Editorial
In the seventies and
early eighties, Bindu
was published in
Danish, and towards
the end of that period
a few issues were also
published in English and
Swedish. This winter
we began publishing
the magazine again in
4 languages, German,
English, Danish and
Swedish - and have
received a lot of positive
feedback. The articles in
the previous issue have
inspired many to contact
us.
A former yoga
student felt like learning
to meditate, when he
read the article On the
ability to experience.
The description of how
to use one’s awareness
and extend it into the
immediate surroundings
and experience them
and oneself more clearly
inspired him. He did
the experiment without
really expecting anything and was
therefore surprised by the instantaneous
effect it had, despite its simplicity.
In this issue we print a letter from
a student in Stockholm, who wrote to
us after reading the articles on nose
cleansing and headstand. She relates the
distinct effect these exercises have had
on her hearing.
You are welcome to write to the
editors, if you have something to
contribute. Or perhaps you have
questions on the articles or wish to know
2
something about the yoga and meditation
courses and publications.
Practise is worth more than
theory
Several colleges and other educational
institutions have ordered Bindu for their
pupils. Many school classes have paid
us a visit or asked us to come and give
an introductory yoga class; although it
can be exiting to read about yoga and
meditation, you only experience what
it is about by doing the
exercises yourself.
Yoga is yoga
Occasionally, during
introductory classes, the
question is raised as to
whether yoga is particu-
larly Indian or if it has
something to do with
Hinduism. We can only
answer, that although
yoga came to us from
India, there is no reason
to connect it exclusively
with Hinduism, or any
other religion for that
matter. Yoga is some-
thing in it self, we like
to call it a tool for the
art of living. Throughout
history yoga has been
used at various times
and in various cultures
by people all over the
world. Today the interest
in yoga is greatest in
Europe, North and South
America, Australia and
New Zealand.
In Denmark, a few years ago, a study
was carried out concerning the number
of yoga students attending evening
schools. It was discovered that every
year between 50,000 and 70.000 students
attended yoga classes around the country
each season. Over a 10 year period that
means at least 10% of a population of 5
million get to know some form of yoga.
There is practically one yoga teacher in
every small town and hundreds in the big
cities.
If one maintains that people become
Hindus by practising yoga, one could
just as easily claim that athletes, and
everyone participating and watching the
Olympic games, worships the Greek
gods. We know that athletics originated
in ancient Greece, where it was carried
out in honour of the gods. One might ask
with a certain irony: Why do they carry
that flame from Mount Olympus every
fourth year, are they some kind of sect?!
- I haven’t changed a bit
since I started...
It is our experience that yoga influences
body, mind and feelings. Yoga is about
exploring your abilities, about gaining
real creativity, energy and concentration,
about becoming your own authority and
developing an independent relationship
to life. It is a means of experiencing life
in a strong and direct way. Beliefs, hopes
and expectations about this and that,
remain your own affair.
We wish to express our belief, that
humans are intelligent beings, capable
of making their own choices in step with
an increasing awareness, and that no one
chooses any attitude to life unless they
wish to - we are sure that you find your-
self capable, dear reader, and so do we.
As one of our students said, when
asked how yoga had influenced him:
“I haven’t changed a bit since I started
doing yoga, but I feel much better!”
Kriya Yoga
In this issue of Bindu, Swami
Janakananda follows up on his article
on meditation, in Bindu no. 3, with the
first part of a longer article on the Tantric
Kriya Yoga.
The article The Source of Energy, will
give you a basic idea of this meditation,
which we also call the little Kriya Yoga
- it also serves as an introduction to the
article on Kriya Yoga.
In this issue you will also be
introduced to the deep and extensive
range of courses available at the
Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
School’s International Course Center at
Håå in Southern Sweden, including the
current course schedule and prices. The
10- and 14-day courses this summer start
on the 19th of May. Because of the low
exchange rate for Swedish Crowns, the
courses this year will be especially good
value for most other nationalities. q

Contents
Yoga and the finer energy
Even though the “small wind and tension releasing
exercises” is the first programme you meet on our courses,
it is not just for beginners, it has also a deeper effect.
Pawanmuktasana, as it is also called, is viewed from a
knowledge of the vital energy, known as prana in India and
Chi in China.
The meditation the Source of Energy
Using meditation over a longer period of time can have an
enduring beneficial effect on your brain activity. One
who meditates regularly experiences a lasting relaxing effect
in daily life.
4 Håå Course Center in southern Sweden 13
is for those wishing to give themselves a little extra and learn
yoga and meditation under the best possible conditions.
In the middle of southern Sweden’s countryside 14-day
and longer courses are held year round, for beginners and
for those more advanced, as well as courses for the yoga
teachers. The center includes organic farms and riding
horses. Many don’t just come to learn something, but for a
6 chance to find perspective and new inspiration...
Reader’s letter 14
A student’s experience of the benefits of nose cleansing and
headstand.

Kriya Yoga 9 London weekend course 15

Are there any secrets being revealed on this ancient tantric 17, 18 & 19th. June at Neal’s Yard,
meditation, or does it remain a mystery for the uninitiated? Covent Garden, London.
Swami Janakananda has taught the complete Tantric
Kriya Yoga for more than 20 years...

3
Yoga and the finer energy
“The small wind- and tension-releasing exercises” - Pawanmuktasana
- and their profound effect on the body’s finer energy
Some years ago one of our teachers acted
as a substitute for another yoga teacher
at an evening school. The students
had attended yoga classes regularly
for eight years, but had never tried this
programme. They were greatly surprised
to discover the perceptible effect of these
simple exercises.
Pawan means wind, mukta to
liberate or to release and asana a yoga
pose. Pawanmuktasana is an easy
programme, that can be practised by
most people without difficulty. It is the
first yoga programme one follows on the
elementary courses. Often considered a
programme for beginners and the elderly,
it provides a good foundation for the
4
more advanced yoga poses. Pawan-
mukt-asana, however, is more than
that. Its effects to the experienced yoga
practitioner are highly beneficial.
All the joints are moved
Pawanmuktasana consists of a series of
movements, effectively freeing joints
and muscles from stiffness and toxins,
and releasing wind from the intestines.
You start by bending and stretching
the toes and insteps, then you make
circles with the feet, followed by a
blood-pumping exercise whereby you
bend and stretch the legs and feet. Then
you proceed to the hands, making fists
and stretching the fingers, bending
the hands up and down from the
wrists and then rotating the clenched
hands. Next the joints of the arms and
shoulders are stretched, bent and rotated.
Systematically one moves through
the body. The neck, hips and even the
involuntary peristaltic movements of
the intestines are affected. After this you
take a break, lying completely still on
the back.
Swami Janakananda describes and
fully illustrates the Pawanmuktasana
programme in the book Yoga, Tantra and
Meditation in Daily Life.
The energy
We will now consider the deep effect
these exercises have on the body’s
energy, the prana.
Prana is another word for the
psychic energy, which is known in both
by Mira
China and India. In Europe it was first
called vital-energy, later bio-electrical
energy, and at some point the Austrian
psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich renamed
it Orgon-energy. The Sanskrit word for
this energy is Prana and it is thoroughly
described in the Tantric yoga texts. In
China it is called Chi, in Japan Ki.
The prana has various functions in
the body. Briefly, one prana or energy
is responsible for digestion, another
for elimination, a third is connected
with the breath, a fourth flows through
our sensory apparatus, and through the
legs and arms. Finally a fifth prana has
the all-over function of gathering and
balancing the energy of the body.
A flow of prana, or an energy current,
is called a Nadi in yoga. The Japanese
Dr. Hiroshi Motoyama states: “I consider
the nadis to be essentially equivalent to
the meridians of Chinese acupuncture.”
In yoga the prana and the manner in
which it flows is influenced by the poses
and especially by the breathing exercises,
whose real purpose is to make one
consciously aware of the energy: prana-
yama. Later, when you master yoga and
have learnt to visualise and meditate, you
can learn to heal through the conscious
influence of this energy, this technique
is called Prana Vidya, the knowledge of
prana.
We will return to these subjects again
in this magazine, as they are integral to
the teachings of yoga.
Yoga poses promote the
circulation of energy
The following is taken from an
investigation by Dr. Motoyama, made in
collaboration with Swami Satyananda,
based on the former’s knowledge of
Chinese acupuncture.
According to Ayurveda, the classical
Indian medicine, the body is controlled
by three “body fluids”: phlegm (kapha),
wind or air (vayu), and acid or bile
(pitta). Irregularity in the function of
any one of these three “fluids” upsets
the body’s metabolism, and this is
considered a fundamental cause of
disease.
Vayu doesn’t only refer to gases in
the stomach and intestines, but also to
a coarse form of prana, which one may
conceive of as a subtle body “fluid”
that flows through the nadis (the energy
channels).
The flow of ki-energy (or prana) is
easily impeded; especially at the joints. A
poor flow here can cause rheumatic pains
and result in a deficient energy flow
throughout the entire body, which in
turn can be the cause of many disorders.
With Pawanmuktasana the flow of
prana through the nadis is stimulated,
primarily by removing the blockages in
the joints.
Note that, with the legs, one starts
with the toes, moves on to the ankles
and knees and ends at the hips. With
the arms, one moves from the fingers to
the wrists, elbows and shoulders, in that
order.
Before doing Pawanmuktasana or
other yoga poses, it is recommended
that you lie completely still on the back.
It relaxes the body, and allows the prana
to be easily absorbed and distributed.
Sei points
The effects of the tension- and wind-
releasing exercises on the circulation of
prana can be explained by the Chinese
meridian theory in the following way:
There are twelve major meridians of
ki energy, which run over and through
the body; most of them are related to
one specific internal organ, which they
pass through. The terminal points of
these meridians are located in the fingers
and toes, and are known as sei (“well”)
points. For example, the sei point of the
lung meridian is located in the thumb
and that of the large intestine is at the tip
of the index finger. Likewise, the rest of
the sei points are placed in the fingers
and toes - on both sides of the body.
The sei points are very important,
as it is through them that the ki energy
enters and leaves the meridian. The
energy level at these points is said to
accurately reflect the condition of the
entire meridian. It is known that in cases
of acute illness, acupuncture at these
points has an immediate effect.
The exercises in Pawanmuktasana,
where one clenches the hands and
bends the toes, stimulate the sei points
directly, and consequently promotes the
circulation of ki energy (prana).
Gen points
Chinese medicine also speaks of gen
(“source”) points, located either in the
wrists or ankles, or between the sei point
and the joint. Diseases of the internal
organs are often reflected at the gen point
of the meridian concerned, and treatment
there is often prescribed. Bending
and rotation of the ankles and wrists
stimulates the gen points and thereby
helps to normalise the function of the
internal organs that are connected with
the twelve meridians.
The above explanation of sei and gen
points is found in The Yellow Emperors
Treatise on Internal Medicine - the oldest
text of Chinese medicine, which also
states that the knee and elbow joints are
closely associated with the gen points,
and that they too can be important when
treating diseases of the internal organs.
Therefore stretching and bending of the
knees and elbows is also beneficial, and
the same applies for stimulation of the
hip and shoulder joints.
The general effects of the
exercises
In Western medicine, the joints are
considered vulnerable areas of the body.
Fluid tends to accumulate and stagnate
there, and the whole body gradually
becomes fatigued. This condition can
lead to rheumatism and neuralgia, which
is a common complaint. In this context
the benefits of Pawanmuktasana are
inestimable. In addition to improving the
flow of ki energy through the meridians,
the programme promotes the circulation
of blood and body fluids through the
joints, thereby helping to cure illnesses
and maintain good health. q
5
The Source of Energy by Joachim Rodenbeck

“Do you meditate when you simply sit down, close

your eyes and let go?”
- a meditation from Hardly - a few might succeed in relaxing a little, but
the Tantric you can easily become caught in the illusion that you
meditate, when instead you lose yourself in thoughts,
Kriya Yoga or simply doze without going deep.

A method is important
To enter the relaxed state, to benefit and draw strength
from it, you need a method. We can certainly use our
will to stir ourselves up or get excited, but we can’t
relax by will power alone. Even when we believe that
we do it, it doesn’t work.
The American neuro-psychologist H. Benson
showed in his well known study on relaxation and
meditation techniques: “The Relaxation Response”
(1975), that without a method, we don’t actually reach
a deep state of relaxation or meditation.
Meditation and relaxation techniques are known
all over the world. In Japanese Zen and other Eastern
traditions the breath is used as a means of entering the
meditation. It is basically the normal - or spontaneous
breath that you experience.
In Kriya Yoga, which is known in China and India,
a simple breathing technique is used, the so-called
Psychic Breath, to cleanse the mind and enter a deep
state. This breath can be done alone or as a basis for a
more comprehensive meditation. The meditation The
Source of Energy (the little Ajapa Jap) is to a great
extent based on this breathing technique.

Psychic breath...
...also called Ujjayi Pranayama, is easy to perform. It
is a deep, slow and relaxed breath.
With breathing exercises and all kinds of meditation
where you work with the psychic energy, a proper
meditation pose with a straight spine is a must.
Therefore you sit upright in a meditation pose, which
ensures that the energy flows freely and harmoniously
You make a light whispering sound with the breath
originating from the vocal chords. The sound is

6
relaxed as from a child in deep sleep.
Together with the sound you inhale
deeply and slowly, hold the breath for
about 3 seconds, then with the sound
you exhale slowly and relaxed and hold
the breath out for about 3 seconds. After
that follows the next inhalation and so
on. Thus, there are four phases in all:
inhalation, holding the breath, exhalation,
and holding the breath out.
The breath influences body
and mind
Psychic tensions manifest in the body’s
muscles, these tensions can be dissolved
through various yoga exercises (see
Bindu no. 3). The same applies to the
breath: Tensions also build up here.
Over the years we all develop a certain
pattern of breathing, formed by our
habits of thoughts and feelings. In every
state we experience, we react in the way
we breathe. No matter whether we are
restless or confused, relaxed or sleepy
the breath changes accordingly. Who
hasn’t “breathed a sigh of relief”, or
become “breathless” when something
really exciting happens?
On the other hand, through breathing
exercises (pranayama) one can directly
influence the state of body and mind.
There are numerous such breathing
exercises in the yoga tradition, each
with its precise and specific effect. Some
have a stimulating effect and give an
invigorating feeling of new energy, while
others relax and harmonise.
By means of the even sound from
the throat and the slow, regular rhythm
between inhalation, the short holding of
the breath and the exhalation, one can
say that Ujjai Pranayama “stretches”
the breath. Irregularities and blockages
inhibiting the breath are gradually
removed. The effect is felt both as a
pleasurable relaxation and as an increase
of energy.
The tongue phase, which lasted several hours. For
A special way of holding the tongue the majority of women this is the most
completes the psychic breath. It is called laborious part of the birth, and you often
Khechari Mudra; in Sanskrit mudra experience strong pain. She knew this
means an attitude, which influences the from the birth of her first child. This
subtle energies in the body. There are a time, however, she relaxed with the help
number of different mudras, and this one of the breath and didn’t feel any pain at
is considered most important. all, even though she was wide awake and
The tongue is bent backwards, so that consciously followed the dilation of the
the tip of the tongue points backwards uterus. She was so surprised by this, that
and touches the soft part of the palate she thought the birth had come to a stop.
resting there. This position of the Every time she was in doubt about this,
tongue may feel a little awkward in she interrupted the psychic breath “to see
the beginning. It has however, various if there was something wrong and then
important functions. When you sit for immediately the pains set in.”
a longer time with the psychic breath,
the folded tongue keeps the throat
moist; also this position stimulates the
A step by step absorption
On the basis of the psychic breath The
parasympathetic nervous system.
Source of Energy evolves as a clearly
It is said that Khechari Mudra, for the
defined sequence: You begin with the
period you hold it, suspends the direct
breath, practising it for a while. Thus
interaction between mind and body.
you become calm and get absorbed in
Impatience, and whatever thoughts or
the breathing. Step by step you then
feelings that may surface in the mind will
learn to discover and utilise certain
not affect the body like they usually do,
energy passages in the body. Later in the
creating restlessness, a nervous stomach
sequence certain sounds (mantra) are
or a headache, whilst the state of the
added.
body will not so easily influence the
In this way tensions and blocks in the
mind. This helps break the vicious circle
energy of the body are systematically
of stress, where thoughts and tensions
removed, and gradually it becomes
constantly reinforce each other.
impossible to hold on to limiting ideas
Better at coping with pain...
At our yoga courses for pregnant
women, the psychic breath plays an
important part. There are a number of
different breathing techniques, that can
help during birth. Many women claim,
however, that the psychic breath is the
most relaxing during the contractions. It
helps them to cope with pain and they are
able to surrender to the process of giving
birth.
A woman from Stockholm had a
remarkable experience during the birth
of her second child. She used the psychic
breath during the whole opening up
7
and states. Step by step you go deeper
and reach still finer states.
A complete meditation sequence lasts
from 20 to 45 minutes, but of course
it can’t be described in detail here. If
you want to know more, you will find
thorough instructions in Yoga, Tantra
and Meditation in Daily Life by Swami
Janakananda. But it is the best to receive
direct instructions on a meditation
course.
Alpha - relaxation of
the grey cells
The brain activity also changes during
The Source of Energy meditation. This
was shown clearly in a test made at the
University Clinic of Cologne under the
direction of Dr. Thomas Schmidt. A
number of yoga and meditation teachers
had their blood pressure, heart beat
and the electrical activity of the brain
measured during this meditation. With
the help of electrodes, that were placed
evenly all over the skull, the activity
of the brain was reproduced on an
electroencephalograph (EEG).
At first the subjects were allowed to
meditate undisturbed. Then the doctors
tried to disturb them systematically:
“...our hands were lowered into ice-cold
water, a deafening noise was played
through earphones, and we were even
stung with needles. All this I could
peripherally observe, but I didn’t feel
disturbed by it.” (yoga teacher Thorbjørn
Knudsen).
The electronic measurements
confirmed this personal experience.
During the meditation the brain changed
its frequency: From a high activity
(beta-frequency) to a deep and stable
alpha-frequency. The frequency of the
impulses in the brain can be measured
with all human beings and shows clearly
whether you are in the ordinary waking
state (Beta), whether you relax (Alpha),
whether you sleep in a light (Theta) or
8
in a deep sleep (Delta). The alpha-
frequency sets in every time we relax,
and that happens by itself right before
we fall asleep. On the other hand, in
deep relaxation and in meditation we
consciously choose to stay in the alpha
state, to not go too deep and fall asleep.
This state is experienced as a period
where you calm down completely and
gain new strength. On the way into
this calmness, the mind opens up and
gradually lets go of everyday thoughts
often followed by a period where
spontaneous, creative ideas will surface
or solutions to particular problems.
Finally, at the end of the meditation,
you reach a state where you will be one-
pointed and centered.
What surprised the doctors behind
the experiment the most was, that even
during the extreme disturbances there
were no changes in the alpha-values
of the EEG. In other words, during
the whole meditation the brain was
- independent of the outer influences
- in a wakeful and relaxed state without
blocking.
Recent studies, both in the USA
and Scandinavia, also show that when
you meditate over a longer period of
time, it can have an enduring beneficial
effect on your brain activity. One
who meditates regularly has a lasting
relaxing effect - in daily life.
Effective learning
The story of a student in Copenhagen
shows how this can be beneficial.
She was preparing for an important
examination and had earlier experienced
difficulties with the reading material:
“...Every time I reached certain
passages in the texts, I became tense,
tired and distracted. It was like I didn’t
trust myself confronting this material.
When I started to meditate, these
problems disappeared. I simply had
so much energy, that I couldn’t hang
on to this ‘I-cannot-state’. Even when
reading what before had appeared to
be difficult passages, my mind didn’t
go blank anymore, and I reached an all
over understanding, that I hadn’t been
able to comprehend earlier. I learned the
examination requirements.”
The ability to remain open is very
important for intellectual work, but can
also be useful in every activity of daily
life, and in any kind of creativity. When
you don’t so easily let yourself become
blocked by limiting ideas, you can better
put your strength into achieving your real
goals.
On the way to Kriya Yoga
In the tantric tradition two meditations
are based on the psychic breath: The
Source of Energy and Ajapa Japa.
Together they can also be called the
little Kriya Yoga and are the first steps
in the direction of the much more
comprehensive Kriya Yoga.
Ajapa Japa can be characterised as a
continuation of The Source of Energy.
It is more deep going and extensive, in
length and in the subtlety of the different
steps. The last steps you learn during a
few days of silence.
The learning process of Ajapa Japa
takes a longer time, and therefore we
teach it on 10- and 14-day courses at
the Håå Course Center in southern
Sweden. Here you live for two weeks
in the countryside - without television,
radio or newspapers. Such a holiday,
away from all the everyday influences,
creates the calmness and concentration
needed for really learning this meditation
and benefiting from it right from the
beginning.
Those who wish to go further can
learn the complete Kriya Yoga (see page
9). Swami Janakananda is today one of
the few who teaches the Tantric Kriya
Yoga in its original form and required
conditions q
Kriya Yoga
- a bridge between the inner and the outer world - by Swami Janakananda
Consciousness and Energy
The experiencer and the
experienced
Can one overcome the limitations of the
mind, and reach an insight that is not
based on previous learning or that which
one imagines, but which emerges from
a fundamental and direct experience of
consciousness and energy?
Fig. 1. Ramses and the Goddess Isis.
One of the most secret and advanced
methods for such a transforming insight
is called Kriya Yoga. For the time being,
I will describe it as a sequence of deep
reaching techniques for awakening
and expanding consciousness and for
strengthening the vital and psychic ener-
gy. Methods which create a harmonic
balance between that which you
experience and you who experience it, in
all the various dimensions of your being.
“In this context, however, the boundary between subject and object demands
special attention. Any simple communication about our state of mind naturally
implies a distinction between the content of our consciousness - and that
background, which we loosely describe as ‘ourselves’.” (Niels Bohr)
Kriya means process and is a concept psychic power, matched with a deep
which encompasses many things in wisdom, which was of benefit to their
yoga. The word is used for the cleansing countries. The archaeologists today
processes “Hatha Yoga Kriya” and as an somewhat misleadingly call them priest-
attitude and a discipline in Raja Yoga. kings. These are cultures that had a high
Even Ajapa Japa (see the article on page technological, material and spiritual
6) is sometimes called Kriya Yoga. None level, and with a knowledge about yoga
of this, however, should be confused (see later).
with the advanced Tantric Kriya Yoga or How the ancient Egyptians used their
Kriya Kundalini Yoga. power from generation to generation, I
But I will start by beating around the cannot say - if one wants to be positive,
bush and tell a “story” about this yoga’s then they have been enlightened guides
traces in the earth’s past: to their people, who experienced a rich
and long culture - a culture far older and
The snake and the eagle more stable than any we know today.
In ancient Egypt two symbols can be And it was not till after many thousands
found, the snake and the eagle. We also of years, after a period of decline, when
find them in the American Indian culture, the power passed from the original elite
but here they are sometimes coupled, so to the Greeks, beginning with Alexander
that the snake is held by the eagle (fig. the Great and ending with Cleopatra as
2), or they have merged into one being: the most well known rulers, that Egypt’s
The feathered snake Quetzalcóatl. days of glory finally were over.
These symbols are often represented
by local wildlife, “the eagle” can also
be a falcon, a vulture or a condor. The
snake is not always a cobra but can, for
example, be a rattlesnake.
The Egyptian Pharaohs’ rule of many
thousands of years was, without a doubt,
built upon a fundamental knowledge
of psychic energy and an expanded
consciousness, that is, of prana and
kundalini and the resulting psychic
abilities. Also in Mexico, in the Maya,
Olmek and Zapotek cultures; in ancient
India, in the urban cultures Harappa and
Mohenjo-Daro of The Indus Valley; with
the Druids, in the old Celtic culture,
which stretched from southern Germany
through France over Great Britain to
Ireland, there were at that time leaders,
who possessed great practical and
worldly knowledge and spiritual and
9

Secret initiations
The Pharaohs were part of an élite of
so-called initiates. They didn’t want the
knowledge that they possessed, about the
power and possibilities of man, revealed
to just anyone - partly so that it shouldn’t
become diluted and be lost. Therefore
these initiates’ abilities, and the means
by which they gained their abilities and
consciousness, were strictly guarded.
Only a few, who proved to be worthy,
were granted this knowledge, and the
ones who disclosed it without fulfilling
the given conditions, were often tracked
down and punished with death.
An example of an initiate who possessed
special abilities, is said to be Moses. He
succeeded in breaking out from the inner
circle to lead the Jews out of Egypt.
With the Celtic Druids it was for-
bidden to write anything down about the
secret meditations, they could only be
learnt during silence and were passed on
directly from the initiate to the aspirant.
To a certain extent it was the same in
India, however no one has to my know-
ledge been killed, but perhaps excluded
from further initiation and knowledge.
In Tibet we can see from Milarepa’s life,
that he had to go through a long and labo-
10
rious training lasting more than 20 years,
before the “secret” meditations, that he
would later use in the solitude of the
mountains, were granted to him. How far
back the history of this knowledge dates
is lost in the past, but judging from the
symbols and graphic descriptions of med-
itating people in America, with the Celts
and in Asia, it is a practise which has been
known and used since prehistoric time.
It is not only yoga sculptures from
central America and Celtic lands, or the
knowledge about the chakras (see page
11-12) which the Hopi Indians possess,
that shows this. With my personal know-
ledge of the deep meditations in the Tantric
tradition I can, for example, from the
Maya sculptures and paintings, tell that
they have known of practises and states,
which are closely related to the Tantric
Kriya Yoga. The rulers knew how to
awaken and make use of the power, so
that they gained the resources necessary
to do what they need-ed to do in a
suitable and harmonious way.
The difference between the past and
the present makes itself felt in many ways
in our societies. Today there is a greater
personal freedom in many countries, a
freedom to take a stand politically and
maintain a democracy; from this follows
a freedom to seek one’s own attitude
to life, and a freedom to take part in a
knowledge, which earlier was reserved
Two different energy forms connected to the two Mayan Indians. Do you know the names of the
two kriyas they represent? Fresco, Chichén Itzá, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico. Coloured by us.
for the few. Naturally it is not everybody
who should use yoga and meditation -
but for those who want to and are ready
for it, the door is more open today than in
any earlier time in our history on earth.
Outer and inner knowledge
Many symbols, having a common outer
meaning, are at the same time part
of an initiated language, which it has
been possible to read and understand
through thousands of years. Externally,
exoterically, it is said, for example, that
the upper and the lower Nile, the upper
and the lower Egypt, are separately
symbolised by two different crowns.
On many portraits of influential
persons in Egypt, one sees a snake on the
head of the person concerned, and the
position of the snake’s head is so that it
looks forward from the eyebrow center (a
contact area for Ajna Chakra, the psychic
center in the middle of the head, often
called the third eye. Also see p.12).
When the two crowns are combined
in a so-called double-crown, then the
eagle and the snake are placed side by
side. Both these symbols are also seen on
the forehead of Tut-Ank-Amon’s golden
mask.
That these two animals have an
esoteric meaning is seen in one of the
most important symbols from that time,
the Udjat Eye. Here the eagle and the
snake are placed on either side of the
mystic eye. The initiate looks behind the
outer meaning of a protecting amulet and
sees the symbols for energy and conscious-
ness, united in a human being who has
developed his or her full potential.
The initiate’s language
Not just symbols but also language were
used to communicate the concealed to
those who were ready for it and able
to comprehend it. We know of such
a secret language from the Tantric
tradition in India. In Sanskrit it is called
sandhabhasa. In the Icelandic scriptures
from the Vikings, the teachings of the
Ases and even earlier the Vanes of the old
North, this was called Launmál. In the
ancient magical books of Iceland, runic
forms called villurúnir (erring runes)
were known to be used. They were coded
runes designed to conceal their actual
meaning. The Mayas also used a cryptic
language, in fact this phenomenon is
found all over the world, where esoteric
knowledge is hidden behind the double
meaning of words and behind symbols.
In Europe there are certain folk tales -
exciting tales on the one hand, but on the
other they contain symbols which, behind
it all, tell quite another story.
A rather wide-spread way of keeping
this knowledge to the few was to circulate
horror stories about it, and for this
purpose snakes, “the kundalini snake”,
dragons and the like were used. But at
the same time, they also have the deeper
psychological intention, that you can
confront them and overcome your own
fear and superstition, thereby causing less
harm to yourself and others.
In short, we can say that the snake or the
inverted triangle, or “Shakti” (that can
both be a goddess and the name of the vi-
tal energy) stands for all that which is ex-
perienced. All experiences, all things, all
beings, all that which I perceive through
my senses and in my mind consists of en-
ergy. The eagle, on the other hand, or the
triangle pointing upwards, or Siva (God
or the symbol of consciousness) stands
for the one who experiences, I, as con-
sciousness and existence - that is, not as
personality, occupation, sex or name, but
as the experiencer of it. In his book Man
and his Symbols Jung shows a coin from
the middle ages, where Christ is repre-
sented as a human being on one side, and
on the other side, as a snake on the cross,
the Gnostic or esoteric meaning.
A person’s unconscious
radiation, determines his or
her destiny
The purpose of meditation and of Kriya
Yoga is not trance or euphoria, but to have
reserves of energy, clarity and total con-
sciousness, one could also say strength,
sensitivity and consideration - so that one’s
actions don’t cause the harm, which ig-
norance, the random and unconscious or
inattention can do. This doesn’t however
exclude other kinds of expression such
as dancing and music, because when one
comes out of the meditation, it is with
sharpened senses and a body full of life.
There are many aspects to the psychic
senses or centers, called chakra in the
yoga tradition. Here I just want to give
you a glimpse of this by covering one
small part of the interaction between
energy and consciousness - a hint you
could say. I will furthermore refer to my
book, Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in
Daily Life.
The interaction between energy and
consciousness in the psychic centers
At Muladhara Chakra the energy - the
snake - is awakened to rise through the
spine and unite with the consciousness -
the eagle - in Sahasrara Chakra at the top
of the head.
The snake is that reserve of energy
which we need in the process of liberation
to overcome all sluggishness, all habits
and attachment to thoughts, emotions and
actions. Therefore the psychic symbol of
Muladhara is an inverted red triangle, and
inside this triangle is an egg with a snake
coiled around it three and a half times.
Muladhara is one of the most important
chakras, the chakra from which the energy
reserves are gathered as the body and
mind gradually become ready to receive it
- for without energy there is no awakening.
In the relationship between conscious-
ness and energy, we can, within yoga and
meditation and especially with Kriya Yoga,
talk about a real awakening of the chakras,
in the long term, and in the short term
a tangible improvement of one’s clarity
and ability to act. Today there are certain
commercial interests who, at first in USA
and later in Europe, have taken the idea
of the chakras out of its context and used
it without the required background and
preparation. What they have come up with
is often based on hypnosis, where they
use the rainbow colours and a grotesque
graduation of the chakras in a moralising
and value-laden scale. What a shame to
make people believe that this is all there is!
These more or less imaginary experiences
cannot be compared with a real awakening
of energy and consciousness!
During hypnosis consciousness is lim-
ited by the hypnotist’s or by my own pre-
conceptions, and its effect is of short dura-
tion; on the other hand, in meditation I gain
a new and greater alertness, an insight into
possibilities, which I hadn’t before-hand
been able to imagine - not just un-worldly
or special experiences, but a funda-mental
activation and change of daily life.
11
When Swadisthana Chakra is awakened, by an
increased energy level and greater awareness, one
overcomes self-forgetfulness and unconscious
states and actions, and a development of one’s
personal creativity becomes possible.
At Manipura Chakra the energy manifests itself
in relation to the will and the penetrating power
in one’s actions. Gradually, as the chakras are
awakened, consciousness is awakened in them.
One can say that you open your psychic senses;
through them, signals from different, normally
unconscious areas are perceived, both signals
coming from the world around you and signals
that you send out yourself. In this way one often
knows what will happen ahead of time, and
intuition as such is strengthened. At Manipura
Chakra one can also develop an ability to sense
when there is danger before others are aware
of it, or whether misunderstandings have arisen
that evoke fear or anger, and in which situations
to be careful. You can also send out warning
signals yourself, which can have an effect no
matter whether they are perceived consciously or
subconsciously.
At Anahata Chakra harmony arises - the first
and fundamental result of real yoga - harmony
between the experiencer and the experienced,
symbolised by a yantra with two triangles,
which form a six-pointed star. You are one with
yourself as the one who experiences and no longer
overcome by any influence or experience, neither
do you react against them anymore. Everything
is experienced independently without gripping
fear or fascination. This is an experience that you
acquire in meditation, an ability which develops
and opens Anahata - an ability to feel other’s
deeper states and take them into consideration
with the new insight into yourself.
Emotional states of others, even if they are not
shown, are felt directly as they are in themselves.
But the sensitivity in question is also one which
allows a person to make previous experiences
conscious and live through past emotions, when
they are re-experienced spontaneously during the
process of exploring life.
That energy which was bound up in emotional
inhibitions is then transformed to free energy that
12
furthers development and growth. This however
has nothing to do with self-indulgence, an introvert
search for old traumas or an agitated attempt to
evoke emotions. You are not, as in many therapies,
out to create any artificial crises that you then have
to suffer from, risking losing ground in your growth.
At Vishuddhi Chakra a fundamental cleansing takes
place, physically and psychically - with certain
kriyas in Kriya Yoga one can impede the decaying
process of the body and maintain a greater vitality,
one can speak about a transformation. On the mental
level a creativity is gained, which is based on an
ability to experience without being blocked by
personal ideas.
As we can act in life with both voice, arms and
legs and perceive with our senses as a result of
an interaction between our personality and our
physical body - when the chakras are awakened we
find a similar interaction between consciousness
and energy, which connects all the dimensions
of our being in a harmonious and conscious
communication. Therefore different abilities are
developed at the different chakras: at Vishuddhi
Chakra for example an ability to, in some cases,
protect oneself and others against danger. Abilities
arise when one is aware and energy obeys
consciousness.
Ajna Chakra is, like Muladhara, an important
chakra. From here the energy is managed and a
harmonious balance is maintained in the different
chakras as they unfold. In this way we have in
Ajna Chakra a superior control center, but also a
chakra which can receive guidance from others who
themselves have gone through this development.
At Sahasrara Chakra unity between energy and
consciousness arises, Quetzalcóatl, and freedom
from limiting states and thoughts, unity with one’s
real identity, intense happiness, ananda.
Here, for reasons of space, I have to end for now. In
the next issue of Bindu this article about Kriya Yoga
continues, with some of the following subjects:
Where does Kriya Yoga come from? The use of Kriya
Yoga from the Indian middle ages up to our days.
What is Kriya Yoga? The balance between the inner
and the outer life. q
Håå Course Center
26. June - 9. July 4600/3700 Sw.Cr.
Robert Nilsson and Laxmi
10. - 23. July 4600 Sw.Cr.
Our residential course center is in Please feel free to contact us at one of the Franz Jervidalo and Mira
Håå, southern Sweden, about 3 hours schools for our detailed brochure on the 4. - 17. September 4600/3700 Sw.Cr.
drive north of Copenhagen. The school holiday courses. Hari Prem and Mette Kierkgaard
buildings are situated in a river valley Here are the courses for the next half 13. - 23. October 3900/3100 Sw.Cr.
with fields and farms, surrounded by year: Shanti and Anandananda
forest and close to a large lake. Some of
the farms and houses in the surrounding 10-14 days courses 1994 Kriya Yoga Course
countryside also belong to the school, 19. - 29. May 3900/3100 Sw.Cr. 23. July - 21. August 6800 Sw.Cr.
where we have agriculture, ecological Kim Paulsen and Shanti Swami Janakananda and Robert Nilsson
gardening, riding horses and a small 29. May - 11. June 4200/3300 Sw.Cr.
forest and here the resident yoga-teachers, Gunnar Petersen and Bhawana Murti The second prices are for students,
aspirants and others who help out at the 12. - 25. June 4200/3300 Sw.Cr. unemployed and pensioners. Please
center live. Jørgen Hastrup and Joachim Rodenbeck see details in folder. Our courses are at
We run courses year round in Håå. Note, the main language on this course present about 25 % cheaper for other
News of our teaching travels primarily by will be German, a second will be English nationalities, due to the low exchange
word of mouth, and people come from all or a Scandinavian language. rate for Swedish Crowns.
over the world, but mainly from northern
Europe. Therefore we teach in English.
After a modest start in 1972, the
center has gradually grown and has been
constantly modernised without harming
the atmosphere of the houses and the
landscape. Our long experience enables
us to take care of our students in the best
possible way, we cater for beginners as
well as advanced students. Our yoga
teachers have spent years independently
exploring yoga and its effects, this is
combined with the fully comprehensive
education provided at the school.
Because of the special conditions we
have created in and around the course
center, we can impart a very holistic
teaching: Different yoga techniques and
meditations, free time and karma yoga
work together hand in hand enabling you
to experience a real transformation.

From the middle of May we hold l0 and
14 days courses where you can learn
Ajapa Japa (the little Kriya Yoga), Antar
Mauna (Inner Silence) and many other
yogic techniques. We have week-end
courses in the autumn. And in the winter
the unique three-months course.
“Before I went on the three-month course, I thought initiations were something one got
to know or had to understand. But during the course, and especially when we learned
the Tantric Kriya Yoga during 33 days of silence, I realised that Swami Janakananda
did not just want to teach me something, he wished to give me the opportunity to
explore dimensions of my being that I hadn’t been aware of before. I learned the
meditation, and again and again I was inspired and fired with an almost childlike
enthusiasm, making me wish to catch life as a ball in the air.” (Morten Jon Jepsen)

13
Letter to the editor
from Lena Nilsson, Stockholm
Thank you for the new issue of Bindu!
Over the years I have bought several
issues and found many valuable articles
in them. I am therefore pleased that
you are publishing the periodical again,
and that the articles have the same high
quality as before. When I read about
nose cleansing and the headstand,
I felt like sharing with you and all
other Bindu readers, how I regained
my hearing, through precisely these
techniques.
I have had reduced hearing in the
right ear since I was small. Doctors
have told me it was probably because
I often suffered from inflammation of
the middle ear. The reduction of my
hearing hasn’t bothered me. The only
time I have been aware of it, has been
just before going to sleep. Then I always
chose to lie on my right side, so that
I could experience all the sounds of
the night. People around me haven’t
noticed, even though I have probably
played unusually loud music and been
more boisterous and loud than the
average Swede.
But imagine my surprise, when after
the 3-month course at Håå Course
Center, at the age of 26, I had a hearing
test, and was told that I had perfectly
normal hearing in both ears. Afterwards
I offended the nurse by making sure
that there was nothing wrong with the
testing apparatus.
I realised that this was just one of the
many positive effects that the 3-month
course had on my life. What I couldn’t
know was, which of the yoga practises
I had learned had helped my hearing.
14
During the 3-month course one learns
a whole spectrum of yoga, breathing
exercises and meditation techniques.
Unfortunately my new hearing didn’t
last. Gradually my hearing became
severely reduced, and after seven years I
could hardly hear at all. Since I was also
suffering from severe sinusitis during this
period, my doctor didn’t want to draw
any hasty conclusions. My hearing loss
could be caused by liquid in the ear, low
pressure or swelling. The poor test results
continued and indicated an unusual fault,
which, according to the doctors, was
caused by calcification in the middle ear.
My doctor, however, didn’t want to
make a definite diagnosis and sent me to
the hospital. He said that reduced hearing
of this type could fortunately be rem-
edied with a hearing aid, and that eventu-
ally, an operation could be performed.
As singing is my main occupation, I
wondered a lot about my future as a
singer. As yet, my teachers had said
nothing, so I accepted the facts and
carried on regardless.
Mira, at the yoga school in Stockholm,
had advised me to cleanse my nose, as
my sinusitis hadn’t improved despite
sluicing and penicillin treatment. I
already practised Neti, but somewhat
lethargically. Now I intensified the nose
cleansing - more water and more often.
I am in the habit of standing on my head
after Neti, followed by the breathing
exercise, “The Blacksmith’s Bellows”.
As my doctor had advised me to blow
air up into the ear to raise the pressure, I
continued doing that also.
One morning, not long after receiving
the hospital referral, while I was standing
on the head, the right ear opened up. It
was as if the whole world had opened for
me and never before had I heard so well.
Once again, however, my hearing
declined. After about half a year I had
another hearing test, and the results were
very poor. I applied for new tests. While
I waited, I practised nose cleansing and
headstand and blew air up into the ear. I
had connected my regained hearing with
these exercises, and believed that if I’d
regained it twice with their help, then I
could recover it again.
I succeeded! The effect remained till
the examination, and when I had the
preliminary hearing test I was informed
that I had good hearing in the right ear.
They could merely note the facts, while I
was quite speechless.
A year has now passed since the
examination, and I have succeeded in
maintaining my good hearing by nose
cleansing, the headstand and blowing air
up inside the ear after the Blacksmith’s
Bellows. If I neglect my practice, my
hearing gets worse and its as if a lid
covers the ear. Usually it disappears
when I do the exercises. It is insufficient
to blow air up, and more often than not
this procedure is unnecessary, especially
if I use double my usual amount of water
during Neti.
My regained hearing effects me
very strongly. I experience myself as
participating more in my surroundings,
and my singing has changed. I, who
couldn’t sing “dolce” - really softly, can
now vary my singing more and more and
find a softness in my voice, that earlier
was not there. q
Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life
Swami Janakananda’s book in a revised and extended edition. Yoga shop
The book: Yoga, Tantra and
book, you will realise that yoga is based Meditation in Daily Life
on a profound knowledge of human 175 Sw.Cr. + 55 Sw.Cr. postage.
nature. It is the fruit of a living tradition,
The tape: Experience Yoga Nidra
where knowledge is passed directly from
teacher to student, from generation to 120 Sw.Cr. + 30 Sw.Cr. postage.
generation. Step by step you are guided The periodical: Bindu, no. 2-3,
through the subject and in a practical 25 Sw.Cr. each + 30 Sw.Cr. postage.
manner you can benefit from the different Nose cleansing pot
poses, breathing exercises, meditations with instruction brochure:
and the Tantric sexual yoga.
Joghus, (short spout) blue, red, yellow,
“For a long time I have had a yearning green or black.
to take up yoga, but have been put off 145 Sw.Cr.+ 55 Sw.Cr. postage.
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(Rider Books, UK and Weiser, USA) Your approach, and the convenient or green, 195 Sw.Cr. + 105 Sw.Cr.
This book offers an alternative to the inclusion of tantra and kundalini was postage.
misconception put forward by many so refreshing, and just what I had been The brochure (free): about the retreats
yoga books, that one must take on a new looking for. I could thoroughly identify
at Håå International Course Center.
life style to use yoga and meditation. with everything you said; not only that,
Swami Janakananda describes yoga but I felt that the way in which you We can only accept payment in
from within, based on his own experience communicated your knowledge and Swedish Crowns by Eurocheque,
- from a yogi’s point of view. beliefs was perfect.” international money order or to our
As you follow the exercises in this (V. Williamsson, London, UK.) postal giro acc. 73 86 03 - 0 in Sweden.
No personal cheques please, as they are
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Please send money and order to:
Sweden Håå Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda tel. +46 372 55063 Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
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Publisher: Bindu, Håa Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda, Sweden. Tel. +46 372 55063 Fax. +46 372 55036. e-mail: haa@scand-yoga.org
Circulation: 5,000 in English (Also printed in German, Swedish and Danish) Printed: Håå Course Center, by Erling Christiansen & Mark Richards
Layout: Robert Nilsson and Swami Janakananda. Translation: Mark Richards & Robyn Taylor.
Photographs: Front cover and p.6 Robert Nilsson. Sri Yantra p.2 and Chakra p.12 Anandananda, p.4, 5 Jørgen Hastrup, p. 9 fig.1. The Encyclopaedia of
Ancient Egypt by Margaret Bunson, fig.2. from San Augustin and p. 13 Swami Janakananda, p.11 Lennart & Landrock. Back cover “Muladhara” Bjarke.
Copyright © 1994 Bindu and Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the publishers.

15