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One branch of yoga about which little has been revealed today is swara yoga. The word 'swa' means one's own self, while 'swara' means the breath and pertains to the sound of the breath. Therefore swara yoga is the science of one's own breath.
But why should the breath be so important that a science could have developed from it? Many philosophers, and scientists agree that in the act of breathing, cosmic energies are drawn into the body. Thus the breath becomes the intermediate link between man and the universe, between the gross and subtle realms of existence. Tantra teaches us that whatever exists in the macrocosm exists in the microcosm. So, the individual body is but a replica of the cosmic body, the breath being the mediator of the two.
It is written in the Swara Shastras that analysis and manipulation of the breath brings the consciousness into the transcendental realms and ultimately to enlightenment. However, before this can take place, there is a particular sadhana which has to be perfected dealing with the fundamental functions of the breath. The science of swara explains the significance of the energy pulsing through the body and how to directly utilise, control and equalise the force by the medium of the breath. When control is established and every aspect of man's being works in perfect harmony, a greater power than mere physical energy can be manifested.

Philosophical significance of the breath

The Tantra Shastras and Upanishads state that the subtle life giving energy called prana, and the mental energy of consciousness which is chitta, are absorbed into the body by means of inspiration. The breath is also referred to as the vehicle of the cosmic energy known as Shiva or Brahman according to the Taittitya, Brahmana and Maitri Upanishads. In the Prashnopanishad (Ch. 3) it says that: "Prana springs from the Atman and is as inseparable from the self as a shadow from he who casts the shadow."
Even in the Bible (Gen. 2 :10) it is written : "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathing into his nostrils the breath of life, he became a living soul." This implies that the physical body has been given consciousness and energy through the breath. The breath itself, being imparted by the cosmic self, thus contains the cosmic force.
Taoism also expresses the same view that "by meditating on the breath, the cosmic deities or forces can be seen manifested inside the body. By sustaining oneself on the breath rather than on coarse food, one can be purified and strengthened. Thus the consciousness is able to ascend to the heavens where eternal life is experienced by the body and the soul."
In the Swara Shastras it is written that if the breath can be analysed and its significance understood, deeper knowledge of the cosmos will unfold and the knowledge of the Vedas can be realised. These shastras declare that the science of swara was first imparted by Lord Shiva to his disciple Parvati, saying that in all the seven lokas he knew 'no greater wisdom or treasure than swara.' Shiva is the guru representing pure consciousness while Parvati symbolises the individual consciousness, or jiva. This implies that the individual consciousness can perceive cosmic consciousness by means of swara.


Accordingly, it is said that the breath, carrying both prana (vital energy) and chitta (consciousness) vibrates from the force of these energies and sound is thereby produced. The Yoga Chudamani Upanishad (V. 31-33) explains that: "The breath goes out making the sound Ham and comes in producing the sound of So. The jiva is therefore repeating the mantra Hamso continually 21,000 times, twenty four hours a day. This is called ajapa japa." If one listens carefully to his breath he may hear the sound of Hamso or Soham. Further, the Upanishads declare that constant awareness of this japa of the breath can free man from all karmas. So this is the philosophical significance of the power of swara.

Prana - light of the ages

All the ancient texts refer to the subtle and vital life giving force called prana, which is described as being similar in nature to lightning. Solely due to prana, the whole universe exists and without its presence no creature can live. Although prana exists in the air and in all forms of matter, it is neither of the two. Nor is prana the breath, but it is contained within the breath, being a part of the swara.
Prana maintains all organic life. Just as a battery stores electrical energy, so it is essential for every organism to store prana in order to enable activity and mobility. By practising swara yoga, the store of prana can be increased, thereby activating the latent areas of the brain. Swara yoga directly controls the input and output of prana, enabling us to regulate our whole physiological system.
During the last half of this century, many renowned scientists have been delving into the nature of this pranic phenomenon, and it seems that they have finally come up with a feasible explanation. Recent studies have shown the atmosphere to be charged with electromagnetic ions from which all organisms absorb vital energy essential for preservation. The functioning of these ions has been observed to correlate with the ancient yogic concept of prana. Therefore, in order to help us understand swara yoga, the study of prana and its control, let us examine the theory of ions.

Electromagnetic fields and ions

It appears that the equivalent of pranic transmission can be found in the electromagnetic fields emanating from throughout the body. These are referred to by scientists and doctors as a type of bio-energy or bio-electricity. As early as the 18th century, Luigi Galvani observed the existence of energy fields when he wired up a frog's leg to two conducting rods, and witnessed the energy that pulsated between them. Discovery of Kirlian photography has enabled scientists to actually see the corona of these fields.
Today we are all aware of electric currents flowing through wire cables, but this energy has been artificially harnessed by man. Primarily, energy is inherent in the atmosphere, which geophysicists have only recently begun to explore. Although the discovery of electromagnetic ions has revived interest in the ancient science of swara yoga, the rishis who first developed this science were well aware of the principles of energy fields without requiring the aid of modern technology.
The advent of outer space exploration has brought science's attention to electromagnetic fields in the atmosphere which are conducted by the earth. These fields consist of positively and negatively charged fragments of molecules known as ions, upon which life is dependent for producing energy. A negative ion has the charge of one electron, and a positive ion the charge of one proton. Of the two, negative ions are the most active electrically.
Negative ions are produced by solar radiations in the upper layers of the atmosphere and are attracted towards the earth by positive ions. During their descent they become trapped by oxygen or nitrogen particles and thereby unite with them. As we breathe, our cells are automatically energised by the electrical charges of these ions in the air.
In this way we can visualise the earth as an enormous magnet, generating electromagnetic fields from its opposite poles. The northern and eastern hemispheres are positively charged while the southern and western hemispheres are negatively charged. These fields both attract and repulse ions, causing a current of movement around the terrestrial plane. Only recently these fields were found to vibrate through the physical body also, creating a flow of energy from one organ to the other.

Positive and negative poles

The body also assumes electromagnetic properties and can be divided into opposite poles. According to yogic texts, the upper part of the body corresponds to the positive, northern pole and the lower part to the negative, southern pole. The right side and back portions are also positive poles and the left and frontal portions are negative poles.
This is well illustrated by a case reported in an American theosophical journal concerning a ten year old boy from Minnesota whose body developed definite magnetic qualities. The doctors were amazed to witness lightweight metallic objects attracted to his left side, and in particular to his left hand, while the right side of his body remained unaffected. Of course, to the yogi, this is not strange. He is aware of prana entering through the left side, especially the left hand, drawing magnetic substances towards it, and the right side of the body expelling and repelling. Ordinarily, however, the current is not so strong.
These positive and negative charges of energy are the basis of swara yoga. The ancient rishis called the negative flow ida and the positive flow pingala. By controlling these currents, modern technology has developed the means of generating enormous amounts of electrical energy and even the ability to artificially ionise the air.
Similarly, the rishis of yore knew the techniques to channelize bio-energy or prana throughout the body. Just as electrical power is at our disposal by connecting a switch to the main power line, so the rishis knew how to connect the switches and circuits of energy in the body. They understood that the flow of energy, whether internal or external, is constantly being circulated from the more highly charged to the lesser charged centres in order to create a balance between the positive and negative poles. Swara yoga teaches us to manipulate the flow of breath through the nostrils, thereby controlling the energy switches in our own body which regulate the flow of positive and negative currents. It is by balancing these two poles of energy that the yogi brings about the awakening of kundalini, the high powered generator which illumines the fabulous, hitherto unexplored areas of the brain responsible for all of man's ingenuity, higher knowledge and self-realization.
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Along with the more well-known meth­ods designed to help practitioners of Buddhist meditation ground their attention in the present moment— such as focusing on the rhythm of the breath, paying attention to the feeling of foot­steps, or internally repeating a mantra—is a less familiar method known asnada yoga. Nada is the Sanskrit word for “sound,” and nada yoga means meditating on the inner sound, also referred to as the sound of silence. (Interestingly, nada is also the Spanish word for “nothing.”)
o detect the nada sound, turn your attention toward your hearing. If you listen carefully to the sounds around you, you’re likely to hear a continuous, high-pitched inner sound like white noise in the background. It is a sound that is beginningless and endless.

There’s no need to theorize about this inner vibration in an effort to figure out exactly what it might be. Just turn your attention to it. If you’re able to hear this inner sound, you can use the simple act of listening to it as another form of meditation practice, in the same way one uses the breath as an object of awareness. Just bring your attention to the inner sound and allow it to fill the whole sphere of your awareness.
In a small number of people, the inner sound is oppressively loud, usually for an organic reason. In these cases, inner listening is unlikely to be helpful as a meditation practice, since the subjec­tive intensity of the sound makes it less useful as an object to encourage peace and clarity.
One of the great virtues of meditating on the inner sound is that it easily supports both aspects of samadhi (meditative concentration): samatha(“shamatha” in Sanskrit, meaning calmness or tranquillity) andvipassana (insight). Samadhi can be described as the fixing of the mind on a single object for a period of time. And this single­ness of focus, or one-pointedness, can function in two distinct ways. The first, which is the basis of samatha, can be thought of as “the point that excludes.” It’s like using the spot-focus beam of an adjustable flashlight to lock onto a single object and block out everything else.
The second way, the basis of vipassana, can be described as “the point that includes.” The one-pointedness expands into an awareness that makes the whole experience of the pres­ent moment the object of meditation. Using the broad-focus beam of the same adjustable flash­light, all the various aspects of the present—not just a single, brightly lit spot—are encompassed in the light of awareness.
You can use the inner sound just as you would use the breath to directly support the establish­ment of samatha, making it the primary object of attention and letting it fill the whole space of your present experience. Very consciously, you leave everything else—the feelings in your body, the noises you hear, the thoughts that arise—on the periphery, allowing the inner sound to completely fill the focus of your attention.
If you focus on the inner sound for a length of time sufficient to bring stability, in which your mind is resting easily in the present, you can allow the sound to fall into the background. It then becomes like a screen on which all other sounds, physical sensations, moods, and ideas are pro­jected. And because of its plainness, uniformity, and steadiness, it’s a very good screen. It doesn’t confuse or interfere with other objects that are arising. It’s like watching a movie: if you pay attention, you are aware that there’s a screen on which light is being projected. The inner sound’s presence in the background helps remind you that “this is just a movie; this is not reality.”
Listening to the inner sound helps you rec­ollect that all mental formations, or sankharas, are unsatisfactory. If something is formed, if it’s a “thing,” there is a quality of dukkha in its very impermanence, in its very “thing-ness.” The sound’s presence can support the ease with which we see every sankhara as empty and own­erless—whether it’s a physical sensation, a visual object, a taste or smell, or a refined state of happi­ness. It helps us sustain an objective, unattached, unentangled participation in the present, amid the feeling of the weight of our body and the flow of our moods, whether they be tiredness, doubt, understanding, or inspiration.
The inner sound carries on in the background, reminding us that everything is Dhamma, that everything is coming and going, changing. This is a truth we may have intuited for years but often forget because of the confusion that comes from becoming attached to our personalities, memo­ries, thoughts, and bodily discomforts.
The stress of attaching to all our experiences since birth has kept our attention entranced and bewildered. Nevertheless, we can use the pres­ence of the nada sound to break the trance, to help us know the feelings and moods for what they are: patterns of nature coming and going and doing their thing. They are not who or what we are, and when seen with insight, they can never really satisfy or disappoint us. Inner listen­ing leads to a knowing awareness with which we can more easily recognize the transparency, emptiness, and insubstantiality of these experi­ences and let them go.

Nada and the Thinking Mind

As you develop inner listening as a formal method of meditation, you may begin to notice how listening to an auditory object helps you learn to listen to your thoughts and moods with less subjectivity.
In many respects, the chatter of our think­ing mind has no more meaning than the buzz of the nada sound. The chatter is just a continu­ous, murmuring stream of vibrations formed into conceptual patterns. So we learn to listen to our thinking with the same freedom from involve­ment or identification that we would have lis­tening to a splashing fountain or a chorus of birdsong. It’s no big thing, nothing to get excited about.
Of course, that’s easier said than done, because we do tend to be infatuated with our stories, par­ticularly the ones featuring ourselves about the good we’ve done, the bad we’ve done, what we want to do, what we hope to do, what we fear will happen to us, what others think of us, and so on. These beloved patterns are all manifestations of the “I” element, the lifetime habit we have of thinking in terms of “I” and “me” and “mine.” In the Pali canon,ahamkara, or “I-making,” andmamamkara, or “mine-making,” are the key attributes of self-view. If a story has “me” in it, it naturally tends to be much more interesting than other, more remote tales.
Accordingly, much of the development of vipassana, or insight meditation, is about learn­ing to recognize the I-making and mine-making habits within the thoughts we experience. Aham­kara means “made of I-ness,” while mamamkarameans “made of mine-ness.” True insight is not allowing those concepts to carry the mind away and, instead, seeing their emptiness and letting them go.

Nada, Emptiness, and Suchness

Most Buddhist practitioners, regardless of tradi­tion, are familiar with what are known as the three characteristics of existence: anicca,dukkha, and anatta (impermanence, unsatisfactoriness, and not-self). These are the universal qualities of all experiences, and recognizing their presence is the most active aspect of vipassana meditation.
There are, however, other universal character­istics of existence that can be similarly employed to help free the heart from all limitation and stress. Two of these characteristics, which oper­ate as something of a pair, are called suññata (“shunyata” in Sanskrit) and tathata, meaning, respectively, emptiness and suchness.
Emptiness expresses the idea of saying “no” to the phenomenal world: “I’m not going to believe in this. This is void, empty, hollow, not entirely real.” Suchness is connected to emptiness in the same way the right hand is connected to the left. In contrast to its partner, however, suchness expresses the idea of saying “yes” to the phenom­enal world. A thought, a daffodil, or a mountain may not be a separate, solid thing, yet there is something, an ultimate reality, that underlies, permeates, embraces, and constitutes each. Such­ness is thus an appreciation of the true nature of reality, and its realization can be characterized as knowing and embodying the presence of the unconditioned, the deathless, or amata-dhamma.
In the Pali canon, emptiness usually means “empty of self and what belongs to a self,” but it also refers to the insubstantiality of objects. When you stabilize the skill of attending to the nada sound, so that its shimmering, silvery tone is a constant presence, it can greatly enhance your capacity to realize both these kinds of empti­ness—that of subject and object, self and other.
Inner listening facilitates the recognition of the insubstantiality of all I-, me-, and mine-based attitudes and thoughts. It is like a bright light by which we can clearly see the hollowness of bubbles as they float by. Similarly, the presence of the nada sound helps illuminate the transpar­ency of the mental objects we experience—all the things we see, hear, smell, taste, and touch and all the memories, plans, moods, and ideas that arise in our minds. As the Buddha put it:
Material form is a lump of foam,
feeling a water bubble;
perception is just a mirage,
volitions like a plantain’s trunk,
consciousness, a magic trick—
so says the Kinsman of the Sun.
However one may ponder it
or carefully inquire,
all appears both void and vacant
when it’s seen in truth.
—“A Lump of Foam,” Samyutta Nikaya, 22.95
The nada sound can help us recognize the suchness of experience as well. Suchness is by its nature hard to pin down conceptually. But while it has a quality that may make it seem vague or unreal, ironically, that is a necessary part of its meaning. Significantly, the word the Buddha coined to refer to himself was Tathagata, meaning either “one who has come to suchness” or “one who has gone to suchness,” depending on the interpretation. So even though suchness seems intangible, it also conveys a fundamental reality.
A comparison might be made with the math­ematical concept of the square root of minus one. In the world of real numbers, there is no integer that you can multiply by itself to produce minus one. If such a number did exist, however, then all sorts of interesting possibilities would unfold, as was discovered in ancient times and devel­oped further by mathematicians in the eighteenth century.
Even though this number has imaginary sta­tus, it still manages to be essential in constructing phase-shift oscillators used for sound engineering and is put to extensive use in computer graph­ics, robotics, signal processing, computer simu­lations, and orbital mechanics. Like suchness, it has a clear and demonstrable presence in the real world.

Seeing the World in the Mind

Beyond emptiness and suchness is a third, even more subtle characteristic of existence called atammayata, which means “not made of that.”
Although we may have seen through the “I am” conceit, known as asmi-mana, traces of clinging can remain—that is, clinging to the idea of an objective world being perceived by a sub­jective knowing, even though no sense of “I” is discernible. There is the feeling of a “this” that is knowing a “that” and either saying “yes” to it, in the case of suchness, or “no,” in the case of emptiness.
Atammayata provides closure to the whole domain with the insight that there is no “that”; there is only “this.” It expresses the genuine col­lapse of both the illusion of separateness of sub­ject and object and of the discrimination between phenomena as being somehow substantially dif­ferent from each other. It helps bring about the realization that there is only the wholeness of the Dhamma, complete spaciousness and fulfill­ment. Then, knowing that truth, even this-ness and here-ness become meaningless.
We tend to think of the mind as being in the body, but we’ve actually got it wrong; the body is in the mind. Everything we know about the body, now and at any previous time, has been known through the agency of the mind. This isn’t to say there isn’t a physical world, just that the experience of the body, and the experience of the world, happen here, within our mind.
When we truly wake up to that here-ness, the world’s externality, its separateness, ceases. When we realize that we hold the whole world within us, its thing-ness, its other-ness, is checked, and we are better able to recognize its true nature.
The presence of the nada sound can help us realize and maintain such a perspective. The mind slowly loses its habit of becoming caught in the outflows, the asava, and thus getting lost in worldly concerns. The result is an inner com­posure and a freedom from the compulsions that so readily entangle us.
One way to develop this insight on a practical level is to combine listening to the nada sound with the following simple reflection. While focus­ing on the inner sound, recollect that the world is in your mind: “My body and the world are here in this space of awareness, permeated with the sound of silence.” This will eventually bring about a shift of vision. You will find your body, your mind, and the world arriving at a resolu­tion—a realization of orderly perfection in which the world is balanced within the heart of vibrant silence.
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In normal states prana is under agitation. Too many distractions, sensory and sensual, affect the harmony of prana in our personality. When the pranas are disturbed, then it is natural that thoughts and emotions will be disturbed, the subtle systems of the body, the brain and the nervous systems will be disturbed. There comes a time when we have to understand the function of the pranas in order to go within.

Most of the time yoga teachers and even yogis tend to work with linear, logical concepts related to the mind. But that is not enough. Apart from saying 'observe the vrittis', 'observe the thoughts', 'observe your actions and reactions', we need to develop an understanding of the energy interactions within ourselves. The knowledge of energy interactions begins with an understanding of prana.

Understanding pranamaya kosha

Our physical and mental state is a good indication of our pranic condition. The technique of prana nidra aims at providing harmony and balance in the structure of pranamaya kosha. Pranamaya kosha is between annamaya and manomaya koshas, between the body and the mind. In our normal practices we jump from the body to the mind, ignoring the activities, functions and manifestations of pranamaya kosha. We believe that we can activate the pranas through the practices of pranayama, pranavidya and kundalini kriyas. Some people who are sensitive enough to become tuned to the energy interactions can do it, but others cannot. They scratch the surface of the iceberg, the pranaberg, and remain there.
Sometimes we feel tingling sensations running up and down the spine or running wild through the arms and legs. We begin to believe that the pranas have awakened, but that is not the case. What we are experiencing is the uncontrolled function of energy. We have to learn how to control the expression of energy in the physical body, the energy structure, the mental structure and the psychic structure. In order to develop a deeper understanding of pranic interaction, we need to develop sensitivity of mind. This is where prana nidra comes in.

Prana nidra: pranic sleep

Prana nidra is a technique of pratyahara. You may think that it is similar to yoga nidra because of the name, but yoga nidra is sleepless sleep, and prana nidra is pranic sleep. What is pranic sleep? Firstly, sleep is a state of absolute relaxation. Secondly, sleep is also defined as a vritti, a natural process which can disconnect the mind from the outer world, and thus avoid overloading the brain. If we do not sleep for three or four days and try to continue functioning in our normal routine, we will ultimately have problems. There is too much pressure on the human brain to cope with a continuous state of wakefulness. The efficiency and energy of the body and mind are also reduced. Sleep is a natural process of disconnection. It is like a valve which allows us to remove the excess pranic, mental and emotional agitations from our personality, to have some form of balance and relaxation.
Prana nidra aims at completing these two functions: harmonizing and relaxing the agitated pranas, and disconnecting them from the body as well as the mind, so that they can flow freely in their own dimension or kosha. How can we do this? In prana nidra, the breath becomes the medium to get in touch with the pranic flow. Energy flows through each and every part of our body, every cell, atom, muscle and organ is an expression of energy. In the practice we observe the breathing process in different parts of the body, for example, breathing in through one leg and out through the other, breathing in through one arm and out through the other. In this way we gradually sensitize our mind to become receptive to the flow of energy.

Fusion of mind and prana

When we have become receptive to the flow of energy, fusion of mind and energy occurs. The moment that happens, breath awareness is lost and energy awareness develops. This energy awareness is developed by experiencing the pranic flow as a current, as electrical energy. In prana nidra we are not trying to awaken the pranas. Other techniques, such as prana vidya, can be used to awaken and direct the pranas.
In prana nidra, after we develop awareness of energy as a flow or vibration, we move that pranic awareness into the locations of the five subpranas: prana, apana, samana, udana and vyana. Each level of these pranas is observed and if any imbalance is seen at that psychic level, it is removed. In this way we prepare ourselves for moving into the higher states of dharana, where fixation and concentration of mind can take place without the distraction of pranic activity. This is the basic concept of prana nidra.

Antar darshan: inner vision

Antar darshan is another technique of intensifying selfawareness, becoming aware of what is happening at a much deeper level than the conscious state. Here the word 'conscious' means the expressing nature, the manifesting quality, which can be also be subconscious and unconscious. By deeper aspects of the conscious state, I am referring to the area which we are not aware of normally, the source which is beyond the conscious area or dimension.
The practice of antar darshan follows the practice of antar mouna. In antar mouna we observe the thoughts by going through the six stages. We simply move from sensorial awareness to awareness of thoughts and the ability to actually stop them, to generating thoughts and then again stopping them. In this way we learn how to remain free from the influences of thoughts.
In antar darshan we go deeper than that. Antar means 'inner', darshan means 'to have the vision of inner being'. This inner being, the little guy within each one of us, relates to the world through feelings. In the practice of antar darshan, we create abstract images and ideas, and observe the feelings associated with them. For example, during our meditation practice, without our desiring it, an image comes up of a person whom we love, respect and adore. This impression is already in our mind. Possibly as a result of the meditation technique we are practising, the memory is released and comes to the surface of the mind.
While observing the image, the intensity of feeling is so overpowering that we begin to cry. We feel our hearts begin to open, we feel a flow of very strong emotion, affection, attachment, and we get caught up in that current. We retain that impression and do not allow it to dissipate naturally. The moment we retain that impression again, it becomes an archetype, another memory. So there is no release. We look at something and we say consciously, “I acknowledge it, I observe it, I feel it”, but because of our intense association with it, we create a mirror image of the same memory and store it. In this way more impressions are created and stored. Therefore, despite our best efforts we are not able to experience the meditative state.

Experiencing the harmony of emotions

The same thing can happen with another image, form or shape which brings out the force of negativity, anger or hatred, memories of pain and suffering. We react violently and create a mirror image that comes to the surface of the mind. Every thought that comes is associated with a feeling or a group of feelings. Antar darshan is recognizing those feelings, one by one, and following the feeling back to its source. If the feeling is affection, where has it come from? Is it a true expression of my love, of my respect? Is it a manifestation of my insecurity which has come up in the form of affection? If I break off that link of affection for a moment, do I feel a void inside? If I feel empty or hollow, then what kind of reaction is that bringing to the surface of my mind? Do I get disturbed? Do I become insecure?
In this way we recognize areas of our personality which have brought up an emotion associated with either an image, a thought, a desire or an ambition. We go through the process of channelling emotional energy in the right direction by recognizing its source. Recognition of this source leads to harmony of emotions, disassociation of emotions from the tamasic and rajasic activities which we normally perform.

Transcending tamas and rajas

Tamasic or rajasic activities are conditions or states which relate to the identity of the self. In the absence of words they are selfish attitudes towards life, hanging on to life and not allowing positive transformation to take place. The tamasic and rajasic qualities allow life to go on without any contradiction, with more and more desires, ambitions and searching for satisfaction. They allow life to continue with hopes of obtaining something good from life. But they do not allow life to be transcended. They maintain us in one channel without allowing us to emerge onto dry ground.
So, through antar darshan we gain a recognition of our emotional states, which ultimately leads to disassociation of feeling from the rajasic and tamasic qualities, to re-establishing the feelings in the sattwic flow. That is the purpose of antar darshan.

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Over the generations, the science of yoga took on a life of its own and branched off into hundreds of systems. When Patanjali came, he saw that it had become too complex and diversified for anyone to grasp in a meaningful way. So, he codified all aspects of yoga into a certain format known as the Yoga Sutras. This is a collection of 196 sutras on yoga. And so, Patanjali is known as the father of modern yoga.

“Sutra” literally means “a thread.” Or, in modern language, we can say it is like a formula. Anyone who knows the English alphabet, even a kindergarten child, can say “E=mc².” But, there is an enormous amount of science behind that little formula which most people cannot understand. The sutras are like this. Out of ignorance, people have interpreted these sutras in very superficial ways and have tried to implement them in their lives accordingly. The thread is vital for a necklace or a garland, but it is not a goal by itself. No one ever wears a garland for the sake of the thread. It was for each spiritual master to put his own kind of flowers, beads, pearls, diamonds, or whatever else in the garland.

 If you look at Patanjali in terms of his enlightenment, he cannot be more enlightened than someone else. There is no such thing. Realization is realization. But as a man of intellect, he is probably one of the greatest who walked this planet. The breadth of his understanding of life is so vast that today’s scholars argue that everything he wrote could not have been just one man’s work, that many people must have contributed to it. No, it is just one man’s work.Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras are the most tremendous documents about life in the world, and also the most uninteresting. It is the driest and dullest book you could possibly read. Patanjali did this intentionally; though his mastery of language and composition was matchless, he wrote it in a way that no scholar would find it appealing. If people appreciate the literary, poetic aspects of the work, then all kinds of people would naturally read and misinterpret it. They would miss the fundamental purpose of the sutra – a formula to open up life. The sutra means something only to a person who is in a certain level of experience, and who wants to explore his consciousness. Each sutra is a method. You do not have to read all of them. If just one sutra becomes a reality within you, it will take you into a completely new dimension of experience.
To give you some idea of the kind of a man he was, look at the way he begins the Yoga Sutras. Such a great document of life starts in a strange way. The first chapter is just half a sentence, not even a full sentence: “…and now, Yoga.” What do you make of it? Intellectually, it does not make much sense, but experientially, it is telling you that if you still think that building a new house or getting your daughter married or winning a lottery will settle your life, it is not yet time for yoga. If you have seen power, wealth and pleasure, if you have tasted everything in your life and realized that nothing is going to fulfill you ultimately, then it is time for yoga. All the aspects that the whole world is engrossed in, Patanjali brushes aside with just half a sentence. Only when you understand that nothing has worked, when you do not have a clue as to what the hell life is about, and when the pain of ignorance tears you apart – “…and now, Yoga.”
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Yoga nidra is one of the practices of pratyahara where the awareness is internalized. Literally, yoga nidrameans 'psychic sleep' i.e. sleep with full awareness. In the practice of yoga nidra the body sleeps but the mind remains awake listening to the instructions. In psychology, the state achieved in yoga nidra is termed the hypnogogic state, a state between sleep and wakefulness. Yoga nidra has its origin in the ancient tantric practice called nyasa. It was Swami Satyananda Saraswati (1998) who adapted and presented the practice of yoga nidra in a systematic and scientific way in the 1960s.

Stages of yoga nidra

The practice of yoga nidra is divided into the following stages:
1. Preparation: Yoga nidra is performed in the posture of shavasana, with the eyes closed. In this stage, initial relaxation of the body and mind is induced by the awareness of stillness, comfort, posture, position, breath, and listening to the external sounds with the attitude of a witness.
2. Sankalpa: When the body and mind are relaxed, then the practitioner is instructed to take a resolve according to his or her own wish. The sankalpa should be short, clear and positive. The practitioner repeats the selected sankalpa three times mentally, with full determination, conviction and confidence.
3. Rotation of consciousness: In the third stage, the awareness is rotated around the different body parts in a systematic and organized manner. The practitioner is instructed to remain aware, to listen to the instructions and to move the mind very rapidly according to the instructions without making any physical movements. The rotation of awareness in yoga nidra follows a definite sequence: right side of the body, beginning with the right hand thumb and ending with the little toe of the right foot; left side of the body, from the left hand thumb to the little toe of the left foot; back of the body, from the heels to the back of the head; and lastly the front of the body, from the forehead and individual facial features to the legs.
4. Breath awareness: In this stage, one simply becomes aware of the natural breath without making an attempt to change the flow of the breath. One may become aware of the breath by watching it in the nostrils, chest, and abdomen, or in the passage between the navel and the throat. The practitioner becomes aware of each incoming and outgoing breath by counting them mentally.
5. Opposite feelings and sensations: In this stage, the physical or emotional sensations are recalled, intensified and experienced fully. Usually this is practised with pairs of opposite feelings or sensations like heat and cold, heaviness and lightness, pain and pleasure, love and hate, and so on.
6. Visualization: In the stage of visualization, the awareness is taken to the dark space in front of the closed eyes, referred to aschidakasha in yogic terminology. The practitioner is then instructed to visualize some objects, stories or situations in the chidakasha.
7. Sankalpa: Once again the sankalpa, taken in stage two, is repeated mentally three times in this stage with full dedication, faith and optimism.
8. Ending the practice: Before ending the session of yoga nidra, slowly the awareness is externalized by asking the practitioner to become aware of the external sounds, objects and persons. They are asked then to slowly move the body parts and to stretch the body.

Benefits of yoga nidra

The practice of yoga nidra has a number of benefits. Important among them are as follows.
Minimizes tension: In the modern world the international problem is not poverty, drugs or fear of war; it is tension and only tension. A high percentage of people remain in a state of tension and frustration. This continuous level of tension in the body, mind and emotions predisposes the individual towards psychological and psychosomatic disorders. Modern psychology as well as yogic philosophy believes in three kinds of tension - muscular tensions, emotional tensions and mental tensions - which can be progressively released through the systematic and regular practice of yoga nidra. Muscular tension results from nervous and endocrinal imbalances. It manifests in the form of stiffness and rigidity in the physical body. In the practice of yoga nidra the body is progressively relaxed, which in turn releases the accumulated muscular tensions.
In day to day life individuals fail to express their emotions freely and openly. As a result, the emotions are repressed and manifest in the form of emotional tension. In the practice of yoga nidra, the practitioner slowly moves towards the deeper realms of the mind where he or she confronts the deep-rooted emotional tensions. When the practitioner recognizes these emotional tensions with full awareness and a witnessing attitude, then repressed emotions are released and the practitioner becomes calm and tranquil.
Due to excessive activity on the mental plane, the mind always remains in a state of arousal, which results in mental tension. Throughout life the mind is fed with negative data. In the practice of yoga nidra, especially in rotation of consciousness and breath awareness, the mind is relaxed, thereby releasing the mental tensions. In this way, through the regular and sincere practice of yoga nidra, tensions at the physical, emotional and mental level can be minimized. According to Swami Satyananda (1998), "a single hour of yoga nidra is as restful as four hours of conventional sleep".
Trains the mind: The sankalpa taken in each session of yoga nidra is perhaps the most effective technique for training the mind. Swami Satyananda (1998) says, "anything in life can fail you, but not the sankalpa made during yoga nidra". The sankalpa is taken and sowed in the subconscious mind when it is relaxed and receptive. The subconscious mind is very obedient and hence carries out the orders immediately. In yoga nidra, the sankalpa trains the subconscious mind, and then the ordinary mind follows the path automatically. The sankalpa helps in training the mind because it is planted when the mind is relaxed and ready to absorb and accept it. The essential thing is that the resolve should be planted with strong willpower and feeling. Many people make conscious resolves guided by intellect, which rarely bring results. Swami Satyananda (1998) says, "the sankalpa taken at the beginning of yoga nidra is like sowing a seed, and the sankalpa at the end is like irrigating it. So, the resolve taken in yoga nidra always brings result, if it is taken sincerely".
Relaxes the mind: The brain is the linking mediator between the mind, body and emotions. In yoga nidra intensifying the awareness of the body stimulates the brain. When the awareness is rotated on the different body parts, it not only induces physical relaxation but also clears the nerve pathways to the brain. Each of the body parts has an existing centre in the cerebral white matter, named by researchers as 'motor homunculus' or 'little man'. The sequence of rotation of awareness in yoga nidra is in accordance with the map in the cerebral white matter of the brain. When the awareness is rotated in the same sequence again and again, it induces a flow of pranic energy within the neuronal circuit of the motor homunculus of the brain. This pranic flow brings in a subjective experience of relaxation in the brain.
In one of the stages of yoga nidra a pair of opposite feelings or sensations is intensified again and again in the practitioner. This continuous invocation of opposite feelings or sensations is in accordance with the elecetrophysiological operating principles of the brain. When a neuron fires, it produces a nerve impulse which is relayed and registered in the brain. But if the same neuron keeps on firing again and again, then its relayed impulse is no longer registered by the brain. Researchers have called this 'phenomenon habituation'. When the brain becomes accustomed to the stimulus, then gradually it becomes relaxed. The state where the brain is completely relaxed results in mental relaxation. Sannyasi Mangalteertham (1998) concluded on the basis of his study that the practice of yoga nidra brings alpha dominance in the brain, which is characterized by mental relaxation.
Clears up the unconscious: From early childhood, we tend to repress many wishes, desires and conflicts. Whenever a situation threatens the ego, the defence mechanisms are called upon and the conflicting situation is repressed or suppressed to the unconscious. All the traumatic experiences, unfulfilled desires and threatening situations are suppressed by the ego to the subconscious and unconscious realms of the mind. In the deeper realms of the mind this conflicting and frustrating matter does not die but remains alive and later manifests in the form of various pathological symptoms. The repressed desires, wishes and situations remain in the form of symbols in the unconscious mind. During the practice of yoga nidra, the instructor asks the practitioner to visualize certain symbols and images with a witnessing attitude. If the symbols and images are selected properly, then they are in accordance with the symbols of the unconscious. An abstract association is created between the guided imagery and the associated repressed experiences of the unconscious. For example, if the teacher instructs the practitioner to visualize a dog, this may bring out a past traumatic childhood experience in which the practitioner was bitten by a dog. The practitioner observes this associated painful experience with a witnessing attitude, which helps in cutting off the personal identification with the experience. When the personal identification ceases to be cut off, the painful experience associated with the dog is repressed again. In this way, the practice of visualization brings the unconscious repressed desires, experiences, conflicts and frustrations to the conscious level and then cuts off the personal identification with those experiences. As a result, the unconscious is cleared up.
Awakens creativity: Several examples from the past indicate that creativity is a characteristic of a relaxed and calm mind. When the mind is totally relaxed, the awareness slowly enters the deeper realms (subconscious and unconscious) of the mind and the person becomes aware of the creative and intuitive faculties. Whether it be Newton or Einstein or Mozart, all made significant and vital contributions in the field of creativity when they allowed themselves to relax deeply enough for the images and forms of their unconscious mind to manifest as solutions to their particular problems. Regular practice of yoga nidra helps in making a bridge between the conscious and unconscious mind. Slowly one becomes tuned with the unconscious workings and then the power of creativity automatically awakens.
Enhances memory and learning capacity: The present popular method of teaching is classroom teaching using rewards and punishments. This method may be good for the intelligent students but is not beneficial for the dull students because the conscious brain or intellect of these students is incapable of receiving the information directly. The technique of yoga nidra can be used as an educational tool for such dull children, where the knowledge is transmitted directly into the subconscious mind. The technique of yoga nidra is helpful in increasing learning and memory capacity. When yoga nidra is used in education, both hemispheres of the student's brain are involved in learning the subject, whereas in classroom teaching the left hemisphere functions more. In this way, the practice of yoga nidra involves the total mind in learning.
Ostrander (1973) said that, "using the technique of yoga nidra it was possible to teach a foreign language in 1/5th of the time required by conventional methods". Schoolteachers in several countries are using yoga nidra to augment the capacities of receptivity and attention, and to awaken the joy of learning in their young students. Flak (1978) reported that techniques such as rotation of awareness and visualization heighten the capacity for relaxation and interest among schoolchildren.
Counteracts stress: Stress is a cognitive or emotional response made by the individual towards any situation, which demands adjustment. When the demands of the situation exceed the ability of the individual then distress results, which may manifest in mental and physical symptoms of abnormality. The practice of yoga nidra helps in building up the coping ability. The practitioner of yoga nidra slowly becomes aware of the inherent dormant potentialities and thus prevents himself from becoming a victim of distress. Udupa (1977) suggests that stress-related disorders evolve gradually through four stages. In the first stage, psychological symptoms like anxiety and irritability arise due to overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system. The second stage is characterized by related physical symptoms like high blood pressure, increased heart rate etc. In the third stage, the abnormalities manifest clinically in the organ systems. In the last stage, severe symptoms in particular organs result which need long-term medical management.
Swami Satyananda (1998) has said that yoga nidra is now prescribed by doctors in many countries both as a preventive and curative therapy in the first three stages of stress-related disease. During stress the sympathetic nervous system becomes activated due to which the organism adopts the 'fight or flight' mechanism. In normal circumstances, the parasympathetic system takes over after the emergency goes. But mostly it has been seen that the sympathetic system remains active most of the time resulting in the experience of distress (Selye, 1974). In yoga nidra an attempt is made to activate the parasympathetic system, and slowly a balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems is achieved by inducing complete physical, emotional and mental relaxation. In this way the practice of yoga nidra counteracts stress. Carrington et al (1980) concluded that yoga nidra has its most widespread application as a preventive measure to be practised by healthy, active people as a means of relieving accumulated tensions, increasing stress resistance and overall efficiency, and preventing the development of stress-related diseases.
Manages psychological disorders: When the individual fails to adjust to the situation, then distress results. Some individuals are prone to developing distress due to their unconscious urge to remain tense. When distress continues for a long period, it may result in psychological disorders like neuroses or even psychoses. In the practice of yoga nidra, the inherent tendency to become tense is rooted out and the individual starts viewing the situation as less demanding. Gersten (1978) said that the practitioner of yoga nidra becomes his own psychotherapist, recognizing and systematically alleviating his own personal problems and interpersonal difficulties. Matthew (1981) reported that yoga nidra is a successful therapy for both recent and long-standing psychological disturbances of all kinds, especially high anxiety levels and neurotic behaviour patterns. Bahrke (1979) also concluded on the basis of his study that the practice of yogic relaxation has been found to effectively reduce tension and improve the psychological well-being of sufferers from anxiety. On the basis of a recent study, Bhushan & Sinha (2000) reported that the practice of yoga nidra significantly reduces the anxiety and hostility level of the practising subjects. Shealy (1998) concluded that yoga nidra is a successful treatment for insomnia. In this manner, various researches show that the technique of yoga nidra can be successfully administered to manage various psychological disorders.
Manages psychosomatic diseases: When the tensions, conflicts and frustrations of the mind manifest in the form of physical symptoms, those diseases are termed as psychosomatic diseases. Yoga nidra aims at releasing the suppressed and repressed conflicts from the unconscious, thereby relaxing the mind. When the potent cause (tense mind) of psychosomatic disorders is managed, the disease could also be cured. The practice of various stages of yoga nidra, like sankalpa, muscular relaxation, breath awareness and guided imagery, have been found to be a significant and effective mode of therapy for asthmatics (Erskine & Schonell, 1981). Gupta et. al. (1979) reported that 18 out of 27 asthmatic patients showed improvement in respiratory function and greater freedom of breathing after intensive training in yoga nidra, and 63% had definite relaxation and dilation of the bronchial tubes when tested on a spirometer. Jansson (1979) reported that after three weeks of relaxation training the symptoms of colonic irritability significantly reduced. In the case of cardiac patients, Cooper (1979) reported that yoga nidra significantly lowered levels of serum cholesterol in cardiac patients. Researches also show that the practice of yoga nidra lowers the elevated blood pressure levels of hypertensive patients (Datey et al, 1977; Bali, 1979). In this way, researches show that the practice of yoga nidra effectively manages various psychosomatic diseases.
Cancer and yoga nidra: As a technique of meditation, yoga nidra can be adopted as a therapeutic model in the treatment of cancer. In cancer therapy yoga nidra works at four different levels:
By releasing repressed matter: Researches on cancer have brought out the fact that the repressed and suppressed material of the subconscious and unconscious mind reinforces the multiplication of anarchic tumour cells, resulting in cancer. In yoga nidra, cancer patients are taught to relax in a true sense. In the state of complete relaxation patients practise the technique of visualization, which helps in bringing up the repressed unconscious matter to the present area of awareness. When these repressions are observed with a witnessing attitude, the ego identity is cut off and no more repression or suppression takes place. In this way, slowly the reinforcing factor of cancer is rooted out.
By pranic healing: In the practice of yoga nidra, the subtle bioplasmic energy, prana, is awakened and mobilized throughout the body. The practitioner is asked to consciously imagine the flow of light or energy within healing the infected area of the body. Slowly this conscious imagination activates the dormant self-healing capacity and actual healing takes place in the patient. This kind of healing is termedpranic healing.
By mental healing: In yoga nidra, healing can also be initiated on the mental plane through the technique of visualization. Here the cancer is visualized shrinking in size; an army of white blood cells is visualized fighting the cancer cells. This results in the activation of dormant mental power i.e. the power of the unconscious to heal the infected part. When the body is visualized to be in perfect health again and again, the inherent potency of the mind actually starts healing the cancer.
By promoting willpower: In most cases of cancer the patients become devoid of hope and give up the fight against the disease, which further worsens the situation. To overcome cancer, enormous willpower and sustained endurance is needed. For this purpose, sankalpa is practised in yoga nidra. The sankalpa helps in building up willpower and optimism in the patient because it is sowed in the subconscious and unconscious mind again and again.
In this way, by developing confidence, willpower and optimism, by clearing up the unconscious repression, and by healing the cancer site at the pranic and mental levels, yoga nidra may help to cure cancer. This fact has been supported by the study of Simonton (1972) who found in controlled trials that a specific form of yoga nidra significantly increased the life span of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy. Similarly Meares (1979) demonstrated clear regression of cancer of the rectum following meditation. Again, in the following year, Meares (1980) found that meditation helped in the remission of metastatic (secondary) cancers developing from a primary cancer in the lungs.

Conclusion

From the above discussion, it becomes clear that the technique of yoga nidra has preventive, promotive and curative value. It prevents stress and stress-related disorders by inducing deep physical, emotional and mental relaxation, by training the mind to remain calm and quiet and by rooting out the repressed desires and thoughts from the deeper realms of the mind. As a promotive science, yoga nidra awakens the inherent creativity and promotes the learning and memory abilities of the practitioner. Researches also indicate that yoga nidra can be used as a therapeutic technique to cure psychological disorders like anxiety, hostility, insomnia etc. and psychosomatic diseases like asthma, coronary heart disease, cancer, hypertension etc. In our present modern lifestyle, where psychological and psychosomatic problems are on the rise, the technique of yoga nidra may serve as a real boon for mankind.


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A chakra or a wheel is a point of prana (energy)in our subtle body, located in the physical counterparts of our body like the veins, arteries and nerves. Yoga is an extremely beneficial way to release the prana or life force whenever it is stuck. Yoga releases the musty energy and invites fresh energy in our system through the poses and breathing.

Each of the seven chakras has its own vitality and is related to our emotional well-being. TheMuladhara or root chakra is located at the base of the spine and is related to basic human instinct and survival. The Swadishthana is located above the root chakra, at the sacrum and corresponds to the reproductive cycle. Above that is the Manipura, located in the stomach area and deals with self-esteem, power, fear etc. and physically it deals with digestion. Above this is Anahata, located in the chest just above the heart and deals with love, inner peace and devotion. This is followed by Vishuddhi, located in the throat and dealing with communication, self-expression etc. Above this is Ajna, which is between the eyebrows and responds to intuition, imagination and ability to deal with situations. Finally, there is Sahasrara, which is at the very top of the head and deals with inner and outer beauty, connection to spirituality, etc.

When yoga and mudras are practiced, the chakras get balanced and make our system, both physical and emotional, function in a stable, balanced manner. Some of these yoga poses include:

Tadasana (Mountain Pose)

Mountain Pose encourages your connection with Earth, connects you with your own body and grounds you in the present moment.


Veerabhadrasana (Warrior pose)

This is a strong asana that creates a firm connection between the Earth and your body. This yoga pose allows your prana to move through your body, rooting you through the first chakra. It physically strengthens your legs, opens your hips and can help with knee and lower back strength.

Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose)

This is a dynamic root chakra yoga pose that allows your feet to be firmly rooted into the Earth and your spine engaged in the release of excess root chakra energy. Bridge Pose also stimulates the throat chakra, opens the heart and solar plexus chakras, and balances the sacral chakra.

Along with these, certain mudras also help release the prana and open up the chakras. They include:

Muladhara:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention your perineum.Form a circle with your forefingers and thumbs. Rest your hands on your knees with palms up.Inhale deeply and exhale.Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Swadishthana:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area one-inch below your navel across to lumbar vertebra one.Rest your right hand over your left with the palms up, in your lap with thumbs touching lightly.Inhale deeply and exhale.Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Manipura:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your navel to solar plexus and across to thoracic vertebra eight.With your fingers straight, touching at the top and pointing forward, form a V with your thumbs crossed right over left.Inhale deeply and exhale.Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Anahata:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your heart across to thoracic vertebra one.Form a circle with your forefingers and thumbs. Rest your left hand palm up on your left knee. Raise your right hand up to the center of your breasts with palm angling slightly toward your heart.Inhale deeply and exhale.Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Vishuddhi:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of the base of your throat across to cervical vertebra three.Form a circle with your thumbs touching and the rest of your fingers crossed and loosely cupped. Raise your hands in front of your throat, solar plexus, or rest them on your lap.Inhale deeply and exhale.Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Ajna:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your third eye, beginning slightly above the point between the eyebrows across to cervical vertebra one, encompassing the skull’s interior.Form a heart with your thumbs touching at the tips and your forefingers, ring and pinky fingers touching at the second phalanges. Raise your middle fingers to form a crown. Raise your hands in front of your third eye, solar plexus, or rest them on your lap.Inhale deeply and exhale.Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Sahasrara:

Sit comfortably with your spine straight and focus your attention on the area of your crown at the top of your head up and to three inches above your skull.Clasp your hands with fingers crossed inside and left thumb underneath the right. Raise your ring fingers to form a crown. Raise your hands over your head, in front of your solar plexus, or rest them on your lap.Inhale deeply and exhale.Repeat for 7 to 10 breaths.

Trataka 
(1) Keep the picture of Lord Krishna, Rama, Narayana or Devi in front of you. Look at it steadily without winking. Gaze at the head; then at the body; then at the legs. Repeat the same process again and again. When your mind calms down look at a particular place only. Be steady till tears begin to flow. Then close the eyes and mentally visualise the picture.

(2) Gaze on a black dot on a white wall or draw a black mark on a piece of white paper and hang it on the wall in front of you.

(3) Draw the picture Om (!) on a piece of paper and have it before your seat. Do Trataka on it.

(4) Lie down on an open terrace and gaze at a particular bright star or on the full moon. After some time, you will see different colours of lights. Again some time later, you will see only a particular colour throughout, and all other surrounding stars will disappear. When you gaze at the moon, you will see only a bright moon on a black background. At times you will see a huge mass of light all around you. When gazing becomes more intense, you can also see two or three moons of the same size and at times you cannot see any moon at all even though your eyes may be wide open.

(5) Select at random any place in the open sky in the morning or evening hours and gaze at it steadily. You will get new inspirations.

(6) Look at a mirror and gaze at the pupil of your eye.

(7) Some people do Trataka at the space between the two eyebrows or at the tip of the nose. Even during walking, some persons do Trataka at the tip of the nose.

(8) Advanced students can do Trataka at the inner Chakras, (Padmas). Muladhara, Anahata, Ajna and Sahasrara are the important centres for Trataka.

(9) Keep a ghee-lamp before you and gaze at the flames. Some astral entities give Darshan through the flames.

(10) Very few Yogins do Trataka on the sun. It requires the help of an experienced man by their side. They begin to gaze on the rising sun and after gradual practice they do Trataka on the sun even in the midday. They get some special Siddhis (psychic powers) by this practice. All are not fit for this Sadhana. All the first 9 exercises will suit everyone and they are harmless. The last one, sun-gazing should not be attempted until you get the help of an experienced man.


Practicing yoga daily, along with mudras, meditations and breathing exercises can help open up these chakras, which can have a very positive and bright effect on our body, mind and soul.
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