Editorial

In the years to follow,

Thoroughness
and spiritual
strength
“How”, people
frequently ask, “can
you continue, year after
year, to be so inspired
in your teaching?”
“Perhaps because
we use the methods
we teach, and more”,
one may answer. The
energy and the training
of the awareness
we gain from our
Sadhana, provides us
with a new experience
everytime we sit
down to teach - in that
way teaching never
becomes an empty or
formal routine. Our
experience as full-time
teachers, our common
meditations and the
constant education
at our school, gives us thoroughness
combined with spiritual strength.
If you do not want to risk diluting the
yoga to a series of insignificant
exercises with no real effect - and if
you want to continue this kind of work,
then we maintain that, as a yoga and
meditation teacher, you need more
than just a short theoretical education.
Not until a person has gone through a
comprehensive individual training for
several years, can one be certain that as
a teacher he or she will possess a solid
knowledge of oneself and of the effects
of yoga and meditation so that one can be
instrumental in bringing about a personal
development of consciousness in other
people.
A retrospective
The Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
School was founded in Copenhagen in
1970, by Swami Janakananda. He had
just returned from a prolonged stay with
Swami Satyananda (see p. 21) in Bihar,
India, where he had learnt the deep
reaching Tantric meditations, such as
Kriya Yoga (see p. 10), Antar Mauna,
Yoga Nidra, Ajapa Japa, Prana Vidya,
Chid Akash and others. A yoga which,
at that time, could not be learnt in
Denmark, or in Europe for that matter.
the school developed
quickly. From one
small yoga room in an
apartment, to a villa,
and when that also
became too small, to a
larger building in the
center of Copenhagen
in 1975. Through the
years the school has
grown and today it is an
active center for yoga
and meditation, with
five yoga-rooms on two
storeys, a shop and a
pyramid (see p. 9).
The need arose
early on for a place in
the country, to have
intensive retreats such
as the annual 3-Month
Course and the 10
and 14 days courses
around the year. In
1972 in Håå, south
Sweden, about l 50 km
north of Copenhagen,
the course center was
founded. The Håå
International Course Center has since
been continuously improved and tailored
to meet with the conditions that our
courses demand to give the best possible
conditions to the people that come, not
only from Scandinavia, but from all over
Europe, USA, Australia, New Zealand,
Singapore and South America.
In the following years many schools
sprung up around Northern Europe and
Germany (see p. 23), and in order to co-
ordinate the yoga teacher education and
the teachings, the Håå Course Center also
became a meeting place for the teachers
of these different schools. Several times
a year they meet for meditation, seminars
and collective planning.

2
The foundation
The magazine Bindu, the teaching at the
school and the yoga teacher education are
based on four cornerstones, four ways of
testing reality. They should generally be
congruent with one another:
• First of all, one’s own experience with
yoga and meditation.
• The instructions of the classical yoga
literature, which have been tried and
tested for thousands of years.
• The scientific research on yoga.
• The living and direct communication
between teacher and student.
Yoga and research
Since 1983, comprehensive research has
been carried out at The University Clinic
in Cologne, in collaboration with Thomas
Schmidt M. D. (see the article, The Source
of Energy in Bindu no. 4). Dr. Thomas
Schmidt also led one of the two research
teams which, from 1987-92, tested the
participants of the 3-Month Course at
Håå Course Center. This research was
especially directed towards the blood
composition of fats, hormones etc. Some
of the results have already been presented
at medical congresses abroad, and some
are not concluded but still under analysis.
Dr. Schmidt is presently working at the
university of Hannover, investigating
the effects of nose cleansing on general
health.
In this issue (see p. 17) we have
printed an article by his Danish colleague,
neuropsychologist Erik Hoffmann,
who was in charge of the second research
team.
The attitude
Today people use yoga for different
reasons. Many have discovered that
yoga can remedy back problems,
allergies, stress or sleeplessness. Others
do not have such problems, but do yoga
because they have felt how the ability
to concentrate improves considerably.
However, this does not only concern
healing or the ability to function -
yoga and especially meditation have
something more to offer, and that,
too, we wish to communicate via this
periodical.
The attitude of Tantric yoga is that
human beings are fundamentally healthy.
One who comes to a course is healthy.
One who comes to a course is regarded
as a unique individual with his/her own
background and outlook on life - not as
some kind of patient, or one who should
be persuaded of this or that. And though
you can cure or reasons of cure or beauty.
The actual perspectives are wider:
To come nearer the essence of life. q

Contents
and everyday life. The creative spontaneity. Where does Kriya
Yoga come from? Ritual and meditation. The inner reality...

Psychic energy 4 Lasting and deep-reaching effects 17

The 3-month courses seen through the eyes of a
Energy is more than a discovery in our technical age. “Prana”,
neuropsychologist - a report from 6 years of research.
“Ki”,“Mana” the psychic energy has been known through all
times. Now it is being discovered by us. Håå Course Center 20
About the center and the courses, in English, this autumn and
The Plough 7 winter.
Can a yoga pose regulate your body weight? Read how the
Plough influences body and mind. Swami Satyananda 21
...for a short while leaves his seclusion and invites you to
The Pyramid and Pratyahara 9 “Satsang” in India
More effective than sleep - the relaxation tank, The Pyramid
- helps you rest the senses and become open for a clear, Yoga Shop 22
direct way of experiencing. This is equivalent to the yogi’s Neti pots,tapes, books...
withdrawal of the senses.
Information 23
Kriya Yoga 10 The pictures and illustrations used in this
- to the depths of your nature - Swami Janakananda continues issue, addresses of the different schools,
his description of Kriya Yoga, with these subjects: Meditation subscription...

3
Psychic Energy
The history of psychic energy - by Joachim Rodenbeck
What is energy?
Energy, first of all electrical energy
- the foundation of modern technology
- plays a role in our culture today that
cannot be ignored. But what actually is
energy? Does the history of energy start
with Edison’s discovery of the light bulb
and has it reached its peak with atomic
energy, laser beams and ultrasound? Or,
considered from another viewpoint: is
this, which generally is regarded as the
highest level of technical development,
just a mechanical, coarse, rather limited,
almost primitive way of utilising energy?
If you examine the ancient cultures on
all continents there can be found traces of
knowledge and use of biological, cosmic
or psychic energy - or whatever one
wishes to call this energy. In this article I
will cover various approaches.
A glance into
the European past
The interest for exploring psychic energy,
the life energy which is at the disposal
of every human being, can also be traced
back through European history. It is
important to note that here we are not
dealing with philosophic considerations,
but practical methods, which, for
instance, were used for healing.
The alchemist, physicist, doctor and
miracle-man from the Renaissance,
Paracelsus, called it Munis. He
discovered that this energy can cleanse
the body and restore health, and that
blockages or a weak energy field can
cause illness. In his time, Paracelsus
4
“We have in our time discovered electricity, from the search
to understand the energy within ourselves”
(freely quoted from Sri Yukteswar in “The Holy Science”)
achieved great success with healing.
However, his unconventional methods
were not in accordance with the ruling
medical practice, and he was excluded
from the medical association. Nowadays,
however, Paracelsus is considered one of
the greats of his time.
The German researcher, Franz Anton
Mesmer (1734-1815), developed
the concept, Animal Magnetism: he
channelled his patients’ energy with his
hands. Today, so-called Magnethopaths,
whose treatment is based on his
teachings, still practise. Mesmer did
not succeed in justifying his Animal
Magnetism to the medical association
and he too was ostracized.
In the 17th century, in the
neighbouring country of Belgium, the
chemist and physicist Val Helmont was
the originator of the concept, Magnale
Magnum. He was convinced that through
this energy one could influence or heal
another human being, even at a distance.
Also the renowned German chemist
Baron von Reichenbach worked with a
similar energy concept; he named it Odic
Energy.
In the 20th century, the Austrian
psychotherapist Wilhelm Reich created
in his therapy the concept, Orgon
Energy. He assumed that tensions and
blockages in the energy field of the body
manifest themselves as psychological
disturbances, and that the psyche, in
the same manner, influences the energy.
Reich applied certain exercises of which
many resemble yoga poses to recreate a
free flow of energy. Reich’s ideas today
form the basis of certain psychotherapies.
One of the most well-known students
of Sigmund Freud, he was subject to
persecution from Hitler. It should be
noted, however, that after emigrating to
the USA he spent the last years of his life
in prison there, having been convicted
during the McCarthy period for spreading
anti-establishment ideologies.
Taboo - fear - intolerance
The foregoing represents only a selection
of the more well-known names, theories
and concepts. The real list is much longer.
No matter whether it is called Vital
Energy, Munis or Orgon, the names stand
for the same thing: a subtle energy which
is behind and influences the physical
body.
One can wonder why so many different
names for this energy emerge just to
sink into oblivion again. None of these
pioneers succeeded in estabishing their
theories as an “official” science. Most
were forced to perform their research
secretly, and some were pursued even
to their death. Their work was grouped
together with superstition and quackery.
Already around the year 400, the
activities of the Gnostics were forbidden.
They, among other things, used the
chakras. Esoteric knowledge hereafter,
up to our time, was only used in secret
circles, lodges or among the Alchemists.
The psychiatrist, Carl G. Jung, for
example, had contact with such a society.
But why were these people rejected
to such an extent and their ideas met
with intolerance in the culture of
the past? Apparently, it was taboo to
deal with psychic energy, an almost
panicstrickened fear of the unknown.
What is not explicable by the currently
acceptable means and concepts available,
evidently cannot be.
This limitation, though, originates
solely in the material way of thinking
and conceptualising. It is not the case all
over the world. Other cultures (which
I will deal with later) have integrated
the use of psychic energy into daily life. Western Science.
But first an excursion into a more recent This bio-energy, which we call
scientific view. Psychotronic Energy, seems to be behind
PSI (supernatural powers).”
In the book “Psychic Discoveries
Discoveries in the Eastern behind The Iron Curtain”, 1973, the
Americans, Ostrander and Schroeder,
bloc - Psychotronic Energy published the most interesting
In the late 1920’s in Russia, there was and spectacular results of these
a strong interest in the exploration of investigations. Of course, the researchers
psychic energy and in the East did not invent this energy
so-called paranormal - their discoveries, however, identified
abilities (telepathy what has been handed down over the
at greater distances, centuries in many traditions. The merit
motion of objects with of their work lies in demystifying the
the help of will power concept of energy and formulating it into
etc.). Various research words which can be understood from a
teams - physicists, technical-scientific world view.
mathematicians
biologists and
psychologists - received Kirlian photography - a
generous financial bridge to the present?
support from the state,
and laboratories well- The development of kirlian photography
fitted with electronic since 1939, is one of the fruits of
measuring equipment the work in Russia. It is a type of
were placed at their photography in which the energy field of
disposal. human beings, animals and living plants
can be seen as coloured rays of light on a
In comprehensive picture or a screen - and here we are not
investigations lasting talking about heat radiation.
several years, they were An example from the experiments:
able to make “non- A healthy leaf is “photographed”, and
mechanical” energy the energy field becomes visible - as a
tangible and document contour of rays of light in all directions
their findings. The around the leaf. Then a third of the leaf
scientists agreed that is cut off. The photography is repeated,
they had discovered a with the result that the energy field of
revolutionary form of the whole leaf is still present - with the
energy, an energy field same form and size as on the first picture.
or body. Not until more than a third is removed,
does the leaf “die”, and the energy body
“Human beings and all disappears.
living things are filled “All activity in the inner life of
with a kind of energy human beings is written down in light-
that, until recently, hieroglyphs...” (Seymon Kirlian, inventor
hasn’t been known to of kirlian photography).
By means of kirlian photography, it
5
is possible to see holes in specific parts
of the energy body/field and by that
make a diagnosis of particular illnesses.
When different states that originate from
emotions and thoughts are compared
with states arising in meditation and
relaxation, one can visually register
changes in the energy field.
Other cultures
The knowledge of a psychic energy
which can be mastered, a life energy or
cosmic energy, of which human beings
form a part, is firmly rooted in many
ancient traditions or cultures.
In China, the energy is called Chi
and in Polynesia, Mana. In India - a
country which has at all times tolerated
and respected people working with
themselves and seeking the spiritual
dimension of life - Prana is spoken of.
In recent years, the interest for
aboriginal cultures has grown in the
West. One should, however, beware
of the misunderstanding that this is
about exotic philosophies which have
to be learnt by rote, or which one has
to believe in. These are not theoretical
concepts, but, first and foremost,
practical methods one can use to
maintain physical and mental health and
develop spiritually. For centuries they
have been handed down unchanged.
Today we have the possibility of
benefiting from this knowledge.
Acupuncture
In the Chinese and Japanese tradition,
healing systems such as Acupuncture
and Shiatsu are found. They are based
on a precisely mapped network of
energy currents (Meridians), in which
the life energy, Chi or Ki, is flowing.
Simplified, one can say, that an imperfect
distribution of energy is corrected by
stimulating certain energy points. In
6
this manner causes of illness and pain
are removed. Treatment entails point
massage or insertion of needles. Even
though the prevailing explanations of the
school of medicine are inadequate, no
genuine doctor any longer disputes the
validity of these methods.
Prana
Prana is the name in the Indian tradition
for the cosmic life energy. As with
acupuncture, we also find here a network
of energy currents (Nadis), which are
distributed throughout the body, and in
which Prana flows. The flow and function
of the Nadis are described in detail in the
old yoga scriptures (also see the picture
on page 5), but it is first of all used
practically in the living yoga tradition.
Theoretical studies of scriptures are not
sufficient to obtain an experience of this
- only those practising the yoga methods
will really be able to comprehend what is
meant by the old instructions.
There are different kinds of methods
that influence the energy currents: Asana
(yoga poses), Pranayama (breathing
exercises), Mudra and Bandha (attitudes
and locks). These are methods which
gradually go deeper - from cleansing to
control of the energy - and by regular use
they lead to stable health and clear states.
In previous editions we have written in
detail how Asanas regulate the flow of
prana.
When balance is gained through
these methods, one can also use more
advanced techniques like, for example,
Prana Vidya. This is a healing method
from the Tantric tradition, where the
psychic energy is channeled. The energy
is directed to where it is needed - to
sick areas in one’s own body or to other
people, even at a distance.
The principle to heal with energy,
albeit in a somewhat coarser form, is
also used in medicine. In my time at The
German University of Sport in Cologne,
electrodes were mounted on the body
with various sporting injuries, such as
strained ligaments and broken legs. The
injured area was stimulated with the help
of a low voltage current. At a hospital
in Syracuse, New York, a low current
is similarly sent through the affected
areas. Copper thread is wound around,
for example, a broken leg, and in this
way the healing process is accelerated
considerably.
Once you have learnt to apply psychic
energy for this purpose, it can be a
very powerful and at the same time a
much more subtle method than those in
common use.
Energy is life - a different
view on humanity?
At intensive care units in hospitals,
it is possible to maintain a person’s
organic life functions almost indefinitely
via machines. Today’s discussion of
euthanasia shows clearly that we have
reached a threshold - when is a person
actually alive? As recently as this century,
death was declared when the heart had
stopped and the breath had ceased. The
heartbeat was listened for and the breath
was checked with a mirror in front of the
nostrils - if the mirror did not mist up, the
patient had died.
Under present law, as they are in use in
Europe and in Scandinavia, it is defined
that a human being is alive as long as it is
still possible to measure electrical activity
in the brain - in other words, as long as
there is energy in the body. The heart can
temporarily stop, the breath can stop, but
only when energy is no longer present,
has life left the body. According to our
laws, we are beings governed by energy.
A discovery which we are only slowly
integrating into our world view. q
The Plough
- a yoga pose that regulates your body weight
Of course you can struggle to
lose weight through aerobics,
jogging and low-calorie diets,
but you may just as well lose
weight by standing still in a
yoga pose. There is no need to
think about your weight, if the
body regulates itself.
Relaxation and well-being
are not the only
effects of yoga...
Yoga differs from, for example
gymnastics by not just aiming at toning
the muscles. The exercises and poses of
yoga also directly regulate and stimulate
the body’s finer functions like the heart,
the blood vessels, the nervous system
and the glands.
When you practise yoga, the blood
circulation is increased and the internal
organs are massaged. Autonomous
muscle functions, such as the
peristaltic movements, are relaxed and
brought into balance. The excretion of
waste products is accelerated and the
glands, which produce the hormones of
the body, are stimulated. By vitalising
the internal organs and the hormonal
glands, you give the body a chance to
find its own balance, whereby, among
other things, it is able to regulate its own
weight.
by Morten Jon Jepsen
The yoga pose, the Plough
The yoga pose seen above is called the
Plough (Halasana). Lying on the back,
you lift the straight legs up and over the
body and let them hang by their own
weight until the toes rest on the floor
above the head. You go as far into the
pose as you can without forcing the
body and you remain in it for some time.
In the beginning you may feel that the
body resists, but if you allow yourself
to experience any tension, you will
gradually calm down in the pose. The
longer you stay in the Plough, the more
the muscles relax.
It is not about effort and ideals of
suppleness, it is a process which first and
foremost frees tensions and brings the
body into harmony.
(You will find a full description of
the Plough in the book, Yoga, Tantra
and Meditation in Daily Life by Swami
Janakananda 1992: Here the Plough is
also seen in context with other exercises;
and you learn to stimulate a certain
chakra in the Plough.)
Physiological effects
Physically, the upper part of the body is
inverted at the same time as it is, so to
speak, folded. In this manner, muscles,
organs and glands are massaged with
a certain pressure, while the back is
stretched. Through this influence the
activity in the pancreas and the adrenal
glands is increased. In these glands the
hormones: insulin, glucagon and cortisol
are produced; they play an important
role in the metabolism. Insulin is
necessary for the cell’s ability to absorb
nourishment in the form of blood sugar.
But insulin also promotes the storing of
fat, while other hormones like cortisol
and glucagon are in charge of the
breaking down of fat.
In an experiment, carried out in 1975,
at The Institute of Medical Science in
Benares, Dr. K. N. Udupa investigated
the effects of the Plough on the hormonal
glands and the metabolism.
“Halasana produced notable loss of body
weight, reduction in abdominal girth and
lowering of blood pressure...
7
The biochemical changes showed the
usual trend with predominant increase
in plasma cortisol (hormone in the
blood which regulates the metabolism),
17-hydroxycorticosteroids (metabolic
hormone) and 17-ketosteroids (hormones
for aggression and sexual urge). Plasma
catecholamines (blood pressure and
stress) were decreased.”
In the report Dr. K.N. Udupa concludes
that the Plough stimulates the hormonal
activity of the glands, and that it is
these physiological changes which are
responsible for the body regulating itself
towards an ideal weight.
The study also shows that the
physiological effects of the Plough are
not limited to the metabolism. As seen
from the quotation above, the pose also
regulates the production of substances
which deal with stress, as well as other
hormones essential for a fit body.
Yoga and diabetes
With people suffering from diabetes, the
pancreas produces either too little or no
insulin at all. As the Plough (Halasana)
increases the activity in the pancreas,
this yoga pose can be of great help,
particularly to people with maturity-onset
diabetes.
At The Scandinavian Yoga and
Meditation School (and especially at Håå
Course Center in south Sweden where
the intensive holiday courses take place),
we have had some experience with
diabetes, and as a result many people
have benefited from yoga and meditation
over the years.
A 35-year old man from Oslo suffering
from diabetes, discovered to his great
surprise that, by staying in the Plough
some minutes every day, he was able to
regulate his blood sugar. In the beginning
he therefore had to be careful not to take
too much artificial insulin, as he had now
8
started to produce more insulin himself. effects of the Plough on the hormones and
Gradually, however, he got to know the the body weight is just one example.
effects of the Plough so well that with the
help of this pose he was able to stabilise In the next issue of Bindu we will discuss
the blood sugar. He then needed much the Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana), also
less and at times no artificial supplement called “The Candle”. In this pose the body
of insulin at all. stands vertical and straight resting on the
For most diabetics, though, it is not shoulders and supported by the hands on
sufficient with one yoga pose. They use the back. In the “classical programme” of
different exercises which supplement yoga poses, it is performed right before the
each other, for example cleansing of Plough.
the intestines (Shankprakshalana), a You go from the Shoulderstand into the
sequence of yoga poses, one or two Plough by lowering the straight legs down
breathing exercises, a relaxation and over the head until the toes rest on the
meditation. This gives the most profound floor...q
and lasting effect
Yoga brings your whole
being into balance
The co-operation between the
various parts of the body is co-
ordinated by the mid-brain via
the spinal cord: “...this close
interaction between the central
nervous system and the hormonal
glands, which is brought about
by the hypothalamus, is the
explanation why states of mind,
stress etc. can influence the bodily
functions and the health of the
organism.” (Lademann’s Medical
Encyclopaedia, 1977).
When you use yoga, this
interaction between body and
mind is utilised. Therefore the
effects of, for example, the yoga
poses are not just experienced
physically. By re-establishing
the harmony of the body, the
yoga poses also effect the mind
- and bring your whole being into
equilibrium.
In this century much research has
been carried ont on the influence
of yoga on body and mind. The
The Pyramid and Pratyahara
“An hour in the Pyramid for me has the
same effect as eight hours of sleep”,
recounted by a woman, who normally
suffered from sleeplessness and stress
caused by demanding office work.
In yoga there exists an effective way of
freeing yourself from sense impressions.
It is called Pratyahara - to withdraw the
senses. That is the essence of it. There are
various methods to achieve this:
• through the relaxation Yoga Nidra.
• to confront and fully experience the
sense influences.
• to decide to drop an influence.
• to concentrate on something within.
• for a shorter or longer period not to
make yourself subject to or be occupied
with influences. At a residential course,
for example, conditions are provided
where you are free of the reminders
which normally put you under stress or
give rise to worries. And it works - if
you want it to and are willing to take
advantage of the given conditions. It is
also called a retreat, a place where one
has time to rest and reflect.
• a symbol of such an isolation, and at
the same time a very effective tool
to rest the senses, are our so-called
Pyramids at the course center in Håå
in south Sweden and at our school in
Copenhagen.
What is the Pyramid?
First of all it is an isolation tank based
on the ideas of Dr. Lilly from California.
Different names are used for such tanks
and they are now found in many places
around the world. In 1981, Swami
Janakananda taught at an institute on 5th
Avenue, New York. There he tried a small
coffin-shaped tank. It was far from perfect
in it’s composition, but the experience was
positive and the idea was born to build our
two relaxation tanks. However, they were
to be of better quality, more spacious and
pyramid-shaped.
“While I was working in a kindergarten
I used the Pyramid regularly. Right after
work I lay in it for about an hour. Often I
saw the events of the day pass by my mind
eye and felt tensions leaving me. Then the
moment came where I felt that now I had
been “emptied” and could start the rest of
the day as if it was entirely new”. (Ambika)
Pyramid energy
Why not gain from the possible beneficial
effects of the pyramid shape? In 1930
André Bovie found that animals who had
died in the Cheops Pyramid did not rot,
but were mumified. Karel Drbal from
Czechoslovakia, took out a patent in
1959 to use the pyramid to make knives
and razor blades stay sharp... Perhaps the
ancient Egyptians and other people of
that time held a greater knowledge of the
pyramid’s influence on human beings than
we imagine today. Apart from the famous
pyramids in Egypt and Mexico, many large
pyramids are found in Australia and also in
India, France and South America.
Our pyramids are exact models of the
Cheops Pyramid, only smaller. They are
placed with the sides facing north, south,
east and west. Inside there is a water basin,
about lft. deep and 8ft. x 8ft. wide. The
1000 litres of water contain one tonne
of salt. Consequently, when you lie on
your back in the basin, you float with
effortless ease and you feel weightless.
The temperature of the water is about 95°F
or 34,1 C° - skin temperature therefore
neither heat nor cold are felt. The room is
isolated from both light and sound, so you
neither hear nor see anything. And the air is
constantly ventilated.
by Amrit & Kim Paulsen
To rest the senses
“My times in the pyramid gave good
results when I took my examinations”,
several students comment. When you are
in the Pyramid, all sense impressions are
strongly limited. In daily life your senses
are continuously influenced - even when
you sleep the senses get no rest, the body
moves in the bed, and both light and
sounds are recorded.
The sense impressions, which you
receive throughout the day, keep the mind
going. A sound, something a passer-by
says, talking with another person, light,
temperature, even gravity - everything
influences you. When the senses do not
receive any impressions from outside, no
new reactions are created in the mind.
A stay in the Pyramid lasts about an hour,
where you float completely still on your
back. No techniques are required. When the
senses are allowed to rest, the relaxation
happens by itself.
Right after lying down, your mind is
full of ideas and reactions to what you
have experienced during the day, or you
are occupied with the pyramid and sounds
from your body. Because you do not
receive any new sense impressions, your
state becomes clearer, and you may get
absorbed in thoughts and feelings which
are more relevant than whatever occupies
your mind while rushing through the day.
You now find pleasure in having time to
deal with this. Or you suddenly become
aware of a tension and let go of it.
You are not planning this. You do not
have to experience or do anything in par-
ticular. Just float and let happen what hap-
pens by itself, in the mind and in the body.
Then the hour has passed and you are
gently called out again. Your mind has
calmed down, your senses are rested, you
are vital and ready for new impressions. q
9
Kriya Yoga II
- to the depth of your nature - by Swami Janakananda
Mind over matter, it is said - that the
mind rules over matter - that thoughts
can influence both our surroundings and
ourselves, for good and for bad. It is
presumably a common concept that this
is the case. Within medical science one
speaks about the relationship between
psyche and soma, between body and
mind, where health, to a great extent, is
dependent on a person’s ideas and moods.
But can you consciously overrule
states of mind, thoughts, emotions and
reactions - forces which human beings
normally yield to? Can you learn to
manage the mind, so you can more easily
influence the body, events, relationships
etc.? And if so, how?
How can one overcome habits and
inhibitions? Often it remains an effort,
a matter of will power. You have to
make a decision and force yourself to
accomplish it, for example, to give up
smoking. Within yoga there is a branch
called Raja Yoga. Here ideals are set
up concerning the ability to control the
mind, linked together with strict demands
for the conduct of life. Is it possible
in this connection to avoid ending ip
with a sense of guilt, with neuroses and
intolerance, isolated from other people?
And if so, are there other possibilities to
be found in the Tantric yoga tradition?
Can you in any way count on the
mind, and with it the personality, as the
innermost, governing principle in your
life? Does the personality have the neces-
sary perspective? Or does it not consist
of habitual opinions and ideas to which
it clings? A conformity which is far from
free, but which is the cause of despon-
dency and inertia, in fact even of illness,
and which makes us ruthlessly dominate
or be dominated by each other. Within
10
“The selection for stability plus the constant pumping by
energy flow will lead to the largest degree of order.”
(“Energy flow in biology” by H.J. Morowitz)
science, for example, numerous research
results are not published so as to enhance
a career and to remain in good standing
with a superior.
When we speak about liberation, isn’t it
then being able to liberate ourselves from
the “programmes” which govern our lives,
so we can make real choices and act with
a consequence, which reaches beyond our
habitual ideas of ourselves and of the world?
It is not enough to realise that one’s
ideas and reactions are limited. It is not
enough to evoke and live through old
patterns of thought and emotion; that only
makes you more self-centred and binds
you even more strongly and more exclu-
sively to the dimension of personality.
Through the mind you can perhaps
rule over matter, that is, if your mind
is strong, and/or if you are able to use
ordinary suggestions and visualisations.
It is, however, better to liberate yourself
from old programmes than to try to
reprogramme the mind. The mind would
like nothing better than to supply you
with a thousand alibis: feelings, thoughts,
hopes and beliefs in all kinds of things
except in yourself. You imagine that you
can manipulate with the mind, and thus
you remain involved.
It is something else, however, to be
able to overcome the limitations of your
surroundings and of yourself, in the
form of expectations of good and bad
- to be able to overcome the fundamental
which binds human beings to habits and
certain ideas and be able to act directly
and freely. For this to happen, you need
both courage and energy - and an altered
fundamental state which raises you
above the limitations of the mind and
personality.
“Kriya Yoga is a rite, a ceremony, a
method, a sadhana. It is a method of
refining one’s forces so that the individual
awareness can penetrate the depth of
one’s nature.“ (Swami Satyananda)
Not the goal, but the path,
is your life
The spiritual dimension does not directly
have to do with the mind; it reaches
further. You cannot use the mind to
realise yourself, as the mind is only an
instrument for the self in time and space.
Know thy self, was written at the en-
trance to the oracle of Delphi in Ancient
Greece. This realisation is probably as
old in Europe as it is in India, as it was
repeated by Heraclitus who lived some
time before 500 BC. He was a mystic
rather than a philosopher; for him it
was not just about thinking, but about
experiencing. He describes two forms
of experience: one is connected with the
infinite, resting in itself and unchanging
being. This is not something which is
first experienced after death, but poten-
tially behind or parallel to the second
form of experience: the life we live - a
constant diversification, a whirling rush
of phenomena lacking any constancy, a
change which he describes in the well-
known quotation: “Everything flows,
the same person cannot bathe twice in
the same river”. By beholding the world
from the infinite, on the other hand you
are not being carried away by illusions,
but see more than the obvious, you grasp
the unity of everything, and from this
experience you can surrender to life with
contentment - rather than always greedily
rushing on towards the next thing.
A few generations later Socrates
makes the demand on his age: Know
thy self, and by “self” he does
not mean the personality or the
mind, but rather, the soul. This is
the reason why Socrates, by his
simulated ignorance and examining
questions in Plato’s dialogues,
tears away the foundations of the
cocksure opinions and ideas of his
contemporaries. He speaks about
knowing the whole of oneself, not
only the many thoughts of the mind
and the personality.
For someone who cannot simply
make a leap into that which is
expected to be unknown - although
it is oneself and nothing else - but
who wishes to walk the path step
by step, there are tools for moving
through an inevitable process of
liberation in the midst of daily life,
in the midst of a life which can then
be lived more and more fully and
more and more in accordance with
oneself.

The Meditation...
Can I learn to watch my mind, my
thoughts and my emotions with all
that tears and pulls at me, and when
I do this consciously, am I then able
to be aloof of these experiences
- and remain myself? Is it simple,
or is something else needed? Well,
an ordinary everyday consciousness
can not manage this; it will hold on
to that with which the personality
identifies, that which it regards
as possible and impossible.
Another state of consciousness is
necessary, one which rests in itself
- symbolised by the Eagle - that, we
gain in the meditation.
But consciousness and
sensitivity can be of greater or less
intensity. When you expand the
consciousness, energy and strength
must follow suit. A higher energy
level - symbolised by the Snake -

11
supports the expansion of consciousness ...and in daily life do not ask myself: what should I do next,
and gives the necessary strength to reach This certainly lends some great and how? I set to work on it and through
beyond both matter and mind. It becomes perspectives. You can, for instance, that the enthusiasm and inspiration grow
easier to maintain perspective and to ex- stop a limiting state of mind or body by even more. Often what is most urgent, I
perience the whole, instead of getting stuck changing your energy level. But I will see and start with first, without having to
in particular emotions or thoughts. In the give an everyday example from my study. force myself or put myself under stress.
first part of this article on Kriya Yoga, in When teaching takes most of my time, Spontaneously I go on to the next task
the previous issue of Bindu, we dealt with my desk easily overflows with work when the previous one is resolved.
the eagle and the snake, two fundamental waiting to be done: administration, letters
functions or principles behind life, be- to be written, articles to be finished, things Creative spontaneity
hind the liberation and spiritual growth. to be tidied up. To get to the bottom of The impulsive actions and whims of the
these many different tasks, I “normally” unaware, the untrained and undisciplined
Tantric Kriya Yoga generally contains
use my willpower to keep myself going. are frequently mistaken for spontaneity.
three groups of tools, which are all linked
I decide what I should do from one task These actions are, however, random
together in a meditation ritual with
to the other, and laboriously dig my way and often built upon self-centred wishes
inevitable effect. They consist of:
through the tasks. and habitual actions or somewhat rigid
• Symbols, forms and diagrams, After Kriya Yoga, on the other hand, opinions; it is without connection to the
concentrated visions, which are keys I can raise myself above hesitation and whole. Creative spontaneity, on the other
for opening the mind and breaking its reluctant attitudes; my energy level hand, is fully conscious; one who is
limitations, so that it can come into has been changed, so I overcome these capable of surrendering to the conscious
accordance with the whole. The use of bonds and gain perspective. The first and spontaneous action follows inspiration
these keys is called Dharana. best task I spot, I finish spontaneously, and knows what he or she is doing.
• Meditations and “attitudes” which and then...., yes, then I catch sight of Intuition does not consist of uncon-
utilise, cleanse and influence the something else. which then gets done. I scious ideas or dreams, nor of wishes or
flows of energy. These re-establish
the original form of the body’s energy
field, which otherwise is limited
by the attitudes one has towards
oneself and towards other people
and life in general. As the energy is
strengthened in this manner, the level
of consciousness is raised to the level
of the soul: Chakra Bhedan, Shakti
Chalini Mudra, Maha Mudra and
others.
• The ability to experience the mind
as an observer, to be oneself behind
all experiences: In Tibet this is called
Maha Mudra (the greatest of all
attitudes you can have towards life,
not to be confused with Maha Mudra
in Kriya Yoga) and in India in the
Tantric Tradition Antar Mauna (the
Inner Silence, the dimension behind
the experiences, your true identity) or
Kaivalya in Raja Yoga (the free state
where nothing sticks or hangs on, but
where you remain yourself, tolerant
and experiencing in all situations).

12
ideals. Intuition is made possible through
(silent) awareness, an awareness which
reads signals in the inner and outer
whole, without the mind getting a chance
to explain and state a reason: why?
Intuition of this kind in daily life
creates actions so unbelievably rational,
that they fit into the whole, regardless of
custom and expectations - the intuition
does not explain itself, but guides the
one who is able to surrender to conscious
spontaneous action - action for which
you are responsible yourself, no matter
what happens, no matter how you are
understood.
Where does Kriya Yoga
come from?
I have previously dealt with the origin of
yoga, without really giving a definitive
answer to where it came from in a distant
past, but by showing the use of yoga in
various earlier cultures all over the globe.
And in the first part of these articles, I
suggested something of this in the form
of a “story” with special reference to
Kriya Yoga. In the following passage,
I will deal with Kriya Yoga in relation
to “recent” Indian history and at the
same time mention that there are related
methods in China and Tibet.
In the last three millennia India has
been an exporter of spiritual knowledge
and religion, where Buddhism has
probably appeared as the most visible.
Buddha himself was not a Buddhist,
but a Hindu who wanted to reform
Hinduism. This was an inspiration for a
period, and India experienced a zenith
under King Ashoka. But then Buddhism
disappeared from India as a popular
religion; one could say it moved abroad,
where it gained crucial significance in
many countries in Eastern Asia.
Beneath the surface in these countries,
yoga or meditation can be found as a
detached mystic tradition. Simultaneously
pieces of this Tantric tradition became
part of the local religions - in Hinduism
in India, in Tibetan Buddhism, in Taoism
in China, in Zen in Japan and, to a certain
extent, in Buddhism as such in the whole
area. Whether yoga has been in use in
China just as long as in India, I cannot
say, but there are indications, just as
yoga was a part of other cultures on earth
earlier, as previously mentioned regarding
the Olmec/Maya and Zapotec cultures
in Mexico, and also the Tumaco and
Qimbaya cultures in Columbia and in the
ancient culture of the Cells.
(See also my book Yoga, Tantra and
Meditation in Daily Life, and in previous
Danish issues of Bindu.)
The use of Kriya Yoga
from Indian Middle Ages
to present time
At the end of the Sixties, a book called
The Autobiography of a Yogi by Swami
Yogananda was published in the West
- at the time an unusually inspiring book
for anyone in search of oriental teachings.
But at the same time it was so fantastic
in certain passages that it may have made
others back off completely. I benefited
from reading it, as it put me on the track
of Kriya Yoga and I began to look for
a teacher who could teach me this kind
of meditation. That teacher turned out
to be Swami Satyananda, who visited
Copenhagen and gave a lecture at The
National Museum. In the lecture hall
he had placed some modest-looking
brochures about a course he held in India,
including, among other things, Kriya
Yoga. That was for me the beginning of
a long and rewarding friendship. After I
had learnt Kriya Yoga, I stayed in India
and underwent deep reaching training in
Swamiji’s ashram - one result being that
he made me teach what he had taught me.
Along the way I was cured of a couple
of ideals in favour of a clearer experience
of reality. This training was not based
at all on books or dogma, but on direct
contact among people in the daily life of
an ashram. And dreams were replaced
with genuine experiences.
According to Swami Satyananda, Kriya
Yoga today comes from a group of
swamis who have kept it secret and
used it from generation to generation.
Initially, he says, it can be traced back to
Sri Shankaracharya in the eighth century
A.D. Sri Shankaracharya was, apart
from being an enlightened being, a great
reformer and organiser. The founding of
the swami order is attributed to him.
Those who used and passed on this
esoteric knowledge prior to that time
have been lost to anonymity. In the
centuries following Sri Shankaracharya,
the swamis did not pass this knowledge
on to anyone from the outside; it was
reserved exclusively for themselves, the
initiates. As Swami Satyananda once said
to me, “we use it for our own sake, on
the spiritual path and to be better able
to help others, but it hasn’t been widely
revealed. And I learnt it from my guru
Swami Sivananda, when I lived with him
(for 12 years) in Rishikesh.”
That made me ask: “But why do none
of the other well known Swamis, who
also come from Swami Sivananda, for
example, Swami Vishnudevananda in
Canada, Swami Chidananda in Rhisikesh
and Swami Satchidananda in the USA,
teach this? All in all they don’t teach
anything but Raja Yoga, Mantra Yoga
and Hatha Yoga?” I knew that Swami
Satyananda, both before and after his
long stay with Swami Sivananda, had
been in contact with Tantrics. There he
learnt a part of what he advanced and
revealed to the world. And Kriya Yoga is
certainly a Tantric meditation. Swamiji
gave me an answer which at first surprised
me, but which I, based on the experience
I have gained during the past 25 years,
must admit sounds likely. “Back then
in the 1950’s” he said, “not everybody
was interested in a more deep-reaching
13
yoga, so I was one of a few who learnt
it directly from Swami Sivananda; the
others didn’t have that motivation. “
Another description of the
source of Kriya Yoga
Swami Yogananda writes in his auto-
biography that Kriya Yoga is consistently
given to every new generation by an
almost immortal yogi called Babaji. Now,
there are countless people in India called
Babaji, as the name, Baba, means father,
and Babaji, honoured father - just as it
can mean grandfather. The word is used
to address holy men or priests, as we do
in the west. Quite a few yogis have used
this as a name after it became known
through Yogananda’s book which Swami
Satyananda once described as an “Ameri-
can novel written by a ghost-writer “
when I mentioned it to him. He realised
that I lived on dreams inspired by this
book, and that these dreams prevented
me from being present and experiencing
the outer and the inner life, without ex-
pectations and ideals. Still, I must say that
the book was once a great impetus for me
to go on from ordinary yoga, which I had
known for years at that time, to the more
advanced yoga and Tantric meditation.
So, surely, it was an inspiration.
That a person like Babaji can live for
several thousands of years, both in a
physical body and on the astral plane and
create possibilities there for the spiritual
development of his disciples, may be a
trifle too strong for many. Especially if
one experiences life from a “normal”
limited perception of reality. My teacher’s
warning at the time was, therefore, justi-
fied: I should not live by such ideas,
regardless of whether they are true or not,
but act myself and go on with my life.
And despite the fact that the yoga
literature describes so-called siddhas,
people who have achieved great spiritual
power and therefore also certain abilities
(siddhies), abilities which are different
from one individual to the other. One of
14
these abilities is to be able to recreate
one’s body from time to time. Here I
quote the recently deceased Dr. Swami
Gitananda from Pondicherry. He com-
ments on the yoga scriptures’ descrip-
tions of various abilities of this kind:
“The ability to dematerialize the body or
to make a new body.
Many stories exist of Siddhas who are
hundreds of years of age. A popular story
persists in India today of a Siddha who
is many thousands of years old, who
dematerializes and rematerializes at
will, often appearing younger after the
latest materialization. A Siddha is able to
recreate a physical body of any sex, state
or condition, as required for a higher
spiritual mission. These bodies are ‘real
bodies’ and not ectoplasmic, incomplete
forms as manifested by an occult or
psychic medium. These forms are not
‘conjured up’ by external forces, but
rather at the command of internal will.”
Babaji is supposed to have made contact
with a few people in every generation
who were ready to receive Kriya Yoga
from him. Lahiri Mahasaya is one of
these yogis, the teacher of Yogananda’s
teacher, Sri Yukteswar. Likewise,
Babaji is supposed to have contacted Sri
Shankaracharya in the eighth century.
Sri Shankaracharya subsequently
passed Kriya Yoga on to his successors,
so that it became a part of the swami
institution. Since that time Kriya Yoga
has exclusively been passed on by those,
who themselves have learned it in the
living tradition and who have received
the initiation into the swami order.
How can Kriya Yoga be
kept for the future
When a culture is at it’s height, as the
cultures mentioned in the previous issue
of Bindu, the people of that culture pos-
sess an integral world view. Not belief
in something separate, not dogmas about
something else, nor techniques or magic
regarding a third thing, but a whole real-
ity, within which all these categories ex-
ist - there is nothing to question, this is
how it is. When the culture declines, when
it goes down hill and a new beginning
is seen on the horizon, then other rules
apply: things fall apart and are divided
into art, into religion, into science, into
philosophy, into medicine and psychol-
ogy or among the alternative people into
therapy, into healing, into belief or yearn-
ing for something which is not here,
extraterrestrial beings, other planes, etc.
But human beings are not divided into
parts; human beings are whole, and our
growth and maturing move us towards
this whole, to be a whole being.
Tradition is often passed on out of
sheer habit, from time to time beliefs
shift. Here in the North, from what we
can make out, we have the Vanes, after
that the Ases (= those who came from
Asia), then Catholicism, then the Refor-
mation, then the Age of Enlightenment,
then science, then atheism and finally the
political and economic world view.
What about yoga, and the deeper
spiritual values, the spiritual search and
genuine tradition? Yes, mystics (initiates)
have always been there; either they
have worked in public and have given
something valuable to their society, or
they have worked secretly in order to
enable a few people to maintain contact
with the spiritual, so that the tradition
does not die on its way to the times when
people once more will understand how to
gain from it.
Earlier in Tibet, for example, families
always sent at least one son to the monas-
tery to become a monk and preserve the
spiritual tradition; nowadays only every
twentieth family contribute. When did
the glow die out, when was a reality with
power and light forgotten, when does
it become a duty and a habit? And can
we in any way compare mysticism with
movements which turn into religions and
mainly build their faith on outer authori-
ties, as has surely happened in Tibet?
When is a society harmonious and
when is it oppressive? Who can distin-
guish between a real, living whole, and
the segregated, which consists of doc-
trines, rote reaming, programming, and
“faith” (as something one talks about,
flaunts and also demands of others)?
Mysticism does not change from one
time to another, as do belief systems
and mythologies. The mystic experience
stays the same from one culture to an-
other, from age to age, all over the earth.
It is based on a search, on a few effective
methods and on genuine experience.
Ritual or meditation?
If you ask different people what Tantra
is, the Indian pandit (= learned one) says
that Tantra is the source of all knowledge
on Mantra, i.e. on the influence of
sounds and syllables on the mind and
thereby, our reality. Some yogis will
describe Tantra as the yoga of rituals.
And yet others will speak of Yantra,
certain forms for evoking and chanelling
cosmic energy, and about Chakra
(mentioned in the first part of the article).
Then there are those who are a little more
superficially and sensationally inclined,
who will say that Tantra only involves
sex; however, sex is only a small part
of Tantra. Because different people at
different times (among them our time)
have neurotic relationships to sex, then
this 1/64 part of Tantra is magnified to
fill the whole horizon. No matter how
15
valuable the sexual rituals may be (see
for instance my book, Yoga, Tantra and
Meditation in Daily Life, page 76 to 81),
this is only one possibility among many,
for those people who wish to make use of
it. And, finally, if you ask me and some
other yogis, then Tantra contains: yoga
and meditation, when it is more than just
a little gymnastics to be fit and beautiful.
Hypnosis or
an inner higher reality
Rituals are important in all religions and
secret societies, but are they necessary
for the spiritual seekers? It happens that
yogis, who at one point were very active
in their sadhana (their practice and their
work with themselves), later return to
the rituals of their tradition. When I was
younger I considered rituals to be of two
kinds, the one for keeping the sheep in
the fold, for inspiring them to maintain
and reinforce the religious view of the
world, and the other solely for the pur-
pose of opening the mind and expanding
the consciousness. Now I am not so sure
about the difference, if I want to show
the highest respect for my fellow human
beings and their experience of reality.
And even though I, for my part, do not
want all kinds of rituals to dominate my
life, and even though I cannot see a pur-
pose for them in my life, I must recognise
their importance in the following little
account: When the Vietnam war was
over, and the soldiers returned to the
USA, many tragedies followed. The
veterans were physically and mentally
broken and a frighteningly large number
never recovered from the injuries they
had sustained in the war. However, one
group freed themselves from the after
effects entirely, using ancient means.
They were returning Indians, who had
also had to serve as soldiers. When they
returned they participated in the tradi-
tional dances and rituals which have been
used for centuries for returning warriors,
and in that way they closed that chapter
16
in their lives in accordance with the sky These are not rituals meant to keep
and the earth. people within a conventional bourgeois
or religious framework; they comprise
of an action one takes to expand and
Ritual and Meditation! liberate the consciousness. The word
Kriya Yoga is a ritual, at times kept Tan-tra indicates this: Tanoti means
secret, of certain yoga exercises for expand and trayate to liberate.
body and mind, and at the same time it The ritual must be used - as a Tantric
is one of the world’s most harmonic and ritual is performed - in such a way that
effective meditations. it uninterruptedly occupies the whole
Naturally one can do a little yoga just of your being, including both body and
as a daily exercise and have an effect mind, and also what you reach at the end
of the meditation, that which extends
from it. The Headstand, for example,
works, no matter which ideas you have beyond body and mind, the soul, if you
or how you are disposed. That also will - the self. q
applies to all other exercises
and meditations in this tradition.
And still the harmony that arises
in body and mind seems to
create a broader view of life for
anyone using them.
The Russian communists
already during the Thirties
studied the breathing exercises
of yoga, and maintained an
interest in the effects of yoga,
for instance in connection with
the cosmonauts in their space
travel programme. But they also
found that it was not so easy to
keep the people who used yoga
(in this case especially breathing
exercises) adhering to a frozen
picture of the world based on the
narrow dogma of materialism. In
other words, from this research
there arose a fear among those in power The subject has not been exhausted here,
that people should discover the spiritual and probably will not be in this series
perspectives. of articles, as Kriya Yoga first of all is a
Thus, someone who knows of practical matter - something you do and
Kriya Yoga, and treats it merely as a experience. Nevertheless, I will continue
composition of advanced yoga and the series in one more issue of Bindu, to
meditation exercises, can gain so much include such subjects as: Conditions for
more from it - this applies both in respect the learning and use of Kriya Yoga. The
to strength and energy and to deep balance between the inner and the outer.
harmony - if he or she understands how More about: what is Kriya Yoga? The
to use these wonderful meditations as role and the background of the initiation
a ritual. But one has to understand the and the teacher. Yoga as science and
concept of ritual in the Tantric sense. mystical spiritual tradition. q
Lasting and deep reaching effects
6 years of research on the 3-Month Courses in Sweden - by Neuropsychologist Erik Hoffmann Ph.D.
The effect of the 3-Month Courses in (EEG) measured. The purpose was to With a sleepy, very tired or deeply
yoga and meditation was measured study the possible effects of the course relaxed person the opposite
with modern technology: Best on the autonomous nervous system and is seen, a slow
possible balance between the two on the brain - two of the most important pulse, a low blood
brain halves, better relaxation biological systems in the human being. pressure and a high
and considerably less anxiety and skin resistance,
restlessness. which shows
The Autonomous that the para-
Nervous System sympathetic
The aim of the investigation The autonomous nervous system is system
In the North, Scandinavian Yoga and divided into the sympathetic and the dominates.
Meditation School offers courses on parasympathetic nervous system, In a
different levels in the several thousand with direct opposing effects mentally
years old tradition of Tantric yoga and on the brain and on most healthy
meditation. These methods have not glands and organs. These person
been scientifically explored to the same two systems are in charge
extent as, for instance, Transcendental of bringing the body into
Meditation. It was therefore obvious either a state of activity
that we should conduct a study on the or rest. To see the
Tantric yoga and meditation methods. We relationship between
chose to study students on the 3-Month the two, the electrical
Courses (please see the description in the skin resistance
brochure from Haa Course Center). (BSR = Basal Skin
Our research took place from 1986 to Resistance) is
1991. The description here is from the measured.
first investigation in 1986. The investi- In a mentally
gations conducted in the following years and/or physically
were more comprehensive, but did, active person
however, show similar results. the sympathetic
A total of 32 students volunteered to be nervous system
measured at the beginning and at the end dominates, which
of the course. In addition, every person for instance results in a rapid pulse, a you see a purposeful balance between
was initially subjected to a psychological high blood pressure and a low electrical the two systems, when they adapt to the
anxiety test (the Taylor Test). The latest skin resistance. demands of the surroundings.
electronic equipment was used, and the
measurements were directly analysed by Psychophysiology is the scientific method to explore the connection between psychological and
an integrated computer. physiological processes. Through this method you are able to study more objectively states of
In the first year, the project was consciousness such as sleep and dreams, meditative and hypnotic states. In this article we see
divided into two independent researches. how this method can be used for measuring the effects of the meditation and yoga methods of
12 students took part in a study of the the 3-Month Course as a whole. The study was performed by neuropsychologist Erik Hoffmann
autonomous nervous system, while the Ph.D. Engineer M.Sc., Per Gaarde-Nissen, was in charge of the EEG technology.
remaining 20 had their brain waves

17
 Mentally strained, stressed and tense Stability in the the value at the conclusion, a BSR index
people often have an almost chronic nervous system was created, which showed the pupil’s
dominance of the sympathetic nervous ability to relax. This index increased for
system. This may result in sleeping Each student had electrodes attached the group as a whole from 1,44 before
problems, headaches, etc. These people to the index and middle finger of the the course to 1,70 at the end. It was thus
often perspire a lot - especially from the left hand, where the level of the skin documented that the ability to relax
palms, which gives a low skin resistance. resistance (BSR) and the number of had improved considerably and that the
On the other hand, a permanent spontaneous skin reflexes (GSR) were autonomous nervous system in this way
parasympathetic dominance can be measured. During the approximately 15 had become more flexible.
observed in chronically tired and minutes of the measurements, the subject The measurements of the number of
depressive people, who also measure a was lying on the back on a couch in a spontaneous skin reflexes (GSR) showed
very high skin resistance. sound proof room. a decrease from 30 units before the
Both these types of people conse- The student was asked to relax for 8 course to 9 by the end of the course. This
quently have a badly balanced and inflex- minutes. We measured his/her BSR at the indicates a strongly increased stability
ible autonomous nervous system, which beginning and at the end of this period. in the autonomous nervous system. After
is reflected in a permanent and abnor- By dividing the value at the start into that, we compared this result with the
mally low or high skin resistance (BSR). result of the anxiety test and found a very
Furthermore, with both types clear connection: When the spontaneous
- to the extent that they are GSR’s were less, the result in the anxiety
anxious and worried - one can test were better.
measure small momentary On the basis of this and other similar
drops in their skin resistance scientific findings it is safe to conclude
(skin reflexes, called GSR that after the course the students were
= Galvanic Skin Response). far more calm and less anxious than
Normally a skin reflex is when they came. A conclusion which the
released when a person students confirmed themselves.
is exposed to an external
influence. It is then called
specific, and is a physio-
logical sign that the person
The double brain
is attentive and reactive. In the human brain, an incessant
Scientific research, how- electrical activity of a rhythmical
ever, has shown that people nature is taking place, the so-called
suffering from anxiety brain waves. Measurement of these
neurosis and nervousness by electrodes attached to the scalp is
have a tendency to release called electroencephalography (EEG).
many skin reflexes, even The rhythms most interesting in this
when they are lying connection are called alpha waves
down, relaxed and totally (with a frequency of aprox. 10cps/sec).
undisturbed. Such reflexes Scientific studies have shown that
are described as unspecific the amount of alpha waves increases
or spontaneous and are during meditation and there are many
ascribed to (emotional) Skull of an old Egyptian. The snake is the symbol of energy indications that people who meditate in
processes in the individual. in many cultures - on this skull can be seen two cobras. They, general have more alpha waves.
The more anxious a person no doubt, stand for the nervous energy in the two brain halves
In the yoga tradition, this knowledge is preserved under the
There are more alpha waves when a
is, the more spontaneous name of Swara Yoga. Different yoga methods aim at creating
person has the eyes closed, is mentally
skin reflexes can be a balance between the energies in the two halves of the body relaxed and maintains a passive
measured during rest. and of the brain, between sun and moon, between Ha and Tha. awareness. When the eyes are opened

18
or the person is distracted, the alpha
rhythms are reduced in favour of the
quicker beta rhythms - that is, the brain
is activated. The amount of alpha waves
therefore shows to what extent the brain
is in a state of relaxed awareness.
Today it is presumably common
knowledge that the left brain half
governs language, as well as logic
and analytical thinking. The right
brain half, on the other hand, thinks in
pictures, sensations and feelings - it sees
the overall view, is spontaneous and
intuitive. The biological foundation for
the creative expression of an individual
is therefore a “correct” balance and
communication between the two brain
halves.
The study of this balance was the
focus of the investigation. Therefore,
we used the ratio between the amount
of alpha waves in the right and the left
brain half (the RightlLeft ratio) to show
this balance. Now, you might think that
a correct balance would show a R/L
ratio of 1,00 - that is a 100% symmetry
between the left and the right side of the
brain. However, that is not the case - not
in our culture anyway, where greater
emphasis is placed on developing skills
connected to the left brain half.
With mentally healthy human beings,
an ideal R/L ratio is 1,05 - 1,10 - a little
higher (culturally determined?) activity
in the left compared to the right side.
In deep relaxation, though, human
beings come nearer to a balance of 1,00
between the brain halves.
On the other hand, with neurotic
and psychiatric patients, a R/L ratio far
below 1,00 is found. The greater the
mental disturbance, the lower the ratio:
People suffering from anxiety neurosis,
for instance show values from 0,93 to
extremely low values from 0,50 to 0,60
with paranoid people (Hoffmann,1982).
Optimum balance
Twenty right handed students
participated in this first investigation
(1986). Electrodes were mounted above
the left and the right temple, and the
students were asked to lie down on the
couch and relax with their eyes closed.
The EEG machine and the computer
were started, and data was gathered and
analysed for a period of 10 minutes.
Similar to other investigations of
meditation, we found a clear increase
(about Who) in the amount of alpha
waves in the right brain half, which
shows a better relaxation of the right
side of the brain by the end of the
course. The alpha waves in the left brain
half surprisingly remained completely
unchanged. This gave an increase in
the R/L ratio from 0,98 to 1,07, which
according to the previous considerations
must be considered a positive
stabilisation of the balance between the
two halves of the brain.
To further support this observation, at
the start of the course we had found that
students with a high R/L ratio (1,05 -
1,10) managed well in the anxiety test.
The increased amount of alpha waves
in the right brain half was seen in the
first study. In the following years we
also tested several participants with
predominating activity in the right side
- these too achieved an ideal balance
during the course.
Lasting effects
It can be concluded that the 3-Month
Course had a favourable psychophysio-
logical effect on the students - on their
autonomous nervous system and brain.
The balance in these two important
systems was decisively improved. (All
the results mentioned are statistically
significant, which means that it is very
unlikely that they can be ascribed to
coincidences.)
These biological changes all signify
generally improved relaxation and
stability, as well as less anxiety and
unrest in the students by the end of the
course. Note: all the results were found
during ordinary relaxation and not during
meditation, as in most comparable
investigations. This indicates a more
permanent long-term effect. q
The goal is another and higher
Comments by the editors:
Previous investigations by Hoffmann
(1982) with people who had been in
therapy for 18 months, showed a similar
improved balance in the brain. However,
the difference with the students of the
3-Month Course was that the amplitude
(that is, the intensity of the impulses or the
height of the alpha waves - unlike quantity
or frequency), reached a common high
level. On the other hand in the therapy,
the amplitude decreased in the brain half
which was the strongest in the beginning -
down to the level of the weaker. When the
amplitude is high, more brain cells work
in the same direction, and the person is in
a state of concentration.
The Kriya Yoga articles naturally
describe more about the content of the
3-Month Course, than the results of the
measurements. The question is whether
all our students are equally interested in
this kind of investigation. The studies
offer a somewhat superficial picture of
what happens on a course, in your own
meditation and in life.
However, one thing is clear. No
matter what your goal is with yoga, the
measurements confirm that yoga and
meditation have positive “side effects”
- you become healthier and better able to
live your daily life. q
19
Another way to ceIebrate Christmas
... or New Year, or to go on an inner voyage of discovery for 3 months, from Winter to Spring
Håå Course Center has over the
years provided many people with the
opportunity to discover more about
themselves - to gain perspective, insight
and energy - Håå has become a spiritual
power center, where we build bridge
between the inner and
the outer life.
The special
circumstances, which
have been created
around Håå, our
experience and our
teachings, help you,
not just to imagine, but
to experience that you
are one with yourself
and your life.
Yoga, meditation,
the practical tasks, the
leisure-time activities,
plus your motivation,
make it possible to
benefit from this
unique transformation.
The 3-month Course
Every winter about 35 people get
together in Håå to take part in a process,
which, beyond facts and philosophy,
gives a profound personal experience.
During the first five weeks, mind and
body are trained with yoga and breathing
exercises, visualisation, concentration,
relaxation, meditation and different types
of dancing and music. Your capacity
to act is strengthened through Karma
Yoga, where the released energy from
the meditation hall is transformed in
the practical tasks in the kitchen, on the
field, in the forest or with the horses.
During the free time you can ride, go
skiing, skating or canoeing, float in the
20
10-14 days courses, Autumn and Winter 94/95:
13-23 October with Shanti and Anandananda;
The Christmas Course 19 December -1 January with Swami Janakananda and Sita
The New Year Course from 2-12 January with Franz Jervidalo & Vyasa.
The 3-month Course, 24 January-22 April 1995, Swami Janakananda, Sita & others.
Håå Course Center is
surrounded by forests and
fields, with a lake nearby.
The center has a number
of buildings with single
and double accommo-
dation, two fine small
dormitories, “pyramid”
(see p. 9), sauna, common
rooms and, most im-
portantly two meditation
halls. In addition there is
horse riding, ecological
farming and a fully
operational printing room
where Bindu is printed.
Obtain the course
brochure - it describes the
courses thoroughly.q
“During the 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.” (Morten Jon Jepsen)
“pyramid” (p. 9), do bio-feedback, go for mind. Resolutions or ideas, which arise
a walk in the forest or paint and draw. during this period, may, to a great extent,
The Kriya Yoga period is the peak influence your life later on.
of the course. A period where you During the last three weeks you
discover what it means to go deep. start to gain perspective on what you
Various meditation and yoga methods have learnt, your relationship to Kriya
are used. For 33 days Kriya Yoga is Yoga takes root, and you learn to use its
developed under complete silence and different variations. The course has now
without influence from the media and prepared you to appreciate Prana Vidya,
the outside world. The word awareness a healing method with psychic energy,
now acquires a whole new meaning, the and you receive the last, advanced
need for sleep decreases considerably instructions in Tantric meditation.
and it becomes more and more difficult Certain effects are permanent, but the
to hold on to tensions and depressions. high level of the course is maintained,
Dreams become clearer and throughout when, later on, you use some of what
the day “new” memories appear in the you have learnt.q
WeIcome to Alakh Bara
After five years of fire meditation, Swami Satyananda breaks the isolation and invites you
to Satsang in India
Namo Narayan is a mantra,
which yogis, swamis and others
use, when they greet disciples of
another guru. A longer version
is OM Namo Narayanaya. The
mantra implies: I greet god in
you. This custom expresses
a tolerance which is unique
to India - and very important
for the preservation of a very
special spiritual tradition. For
the individual, this greeting
means that superficiality is
eliminated. It ensures that one
does not, from fear of missing
out on something, run from one
teacher and method to the next,
without ever confronting the
whole of oneself. Here, in fact,
it is permitted to surrender to
one teaching and one teacher,
when you are serious about self-
realisation.
The use of Namo Narayan(a)
is also important for society. You avoid
sectarian and know-all “supporter-clubs”
around the gurus. Sects very seldom arise
in India with that negative interpretation
known in the West.
The concept, Namo Narayan, is
fundamental in that part of Indian culture
where yoga is kept alive. The mantra
expresses that no matter where you come
from, then I respect the path you have
chosen. I greet you! You are my guest, as
god is. I can exchange experiences with
you on equal terms.
When a well-known guru - whose
teaching has substance also for the
West, and who has been visited by many
different people over the years, some
- by Swami Janakananda
first I was just annoyed that my
just to shop around, others to be touched
and be trained and still others to receive
help to live a life in concentration and
meditation or to become able to fulfil the
task which is that person’s calling - when
such a guru suddenly one day greets his
disciples with Namo Narayan, what has
happened?
Let me relate this in a personal way:
The summer of 1988 I was in USA,
among other things, to work on the
new English edition of my book Yoga,
Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life. For
a time I lived on Long Island and, late
one afternoon, I went for a swim with
a couple of friends in the Atlantic. The
waves were bigger than I had expected,
and I was knocked over several times. At
bathing trunks slipped down and
my hair was washed forward,
covering my face so that I was
unable to find my bearings. Then
I realised that this was serious.
After being knocked beneath the
waves more times than I care to
remember, I managed to fight
my way ashore. Never as an
adult have I been that short of
breath. At the same time, I felt
incredibly good, having fought
my way out of the ocean.
The experience gave me
perspective on my life. I saw the
twenty years I had taught yoga,
and felt strongly inspired, in
one way or another, to go on for
another twenty years.
Later, home in Sweden, I had
a vision - no, a total experience
- in my meditation. I am in a
landscape that looks like the
foothills of the Himalayas near
Rishikesh. I have a feeling of just having
left everything - students, administration,
routines. I feel endlessly relieved. Now
I am free, and can go wherever I want
and completely devote myself to my
Sadhana. Afterwards I wondered why
this wonderful experience of freedom
appeared just now, when I was so
inspired to go on teaching!?
A few weeks later Swami Pragyamurti
from London told me that Swamiji had
left the ashram and his role as a guru. At
the time of my vision, he was residing
near Rishikesh...
In November 1993, I was invited to
speak at a congress in Monghyr and
therefore visited my teacher,
21
Swami Satyananda. When I told him of
my vision, he just said: “Yes, I thought
you should know”.
After some years of travelling around
visiting holy places in India, Swamiji
has, at his own wish, lived in relative
isolation in his new ashram, AlakhBara.
During the last five years he has, among
other things, devoted himself to a unique
meditation between five fires. Every day,
from 15 January till 15 July, from sunrise
to sunset with four strong fires just next
to him, the fifth being the sun. It is said
that since Shankaracharya (see page 13f)
nobody has practised this meditation.
And now that the five years have passed,
he wants to see everyone who accepts
his invitation. After that he will carry on
- the first five years were just a rehearsal.
Satsang means to be together with,
to receive guidance, to listen, to get
inspiration, or just to be - in company
with a master. In the period between 18
November and 17 December, 1994, you
can, together with many others, meet
him daily from 12 to 2 pm. q

Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life

Swami Janakananda’s book in a revised and extended edition (Rider Books, UK and Weiser, USA)
This book offers an approach, and the convenient inclusion of tantra and kundalini
alternative to the way many was so refreshing, and just what I had been looking for. I could
books deal with yoga, thoroughly identify with everything you said; not only that, but
wherein they maintain the I felt that the way in which you communicated your knowledge
misunderstanding that one and beliefs was perfect.” (V. Williamsson, London, UK)
must take on a new lifestyle
to use yoga and meditation. “...I have had the book 6 months, since I took up yoga, and it
Swami Janakananda does has been wonderful. A book for life...”
not only stress the practical (M. Thompson, Dublin, Eire)
side of yoga and meditation “... congratulations on producing such a fine work on Yoga. It
in this book, but shares the has really enriched my life and the lives of many of my friends
tantric wisdom and view, and family, as it is the present I most often give for birthdays.”
giving you the freedom to (D. Carr, Oakland, CA, USA)
practise yoga and meditation entirely on your own terms.
As you follow the exercises in this book, you will realise
that yoga is based on a profound knowledge of human nature:
a knowledge not limited to any age, lifestyle or nationality. It is
the fruit of a living tradition, where knowledge is passed directly
from teacher to student, from generation to generation. Step by
step you are guided through the subject, and in a practical manner
you can benefit from the different poses, breathing exercises,
meditations and the tantric sexual yoga.

“I have read many yoga books and tried to follow them, but they
were not filled with much information. Your book tends to go more
into detail about each asana, breathing exercise and meditation.
Many of my friends didn’t understand yoga until I showed them
your book and they found it very fascinating.”
(C. Blackmore, Regina, Canada)

“I recently obtained a copy of your book Yoga, Tantra and

Meditation in Daily Life. For a long time I have had a yearning
to take up yoga, but have been put off by the narrow scholarly
and religious approaches that often seemed apparent. Your

22
Experience Yoga Nidra - A relaxation of extraordinary quality
Two deep relaxations, based on Swami
Satyananda’s classic yoga nidra, created
and guided by Swami Janakananda, who
has also composed the background of
nature sounds. Music by Roop Verma. Also
released in German, Swedish and Danish.
All you need is to lie down and follow the
instructions on the tape - completely still
and with closed eyes!
As a background and introduction there is
a 18 page booklet inserted in the tape box.
“This tape is a hit, if you can talk about I’m now again
hits within relaxation.” (A. Thomson, happy to face
therapist and New Age bookseller in UK) each new day, not
to unnecessarily
“The tape is one of the most inspiring I worry myself
have heard for a long time. It is a multi-
about tomorrow.
dimensional work of art of a nature that I have learnt to laugh again. I think it’s
is rarely seen.” (M. Lammgård, musician fantastic.” (E. Berg, Ludvika, Sweden)
and therapist, Växthuset Kaprifol, Sweden)
“Yoga Nidra is much more than a deep
“After a number of years of having relaxation; it is a total experience that
a stressed life with a job that almost touches and awakens all parts of your
ruined my ability to live in the present, being.” (Swami Janakananda)
The book: Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily Life 175 Sw.Cr. + 30 Sw.Cr. postage.
The CD: Experience Yoga Nidra 165 Sw.Cr. + 30 Sw.Cr. postage
The tape: Experience Yoga Nidra 120 Sw.Cr. + 30 Sw.Cr. postage
Nose cleansing pot with instruction brochure: Joghus, (right in picture) blue, red,
yellow, green or black. 140 Sw.Cr.+30 Sw.Cr. postage. Krutis, (left in picture) blue,
white or green, 170 Sw.Cr. + 30 Sw.Cr. postage.
The brochure (free): about the retreats at Håå International Course Center.
We can only accept payment in Swedish Crowns by Eurocheck, international money
order or to our postal giro acc. 73 86 03 - 0 in Sweden. No personal checks please, they
are too expensive to cash.

Sweden Håå Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda tel. +46 372 55063 Subscription
Stockholm Västmannag. 62, 113 25 Stockholm tel. +46 8 32 12 18
You are welcome to support us, so we
Denmark Copenhagen Købmagergade 65, 1150 Copenhagen tel. +45 33 14 11 40 can continue to distribute Bindu. Pay
Århus Vestergade 45, 8000 Århus C tel. +45 86 19 40 33 45 Sw.Cr. for one issue or 80 Sw.Cr.
Elsinore Kongensgade 12 B, 3000 Elsinore tel. +45 49 21 20 68 for 2 issues + 30
Norway Bergen Georgernes Verft 3, 5011 Bergen tel. +47 55 32 78 40 Sw.Cr. postage
Oslo Skytterdalen 6, 1300 Sandvika tel. +47 67 56 95 55 (payment, see
Finland Helsinki Sukula, 30100 Forssa tel. +358 16 4350599 above). Further
Germany Hannover Egestorffstrasse 3, 30449 Hannover tel. +49 511 454163 contributions are
Internet www.scand-yoga.org also welcome.

Publisher: Bindu, Håå Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda, Sweden. Tel. +46 372 55063. Fax. +46 372 55036. Postal Acc. 73 86 03 - 0
Circulation: 5.000. Printed and produced: Karma Yoga with various teachers from Håå Course Center.
Pictures: page 2, 11, 12, 15 16 and the back page are from “Mithila”, an area in Bihar in India, where particularly the women decorate the walls of the
houses. The pictures which we have printed in this periodical, however, are not superficial ornaments. They originate in the strong source of folk art, where
also, in ancient times, the tantric yantras have their origin. Collectively, this art is called Madhubani after a town in the area. The picture on page 16 is called
Shri Vijaya Pujan Yantram (awakening the victorious power); page 2, Shri Bhaum Pujan Yantram (for fertility, in folk art or spiritual power, in tantra); the back
page, Shri Ganapateshavari Yantram (Ganesha Yantra). The pictures belong to Swami Janakananda. The picture on page 5 stems from the yoga tradition and
is of unknown origin. The front page, p. 17 Birger Vilén-Petersen, p.7 Ambika, p.8 20 Robert Nilsson.
Copyright © 1994 Bindu and Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School.

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