PRANAYAMA - THE NEXT STEP

COURSE CURRICULUM WEEK 4

Shakti Chalana and upasana

Here we have the final step. Everything up to this point has been a preparation for this exercise. I have never seen this exercise taught exactly in this way and these ratios elsewhere. This is a gem, and the result of decades of research and refinement by Sri BNS Iyengar. Watch the Shakthi Chalana video carefully. Continue to practice the Nadi Shodhana/Vishama Vrtti for a minimum of 5 rounds each day. The rounds of Shakti Chalana are shorter and take less time. Start with 5 rounds at 7-28-14. Adjust up or down as needed, but keep the ratio 1-4-2. Over the final 7 days add one round per day so that you are up to 10 rounds for the last 3 days. That is it. Shakti Chalana, done with fully developed Bandhas, and consistent mindful practice, by an experienced yogi will lead to trance and samadhi. It will lead to an experience or the individual self and a glimpse into the mystery of life. According to the philosophy of Nathamuni’s Yoga Parampara, this experience is necessary to go through before moving forward into Bhakti Yoga. All these teachings, although they are fierce Hatha Yoga techniques, have been reformatted and given to the world by Bhakti Yogis. That Includes Sri Krishnamacharya, the Royal Family of Mysore, my teacher Sri BNS Iyengar, my acharya Sri Lakshmithathachar Swami….all are Bhakti Yogis. They all say that Bhakti is higher than Hatha Yoga, asana, pranayama etc. BUT! You can’t skip any steps. A kid from preschool doesn’t know how to behave in a university. To neglect your body and let it be polluted, weak and sick and think that you can simply sit around chanting Hari Krishna to get your liberation is a mistake in my opinion. It skips important preliminary stages, and while it may work for some, it definitely doesn’t work for everyone.

These are the foundational steps. Starting from Yama through Pranayama, this is Hatha Yoga. It leads to Raja Yoga. Pranayama makes an athlete into a yogi. When we look at the history of modern yoga and try to trace the origins of the yoga postures and practices we are doing today, we find lots of controversy. There is a very blurry line indeed between the asana practices in yoga and other forms of exercise such as gymnastics, acrobatics, dance, martial arts etc. Whichever discipline you happen to think is more ancient or came first in a way doesn’t matter. Everyone agrees there is a lot of common ground. No one person or culture can say they invented the pushup! Exercise for the sake of fitness is fine. It is a common and universal thing to do, and of course it is good. Only Yoga includes ideas like Nadis, Chakras, Vayus, Koshas, Prana, Pancha Maha Bhutas and other concepts that attempt to explain the nature of reality and guide a spiritual aspirant towards liberation from the suffering of life. That is unique to Yoga. Exercise alone is not Yoga. The context of the exercise is what is unique and authentic in yoga practice. No other discipline has those hallmarks. So if you have invested your time and effort and to some extent your identity in Yoga, you should really take the NEXT STEP!

Guruji BNS Iyengar always told a story something like - “you have gone to the market to buy some vegetables…you take them home and begin to wash them..will you stand there washing all night long or will you cook them and eat them?” Asana is washing the vegetables. Mudra, Bandha and Pranayama is how we cook them and eat them…and now you have a recipe!

Shakti Chalana

Exhale freely on the Left side

Inhale 7 Right- Hold 28 - Exhale 14 Left

Inhale 14 Left - Hold 28 - Exhale 7 Right

This is one round of Shakti Chalana

Practice:

3 rounds Compression/Vacuum

5 rounds Vishama Vrtti or Nadi Shodhana

10 rounds of Shakti Chalana

Shavasana

*Refer to video 7 Pranayama Practice for a starting point and practice along with it until you are comfortable to practice on your own.

A this point you have completed your month of training in Pranayama. This is only the beginning. Listen at least twice to video 8 Sustainable Practice, preferably a few days apart. You will have to decide for yourself what level of practice you would like to continue on a daily basis. Success in Yoga depends on the means adapted to achieve it. Mild, medium or intense.

UPASANA

This is an intensive 48 day program for those who would like to go deeply into Pranayama. Upasana is not suited to everyone. You need to practice Vishama Vrtti-Nadi Shodhana at a ratio of 12/30 for at least 6 months regularly. When this is established, you may concentrate on Shakti Chalana. Build up to a minimum of 12-48-12 in Shakti Chalana for 15 rounds each day before attempting Upasana. No one can run a marathon on their first day jogging! This level of practice is for those with an adventurous spirit who really want to experience deep stages of internal Yoga practice, meditation, trance, samadhi etc. It can be dangerous physically and mentally. Listen carefully to the final video. Consult your doctor if you have any health concerns. EACH PERSON ATTEMPTING THIS PROCESS DOES SO AT THEIR OWN RISK. Did you think yoga was just all about feeling good and breathing deep and that it was all fun and easy? I am afraid this is not the case. The ancient roots of yoga come from radical ascetic practices. The concept of Tapas is important. These are not really radical ascetic practices. They have been reformatted to fit our current paradigm- but they are surely not easy or risk free.

Upasana is NOT recommended for people who take antidepressant or anti-anxiety medication. It should be strictly avoided! If you take them then you should engage in normal pranayama practice for some time and then perhaps working together with your doctor you can safely decrease your dosage and finally get off of those drugs altogether. Stopping those medications abruptly can have very dangerous consequences! You should be free of them for 6 months and in a good state of mind before undertaking Upasana.

To conduct Upasana is not complicated. Simply do 20 rounds of Shakti Chalana in the morning and 20 rounds in the evening, at the same time, in the same place, for 48 days. Do not miss a single day or a single practice. The ratio must be at least 12-48-24 to have the desired affect. Listen carefully to the Upasana video, number 9, several times before you attempt Upasana.

Pranayama is a powerful tool. It can create profoundly positive changes in practitioners. It cures many mental illnesses and personality disorders as well as respiratory diseases such as asthma. Pranayama increases oxygen saturation in our blood and improves cardiovascular fitness. Its benefits are well documented by medical science. Pranayama is associated with the acquisition of psychic powers in yoga literature. There are risks associated also, as with any other physical activity. 

“I can say for sure that Pranayama has been of huge benefit to my health, my state of mind and to my practice of yoga. It has been a guiding light in my life. I truly hope these practices can be of equal or greater benefit to everyone who undertakes this course.” Sincerely, Andrew Eppler

*EVERYONE WHO TAKES THIS PRANAYAMA COURSE ASSUMES ANY AND ALL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH IT. CONSULT A MEDICAL DOCTOR IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH. THIS COURSE IS NOT INTENDED FOR BEGINNING PRACTITIONERS OF YOGA.