the source. Dharana  shows you how to rest in the source while still leading a
normal life. Both things are necessary to live at a state of higher
consciousness. If you live a norm al life without knowing your source, there
is no escape from  fear, doubt, and insecurity . At the same time, if you have
contact with the source but no life, you will waste the infinite creative
potential that flows from the source. Dharana  opens the way for exploring the source. Those who devote
their lives to this are known as “seers.” They spend their time witnessingthe infinite play of consciousne ss, and, in that way, they reach fulfillment. How much time you devote to witnessing is up to you, but some features of
the source are a given for everyone, as follows:
THE NATURE OF THE SOURCE
Pure, boundless existence. Pure awareness, without the contents of thought. Total absence of fear, including fear of death. Inﬁnite creative potential. Pure bliss. Truth with a capital “T.”
Inﬁnite dynamism. An all-pervasive sense of unity. Looking over this list, some people might assert that the source should
be called  God. At the very least, you might be suspicious that this is all pie
in the sky. It is understandabl e that anyone might find talk about pure
existence, infinite creative potential, and the rest of it utterly unbelievable. Without a fixed and fast connection with the source, you can’ t really tell. The key words above are fixed and fast, because you are always
connected to source. If you reread the list that describes the nature of the
source, every item relates to your life here and now. You exist, you are
dynamic. You feel inspired by creativity , you value the truth. The simplest
way to explain the source is to call it the compressed concentr ation of the
values we alread y live by. In separation, we experience fragme nts of love,
compassion, truth, beauty , and creativity that turn out to be fleeting and
temporary . But those fragments hint at an important truth, perhaps the most
important: The source knows us and wants us to know it. Exercise
You can get a feeling for being at the source with a simple exercise. Sit
quietly with your eyes closed. Once you feel relaxed, try not to exist.Interpret this challenge any way you wish. You can imagine not existing
before you were born or never existing again after you die. You can
visualize yourself being vaporized or dissolving into nothingn ess. This is
not an exercise in the macabre. It does, however , demonstrate that no matter
what tactic you choose or how intently you pursue your imagined non-
existence, you can’ t stop existing. “T o be or not to be” isn’ t an option. No matter how terrible or glorious life seems to be, two elements
accompany you hand in hand. There is existence, and there is the flow of
creative intelligence that provides experiences. Once these elements are
compressed and concentrated to the utmost, you will be at the source. TUESDAY
Going Beyond
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
My essence is transcendent. My essence is transcendent. The last three limbs of Yoga are like a tripod, held up by three legs. The
first leg, dharana , gives you a fulfilling life while you simultaneously
remain at the source. The second leg is dhyana , usually described as
“meditation.” That’ s not very helpful, however , since meditation  is a vague,
amorphous term that we apply in all kinds of situations. Basically , when
someone dwells  inwardly on any idea, feeling, or experience, they can call
that a meditatio n. But in Royal Yoga, dhyana  is “transcenden ce,” going
beyond the limits of everyday experience. In its most basic  form, transcendence is a very common experience. If
you are a moth er with a crank y baby who won’ t stop crying, you don’t
cry, too (unless,  maybe, you are completely exhausted). You transcend the
baby’ s crankiness to find out what the real issue is—the child might need
sleep, food, or a change of diaper. Without the ability to transcend dailyexperience, humans would never have evolved. We can stand aside from
our own actions, analyze them, and move forward to new and unexplored
territory . By the route of inquiry and discovery , the human mind transcends
itself. Yet the mind can’t take full credit for transcending. Your mind is
constantly wrapped up in thoughts and feelings. If Yoga hadn’ t pointed out
the possibility of dhyana —transcending to a much deeper level—people
would be confined to the mind’ s endless activity , as, indeed, countless
people are. The original seers of Yoga, who are nameless and lost to ancient
history , realized  that there is one element common to all thoughts, which is
awareness. This commonality can be seen when we notice that a gold
watch, a gold spoon, and a gold coin look totally different, but all are made
of gold. Gold is each item’ s essence. Y our essence is awareness. There are signposts to know if you are indeed cultivating a relationship
with awareness. Y ou know that you are on the right path when:
You go inside for answers. You reﬂect on your thoughts. You contemplate a new possibility. You have an insight. You experience an “aha” moment. You look for inner peace and quiet. You get a glimpse of wonder. You feel a sudden impulse of joy. You are ﬁlled with love. These experiences are momentary , fleeting hints that transcendence is
yours to master . On the flip side, there are signs that tell us we are moving
around in circles, which leads to dizziness and confusion. Unfortunately ,
these unaware states are also common, and you experience them when:
You feel stressed.You are distracted and scattered. You feel depressed. You get lost in worry and anxiety. You crave escapism. You are tense and can’t relax. What these two lists tell us is that we spend our lives bouncing between
two states, between awareness and its opposite. If you swing too far from
awareness, your life will be dominated by routine and habit, the same old
same old. Yet even if you are fortunate enough that this hasn’ t happened to
you, it is a genuine discovery to realize that you experience transcendence
in every day life. The meditative state isn’t reserved for a special time of
day, set apart for closing your eyes and performing a meditation practice. Life can be spent in a form of total meditation. No meditation practices would ever work if dhyana  weren’ t a natural
tendency of the human mind. To love, create, be kind, act selflessly ,
experience wonder, and feel inspired are totally human and natural. They
are made possible by dhyana , the impulse to transcend. Once this sinks in,
Royal Yoga is here to teach that going beyond is boundless. You can
transcend so completely that you reach your source and merge with your
true self. Exercise
Behind every experience there  is awareness, which you can locate
anytime you wish. To show yourself how this works, try the following: Sit
back and look around you. Focus on any object—a table lamp, a chair , a
paperweight, the sky outside. Now tune it out by allowing your eyes to go
into soft focus while you move  your attention to the center of your chest. Now go back and forth. See the object, then go inward and tune it out. Repeat for a minute or two. The process is simple, and you might have your own way of moving
your attention inward. Regardless of how you do it, what we call “tuningout” moves your attention and shifts your focus, which is the critical
element in meditation. Once you feel familiar with how to turn your
attention inward , you know how to transcend. This is useful whenever you
find yourself in an unaware state, such as feeling stressed, distracted,
worried, or scattered. Look at an object, put your eyes in soft focus, and
move your attention to your heart. By going beyond, you strengthen the
habit of being aware until it becomes just as natural as being unaware. WEDNESDAY
Being Here
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I am grounded in life’s inﬁnite potential. I am grounded in life’s inﬁnite potential. The eighth limb of Yoga, known as samadhi , is about being present,
right here, right now, with as much awareness as possible. You can think of
samadhi  as a deep dive into a state of silent awareness. It is an experience
of stillness amid the chaos around you. But you and I crave experiences. We crave a little of the chaos,  as does
everyone. So what does samadhi  mean to us? Imagine Albert Einstein
stretched out on a sofa taking a nap. He isn’t thinking about physics; he
looks like anyone else taking a nap. But even asleep he has the awareness of
a genius , and the potential for great thoughts will be activated once more
when he wakes up. In other words, take away any single thought, and what
remains is far more valuable: the potential for deep awareness. When you hear a voice in your head, its loudness or softness  doesn’ t
indicate how deep or expanded your awareness is. If you are new to playing
a music al instrument and you think, “I will play the piano,” the result is
going to be very different than if a famous virtuoso thinks, “I will play the
piano.” The difference is deter mined by samadhi , meaning that it takespractice to reach this level. Some fish stay near the surface of the ocean;
others live in its darkest depths. Likewise, your thoughts float up from the
level of awareness you have attained and often this is the result of how
much you practice going in and out of these transcendent states. The benefits of samadhi  are revealed only through personal experience. As your samadhi  deepens through meditation, the following changes
appear:
THE GIFTS OF SAMADHI
You are able to detect an underlying bliss in everything. You appreciate your life more fully. You gain satisfaction simply by being here. You settle into silent awareness easily. The outer world no longer dominates your life. Mood swings decrease dramatically, bringing fewer highs and
lows. You feel secure in who you are. Though Royal Yoga bestows upon us priceless gifts, they are not
entirely welcome by the ego-personality , which thrives on emotional drama,
a consta nt stream of desires, a restless search for distraction, and an
avoidance of pain and fear. You can easily be persuaded that this whole
setup is preferable to the boring sameness of silent awareness. But that’s a
false conclusion . The deeper your samadhi , the more fulfilling your
existence becomes. You don’t have to change any aspect of your outer life. Every experienc e, large or small, allows the light of awarene ss to shine
through. Exercise
No matter what you happen to be doing or thinking, you are floating at
some level of samadhi . This isn’t something people are normally aware of,
but you can experience your level of awareness with the following exercise.Make a list of three things you like, three things you like a lot, and three
things you deep ly love. Perhaps a TV sitcom or a peanut butter cookie is
something you like, while going to the beach or playing chess is something
you like a lot, and your child or the music of Bach is something  you deeply
love. Whatever you wrote down, you went to a different level of awar eness to
make your choices. You can verify this by taking each item of your list,
shutting your eyes, and experie ncing it inside as an image or feeling. The
intensity of something you casually like will be shallow comp ared to the
intensity of something you deeply love. Therefore, simply by being here, which is common to everyone,  you are
expressing the infinite possibi lities of human awareness. This is what
samadhi  is here to show you. THURSDAY
Three-in-One
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I am the creator of my personal reality. I am the creator of my personal reality. Each limb of Yoga gives you more control over some aspect of your
life, beginning with social interactions, emotions, ingrained conditioning,
thoughts, and, finally , your level of awareness. But just as a book on
anatomy is nothing like a living body , we don’t dissect our lives and place
each aspect in its own pigeonhole. Royal Yoga teaches you how to practice
control over this and that, but the whole enterprise would be useless unless
it came togethe r in complete mastery , the way a music student practices
exercises until the day arrives when she is a full-fledged artist, a master of
her instrument.The last three limbs of Yoga draw everything together , bringing  you to
full mastery . The term for full mastery is samyama , which means to “bind”
or “tie together” in Sanskrit. Samyama  is necessary because it unites the last
three limbs of Yoga into one process. The process can be dissected into
three parts as we have seen— dharana , dhyana , and samadhi —but they are
bound together and inseparable, which is why they are referred to as a
three-in-one. (Unwittingly , the Three Musketeers hit upon this in their cry
of “One for all, and all for one.”)
Further , common experience tells us that there have to be three elements
in every  experience: a knower , the object known, and the process of
knowing. Right now, you, the knower , are reading these words , which are
the object of knowledge, while the act of reading is the process of knowing. You can remove the word reading  and substitute seeing  and hearing . The
five senses contain the same three elements. T o smell the fragrance of a rose
requires a perceiver to bend over it, the fragrance that wafts to his nose, and
the process of inhaling and absorbing the delicious fragrance. Why do these three elements mean so much if they are present all the
time? Here lies the deepest secret of Royal Yoga. If knower , known, and
process of knowing are separate , your whole life will be led in separation,
but if they are united as three- in-one, then you have attained unity . You
have reached the womb of creation, and from here you can create your own
reality any way you choose. That’ s a breathtaking possibility , which is the
main reason it takes the eight limbs of Yoga to get there. Becoming the
creator of your personal reality is too far a reach unless you approach it one
step at a time. On our journey we’ve encountered the countless drawbacks and
problems that arise from living in separation. Let me offer a brief reminder
of them. In separation, the vrittis, or mental obstacles, block the light. Outer events overshadow your life. Moods and emotions pull you this way and that. The constant restless activity of the mind is inescapable.Maya throws up a screen of illusion. The stream of either/or choices never ends. Karma, the residue of the past, limits what you can do in the
present. In an ideal life, none of these drawbacks and limitations exist. They
vanish because what created them in the first place—the state of separation
—has vanished. In Royal Yoga there is one healing for all. It consists in
reaching unity consciousness, which is another way of expressing the state
of three-in-one. I must undersc ore that unity consciousness isn’t exotic,
mystical, or out of reach. Every time you have an experience, the three
elements of knower , known, and process of knowing automatically come
together . The difference with samyama  is that you are aware of what’s
going on and can control it. To put it another way , existence can take care of itself. If you think, feel,
and act from a deeper , more expanded level of awareness, everything you
would like to control is able to take care of itself. You are the co-creator of
your reality , however , not its sole creator . That role belongs to creative
intelligence as it flows in, around, and through you. Exercise
As you undertake the practices of Royal Yoga, you correct the
difficulties that arise from living in separation until they are gone entirely . Unity conscious ness is built from small steps; it dawns as a completely
unique state all its own. Glimpse s of it are given in rare experien ces we call
“epiphanies” and “revelations,” which come of their own accord and are
totally unpredictable. We have no control over them, and no exercise can
duplicate one. However , you can promote your evolution to unity consciousness by
taking time to read about someone else’s epiphany . The New Testament, the
Sufi poetry of Rumi, and the ecstatic poems of Rabindranath Tagore were
my first touchst ones of epiphany , and I still turn to them regularly. Theyprovide inspirat ion of a special  kind by conveying a taste of what unity
consciousness feels like. Vicario us revelation has its own genuine feeling of
transcending the everyday world and going into the light. Today take a little time to inspire yourself by going back to your own
touchstones, the things that have helped you to realize that there is more to
life than just material experience. Whether the source is scripture, poetry ,
music, or a movie, the test is for you to allow yourself to enter into, say, a
Mozart concerto or a ballad by Alicia Keys, and experience transcendence. Let go and be present in the notes, in the rhythms, in the harmonies. Allow
someone else’s epiphany to reach out and touch you. Such experiences
provide a foretaste of what unity consciousness is like all the time. FRIDAY
The First and Last Mystery
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I embody the ﬁeld of inﬁnite possibilities. I embody the ﬁeld of inﬁnite possibilities. Royal Yoga begins and ends with the same mystery . One can call it the
mystery of existence, but, to make it more personal, this is the mystery of
“Who am I?” Choosing your identity is up to you. Every action you take is
rooted in who you think you are. If you spend money freely , this reflects a
belief that you are rich (which might or might not be true). String together
the tags and labels that apply to you, and they give a shorthand account of
your identity . “I am Deepak, a doctor born in India, married with a wife and
two children” is a string of labels and tags that apply to me, and I can add
many more, as many as I wish. People spend their entire lives desiring “good” labels like rich,
powerful, loved, attractive, and young, while hoping that “bad” labels don’t
stick to them, including poor, weak, stupid, dishonest, and unlovable. Thisis how life works in separation. But tags and labels can’t possibly describe
what it means to be fully human, and only a fully human answ er to “Who
am I?” will be truly satisfying. Royal Yoga teaches that you are the true self—we’ve established that
much so far—but what are the actions of the true self? What can it do that
those other selves cannot? WHAT YOUR TRUE SELF CAN DO
It can fulﬁll all desires. It can banish all pain and suffering. It can give the experience of eternity. It can show you the reality of boundless Being. It can be anywhere and everywhere at once. It can open the way to every state of higher consciousness. These are absolute statements. There is a quantum leap from fulfilling
one desire and fulfilling all desires, and the same applies when healing one
cause of pain and suffering and healing all pain and suffering. Because it is
absolute, the true self isn’t anything like the other selves you can identify
with. In separation, you exper ience limits and boundaries; you have no
trouble knowing what is “me” and what is “not me.” But all opposites
vanish in unity consciousness. Looking around, you see the light extending
infinitely in all directions, and you ar e the light. This isn’t a mystical statement. In physics there is a point, known as a
“singularity ,” from which the universe springs. The singularity is so small it
cannot be measured, like the period at the end of a sentence reduced to the
vanishing point yet somehow still here. Time and space emer ge from the
singularity; therefore, it is neither here nor there. You can’t locate it now,
before, or after. Trillions of galaxies are contained in it, yet there is no “in”
or “out” when it comes to the singularity itself. The singularity is literally mind-boggling. The human mind can’t
conceive of the universe being contained in an infinitesimal point (althoughpoets can imagine this, as in William Blake’ s famous lines: “To see a World
in a Grain of Sand / And a Heaven in a Wild Flower / Hold Infinity in the
palm of your hand / And Eternity in an hour”). Yoga has its own word for a singularity: bindu , which just means
“point.” The bindu  is a point of awareness that contains every possible
experience available to a human being. Like a singularity , the bindu  can’ t be
measured—it is too small to have a dimension in time and space—and yet it
contains an infinity of possibili ties. The best, simplest, and truest way to
know who you are is here. You are a point of awareness from  which all
possibilities flow outward. With this realization comes the big payof f. The bindu , a mere point of
awareness, is where samyama  operates. Samyama , as we saw, unites
knower , known, and process of knowing. If you can control samyama , you
can have any experience you want. All the stories about supernatural
powers attained by yogis, swamis, and saints are extensions of samyama . To Patanjali, walking on a sunbeam is as natural as walking through a
meadow . This isn’t something you are asked to believe or not to believe. It
is something you are asked to explore. Now you know who you are and the purpose of your life, as revealed by
Royal Yoga. You are the creative source of your own reality , and your
purpose is to explore how far your creative powers can take you. Once you
get to the heart of the matter , life has only two phases. The first phase is
spent in separati on, the second phase in unity consciousness. One phase is
fragmentary , the other is whole. The secret of existence, as revealed by
Yoga, is that wholeness is in charge, even when you feel alone, weak,
insignificant, and helpless. Awareness is in charge. Royal Yoga helps you to
live this truth. Explore this: Your true self is as indestructible as existence itself. Your
creative power is untouched by any event in the outside world. As you
wander through life, the truth about who you are seems to change as the
scenery changes. Birth, death, and everything in between are controlled by
maya , yet maya  is contained by the bindu , a single point from which all ofcreation flows. Illusion may be part of experience, but awaren ess helps us
to see illusion for what it really is, a parlor trick of the ego. Exercise
Even though unity consciousness may feel as if it were far away , you
can identify your true essence right now. Sit quietly , and when you feel
settled, look around you. Notice what is in front of you, what is to the right,
and what is to the left. Now close your eyes and see the color blue in your mind. Open your
eyes and look forward. Close your eyes, see the color blue again, then open
your eyes and look to your right . Repeat and look to your left. Did the color
blue move right, left, or center? No, even as the scenery changed, the color
blue kept still and was motionle ss. It springs from the bindu , the still point
that is your essence. You can repeat this exercise with any quality you choose. Hum a tune to
yourself. Look right and left. Did the tune move? Look outside the window
as far as you can see, even up to the stars. Did the still point travel outside
you? The bindu  is always here and now. It has no properties. You can’t
assign any quality to it, like hot or cold, high or low, young or old. The
bindu  is your portion of eternity; it is where you stand in infinity . This is the
first and last mystery of existence. The entire teaching of Royal Y oga comes
down to “the still point of the turning world,” as the poet T. S. Eliot put it. Now you are ready to launch  yourself into the discovery of infinite
possibilities that has always been your birthright. OceanofPDF .comPART II
By Sarah Platt-Finger
OceanofPDF .comTHE ASANAS
WHAT IS YOGA? As Deep ak allud ed to earlier , the word yoga  comes from the root word
yuj, meaning to “harness,” “yoke,” or “unite.” Simply put, yoga merges the
disparate parts of the self into one unified state of awareness, allowing us to
live fully in the light. There are many paths to that state of wholeness, and
asana is one limb of the tree that makes up the yogic path. Yoga dates back
more than five thousand years  to India. The ancient teachings of yoga
originate from the Vedas, an ancient Hindu scripture that disseminates the
insights of the rishis , or seers, of India. These spiritually awakened
aspirants interpr eted the wisdom of the universe through Nature and its
elements. According to the rishis , the human body is a vehicle that enables
us to access a greater field of intelligence. The individual spirit is the
microcosm of that intelligence, just like a drop of water is to the ocean. When a drop of water merges back into the ocean, it loses its form, shape,
and identity . It becomes the ocean. The same is true for individual
consciousness: When the soul, or jiva atman , merges with the ocean of
intelligence, or Brahman, yoga happens. The Bhagavad Gita, the great Indian epic from the Mahābhārata ,
translates yoga  as “skill in action.” The organization of our body as
conscious action is asana. WHAT IS ASANA?The word asana , meaning “seat of awareness,” is formally introduced
in The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali , which was written and compiled sometime
around 400–500  CE. The word asana  is only referenc ed three times in the
Yoga Sutras : once as part of the eight limbs of ashtanga yoga  (sutra 2.29)
and twice as a reference to sthiram sukham  asana: asana as a steady ,
comfortable seat (sutra 2.46, 2.47). About a millennium later, Svātmār āma
compiled the Hatha Yoga Pradipika . In this classic text, eighty-four  asanas,
most of which are seated, are referenced as postures for purification,
optimal health, and vitality . In the West, we have adapted asana to reflect the entire spectrum of
yoga, when, really , it is only one aspect of it. The other seven limbs— yama ,
niyama , pranayama , pratyahara , dharana , dhyana , and samadhi —are also
integral pathways to the experience of yoga. In this section, we are putting a
lens on the limb of asana as a gateway to the light of pure consciousness. The body is so much more than a shape; it is a process. Asanas are
shapes that we make with our physical body to tap into this process, to tap
into this state of awareness. But why do different shapes impact us
differently? For some of us, one shape might feel glorious, while for others
it might feel like torture. The answer lies in the unseen realm. THE SHARIRAS
According to the ancient teachings of yoga, human existence is
experienced through three bodies of ener gy, known as the shariras. The sthula sharira is the physical body, which consists of
the body’s muscles, bones, joints, and ﬂuids. It is the
densest energy body and is experienced through the
senses. The sukshma sharira is the subtle body, which includes
the 72,000 channels of energy that map our body,
known as the nadis, as well as the chakra system, nerves,prana, thoughts, and feelings. The sukshma sharira can
be felt but not measured. The karana sharira is the causal body. This consists of our
karma, or the force that brought us into manifestation,
and our spirit, the jiva atman. The karana sharira exists in
pure potentiality and can only be accessed when we
transcend the mind. It is important to remember that, although we separate the shariras  into
three different bodies, they are integrally connected with each other . We can
access the causal body from the physical, and we can also access the
physical from the causal. When we practice yoga asanas, we move through
these different densities of energy and can tap into the subtle energetic
forces that govern us. THE CHAKRAS
The word chakra  in Sanskrit means “wheel” or “circle.” Just as the
Earth’ s rotation creates electromagnetic fields of energy, so, too, do these
vortices of energy that run along the spine within our bodies. The chakras
lie in our subtle  body , but they govern our physical body and are governed
by our causal body. There are seven main chakras, and the first five are
essentially the headquarters of the elements that exist within us, known as
the maha bhutas. They are earth, water , fire, air , and space. In addition to its elemental quality , each chakra has a sound , shape,
color , energy, and physical locat ion in the body . They also have a front and
a back gate, represented by the front and the back of the body , which we
will explore later in this book. For our present purposes, we are most
interested in the physical location and the ener getic qualities associated with
each chakra:
Chakra: Muladhara (Root center)Element Earth
Location Base of the spine
Body Parts Associated with Chakra Feet, legs, pelvic ﬂoor, bowel
Energetic Qualities Grounded, steady, connected to survival
needs, healthy boundaries
Chakra: Svadishthana (Abode of self)
Element Water
Location In front of the sacrum, below the navel
Body Parts Associated with Chakra Pelvis, bladder, reproductive organs
Energetic Qualities Creative, spontaneous, ﬂexible, connected
to sensuality and sexuality
Chakra: Manipura (City of gems)
Element Fire
Location Navel center
Body Parts Associated with Chakra Lumbar spine, abdomen, digestive organs
Energetic Qualities Empowered, brave, process-oriented,
autonomous, healthy sense of self
Chakra: Anahata (Unstruck)
Element Air
Location Center of the chest
Body Parts Associated with Chakra Thoracic spine, rib cage, diaphragm, heart,
lungs, shoulder girdle, arms, hands
Energetic Qualities Balance, harmony, connection, empathy,
intimacy, unconditional love
Chakra: Vishuddha (Puriﬁcation center)
Element SpaceLocation Throat
Body Parts Associated with Chakra Cervical spine, shoulder girdle, arms,
hands, throat, jaw, tongue, ears
Energetic Qualities Clear communication with the universe and
others, ability to be in silence, resonance
Chakra: Ajna (Command center)
Element Light
Location In between eyebrows and slightly above
Body Parts Associated with Chakra Eyes, forehead, brain
Energetic Qualities Imagination, clear vision, innovation,
intuition, insight
Chakra: Sahasrara (Crown chakra)
Element None
Location Top fontanel
Body Parts Associated with Chakra Top fontanel, back crown (bindu)
Energetic Qualities Faith, trust, surrender, transcendence,
liberation, embodiment
THE GUNAS
The gunas  are the qualities of Nature that exist in all of matter . The
quality of a rock, which is heavy , solid, and unmoving, is very different
from the quality of a river, which is active, flowing, and constantly
changing. We can see these different qualities play out in the natural world
around us and experience them  within us. The three gunas  are: rajas ,
volition or desire; tamas , inertia; and satva , homeostasis. The gunas  manifest in the subtle body via the chakras. Each chakra can
have either a positive charge, which activates and enlivens its qualities
(rajas ), or a negative  charge, which soothes and reduces those qualities(tamas ). When  we are in balance in a particular chakra, it is in a state of
harmony , or satva guna . We also experience the gunas  in the physical body , via the breath and
our posture. Let’s look at the gunas  and how they manifest in the physical body:
Rajas manifests in the front of the body. It involves
inhalation and is the force that literally projects our
bodies forward into the future. When we stretch the front
of the body, we open the chakras’ front gate, which
positively charges them and enhances their energetic
qualities. By opening the front of the body, we
externalize our energy. This stimulates a sense of
extroversion and promotes connection to others. Tamas manifests in the back of the body. It is ushered in
by the exhalation and is the force that connects us to the
past. When we stretch the back of the body, we open
the back gate of the chakras, which negatively charges
the gunas and reduces their energetic qualities. By
opening the back of the body, we internalize our energy
and create a space for introspection and introversion,
enhancing a sense of intimacy with ourselves. Satva manifests along the central line of the spine,
known as brahma nadi. Brahma nadi is the energetic
streak of intelligence that connects our lower
consciousness to our higher consciousness. It can guide
us to either manifestation or liberation, depending on
the direction in which we move our energy along it. Satva guna is revealed when we balance the breath in
and the breath out. It is present in the pauses between
our thoughts and our connection to the present
moment. When we balance the front and back of thebody, and come into our own personal alignment, we
bring the qualities of the chakras into harmony as well. This enables us to rest in our awareness without
attachment, judgment, or projection into the future. THE BREATH
Our breath is our source of life. It sustains us and all the functions in
our body  withou t us even trying. It is also the bridge that connects the mind
and the body . If we want to know how we are feeling in the present
moment, we must listen to our breath. When we breathe in longer than we
breathe out, it usually indicates nervousness or anxiety . When  we breathe
out longer than we breathe in, it means we are feeling unmotivated or
lethar gic. When our breath is loud and effortful, it means that we are in a
state of anger or tension. When  our breath is quiet, it means that we are
relaxed and at peace. Our breat h directly reflects how we feel, but we can
also change how we feel by changing our breath. The breath is also the carrier of prana, the life force energy that enlivens
and animates us. Prana is the electricity that rides on oxygen. It feeds all the
functions in our body and works directly with the mind. Prana is an
electrical current that travels through the subtle ener gy channels in the body ,
known as the nadis. We say that where your awareness goes is where the
prana flows. When the prana flows freely through the nadis , we experience
sukha , or ease. When there is an obstruction to the flow of prana, we
experience dukha,  or suf fering. What is a full, complete breath? Many of us have  imbalances in our breath because we do not know how
to breathe. As Deepak mentione d earlier , the yogis measure life not by the
number of years we live but by the number of breaths we take. By
extending our breath, they believe, we are also extending our life span and
the quality of our life.Anatomically , this is what happens on a full, complete breath:
On inhalation, the brain triggers the diaphragm muscles
to contract. This ﬂattens the diaphragm as the intercostal
muscles between the ribs lift the rib cage out and up. The muscles along the spine contract to lift the sternum. The upper abdominal muscles relax, allowing the
abdominal organs to press down into the abdominal
cavity. All of this creates a vacuum in the chest, which
makes air suck into the lungs. For a full, complete breath,
the third, fourth, and ﬁfth ribs are lifted by the pectoral
muscles, and the scalene muscles lift the ﬁrst two ribs on
either side of the neck. These accessory breathing
muscles are there for us to take in more air when we
need it. On the exhalation, the reverse of this process happens. The neck, pectoral, intercostal, spinal, and diaphragm
muscles all relax. This allows the ﬂow of air out of the
chest cavity. The lower abdominal muscles pull back in
toward the body’s center for the ﬁnal expulsion of air. When practicing  asanas, we want to ensure that the architectur e of the
pose facilitates the anatomy of the breath. Some poses will compress the
diaphragm, rib cage, belly , or chest. In each posture, we want to adjust our
body to accommodate a full complete breath. This ensures the circulation of
prana throughout the body . Ujjayi Breath
It is optimal to breathe in and out through the nostrils to keep the breath
long, slow, and controlled when practicing asanas. Ujjayi , or “victorious”
breath, is a techn ique that involves narrowing the vocal cords at the back of
the throat. This process slows down the passage of air in the pharynx, whichlengthens and extends the breath. It also creates a warming effect on the
breath, which helps build mental heat and focus. Ujjayi  makes a whispe ry-
like sound that stimulates the vagus nerve (the longest and most complex
cranial nerve, a central part of the parasympathetic nervous system). Ujjayi
gives our mind something audible to anchor to in each pose. How to practice ujjayi  breath:
Inhale through your nostrils. As you exhale, open your mouth, and breathe out as if
you were fogging up a mirror. Listen to the ocean-like
sound of the breath and go to the very bottom of the
exhalation. Now inhale and engage those same muscles at the back
of the throat as you did on the exhalation, keeping your
mouth open. Exhale again as if you were fogging up a mirror. Close
your mouth halfway and breathe out through the
nostrils, listening for that whispery-like sound of the
breath. It should be audible just to you.
Living_In_The_Light_by_Deepak_Chopra.txt
Summarize the following text section accurately and concisely. Maintain specific details and numerical information, and use anti-repetition mechanisms:

        It is hard to pull up a full-grown weed, easier to pull up a weed that
is just a seedling, and easiest of all to throw away the weed’ s seed before it
has sprouted. Karma  is the Sanskrit word for “actio n,” but it doesn’ t refer to every
tiny thing you do or that your body does. Karmas are actions that leave a
memory behind. Your first day at school, your first kiss, losing money at a
casino, wrecking your car—these are memorable events. If a memory is
strong enough, it can take charge of, color, or even control your life in
various ways. A painful divorce  colors your next relationship, for example. Because some events are painful to recall, memories of humiliation, defeat,
failure, setbacks, and loss indicate the power that the past holds over us. In the operation of karma, a positive memory can color or control your
life, too. The high school quart erback who discovers that nothing in later
life feels quite as good as being a teenage hero is overshad owed by a
positive memory. Good or bad karma is how most people think of karma,
but Royal Yoga is concerned with the binding power of all karmas, the
stickiness that allows memories to color or control our lives. In pratyahara, there are pract ical ways to achieve a state of awareness
where you use your memories, instead of the other way around. GAINING CONTROL OF YOUR MEMORIES
Don’t believe everything you remember. Substitute positive thoughts when a bad memory arises. Don’t dwell on the past. Feel the fear but move ahead anyway. If a memory throws you off, take time to center yourself. Don’t repeat the past just because your memory tells you to. Practice being in the light through meditation. Remind yourself that the only permanent reality is bliss. The most untrustworthy memories arise from fear. Let’ s say you want to
ask for a raise at work, but you remember that the last time you did that you
were turned down. Memory is using you if this recollection is enough to
stop you from asking for a raise; as a result, you defeat yourself. You can
reverse the situation if you realiz e that today is new, which motivates you to
go in and ask for a raise without being overshadowed by the past. The practices for gaining contro l over your memories work as general
guidelines for everyone, but they are most effective if you have a vision of
constantly movi ng toward the light. Keep in mind that the light of pure
awareness is the ultimate healer and that being in the light place s you in the
eternal now, which the past cannot touch. Exercise
Pratyahara  teaches  that you can defuse your karma by starving it of
attention. Attention is what makes karmic seeds sprout and grow. The
earlier you detec t them, the better. This ensures the least pain and struggle,
and once you master the following exercise, there will be none at all. Lie on your back, eyes closed, and take a few deep breaths. Place your
attention in the region of your heart. Karma is easiest to detect as faint
sensations and emotions in the heart. In an easy way, sense your heart
becoming warm  and relaxed. If it helps, you can visualize a warm, golden
glow suf fusing your heart. As thoughts arise, they might draw your attention, which is only
natural. As soon as you can, return to the warm glow of your heart. A
thought or sensation might be unpleasant. Say to yourself, “I no longer need
you,” and resume the exercise. If a strong negative memory or feeling
arises, open your eyes, take a few deep breaths, and let it subside. Then,
once you feel more at ease in yourself, return to the exercise. You can choose how long to perform this exercise. It works well for a
few minutes or up to half an hour or more. But it would be best if you
started with a shorter duration. If you are dealing with a painful memory,
the attitude to take is that you can invite the memory to go. There is noreason for the past to linger over the present. All negative energy will
dissipate once you learn how you are meant to use your memories, not the
other way around. WEDNESDAY
Exposing Three Myths
Begin by silently repeating today’ s theme:
I share one awareness with my body. I share one awareness with my body. By staying in the light, you begin to dissolve the separation of mind
and body. The same creative intelligence flows through both. They share
the same source in pure consciousness. The place that pratyahara  leads
you to is neither mind nor body, however. It is a silent field of awareness,
and the faint sensations that arise in the field are like creative sparks or
impulses. It takes a shift in your perspective to fully inhabit this field of
awareness. This is where you meet your true self. Any other version of
yourself—physical, mental, social, or emotional—is second ary, a by-
product of the flow of creative intelligence. There is no reason to judge
yourself against  these secondary selves. They spring from the one source
that all of creation springs from. The problem is that we mistake them for
who we really are. Then a set of false beliefs surrounds us and blocks the
journey to the true self. You will dispel your old conditioning and false beliefs by resting in the
field of awarene ss; the light offers a feeling of bliss, oneness, and belonging
that no secondar y self can matc h. But Royal Yoga is also about knowledge
(vidya ) that contains truth, and truth, as the biblical adage says, can set you
free. To get closer to the truth abou t who you really are, let’s examine its
opposite. The opposite of truth  is myth, and three powerful myths about
mind and body pervade society. Myth #1: You are captive inside your body. Myth #2: You were created out of matter. Myth #3: Your brain is doing the thinking. These are such pervasive myths that you have probably never
questioned them, but if we shatter each myth, you will come closer to
merging your bodymind with the field of light. Only then will you
experience who you really are.
To gain control over your memories and emotions, and ultimately, to transcend the limitations of the physical body and the web of magical lies.
What is the primary goal of Royal Yoga?
To detect and control the flow of energy in the body, allowing you to merge with the true self and break free from the cycle of karma.
What is the primary focus of pratyahara?
Bliss, oneness, and belonging, which is the ultimate truth that sets us free.
What is the ultimate reality, according to the text?
To transcend the limitations of the ego and the physical body, and to achieve unity consciousness and the power to create one's own reality.
What is the purpose of the last three limbs of Yoga?
To merge with the infinite potential and transcend the limitations of the ego and the physical body, and to experience the infinite possibilities of the universe.
What is the primary focus of the last three limbs of Yoga?