The mind has strange ways of misleading and miscalculating things – and then suffering because of it. Although everyone wants to be happy, yet everyone does all the things which create the reasons for more and more unhappiness. It is very important to understand one thing: that one cannot live in peace if one is in bondage. If a person is bound in physical chains then that is a physical bondage that is very visible, but when the chains are invisible and subtle, then it is more difficult to overcome them.

A mind that is bound by its desires, attachments and dreams is a ‘pashu’

In the Hindi language the word for animal is ‘pashu’; the root of the word ‘pashu’ is ‘pash’ which means rope. Hence the meaning of ‘pashu’ is one who is bound by rope. Animals are tied, not human beings. One end of the rope is tied round an animal’s neck and the other end of the rope is tied to a pole. Have you ever seen an animal that is tied up? Such a sad state; its movement is restricted. If its drinking water or food is kept at a distance, then it has to suffer hunger and thirst and can’t do a thing about it. The animal is in an helpless position – it can’t complain or shout or submit a complaint against its owner with any court or authority. Man too is bound; man too is in chains; the state of man too is pathetic. Can a person who is in bondage be happy? A mind that is bound by its desires, attachments and dreams is a ‘pashu’ too. The difference between an animal and a man is not just of the body; the truth is that the mind of a human is also in chains. The only difference is that the rope that ties an animal is visible and the rope that ties a man is invisible.

One cannot live in peace if one is in bondage

Shiva is also known as Pashupatinath – ‘pashu’ means animal and ‘pati’ means lord. Hence the meaning of Pashupatinath is: Lord of the animals. We are born with the possibility of, and ability to, become pashupatinath, i.e., lord of the animal within. This name signifies that unless and until you are awakened, you are a pashu – an animal – a slave of the senses and the mind. When you are awakened you become a master of your senses and of your mind too. In Shiva is the objective and target of human life – that is to rise above the mind and senses. When the mind is the master, then you are the slave. When the mind knows only sensual physical joys, then it is bound to them – there is no other option left.
From birth you were dependent on your mother, father, aunt, nanny, or granny for anything you needed. When you were hungry, when you were afraid, when you were lonesome, when you fell down and got hurt – you called for help, and the one who was available to you most of the time was the person you got attached to the most. Slowly this attachment led to a sense of security, happiness and protection. This develops into emotional bondage and one begins to feel weak, vulnerable and sad if that person is not close or within reach. This emotional slavery clips your wings and imprisons you in an imaginary cage – one which you have created, and jailed yourself in.
I see people worrying endlessly about individuals they are attached to. Any small delay in a child or husband’s return home from school or work gives rise to fears of what may have happened. Thoughts of a possible accident or mugging plague the mind. People are in constant fear of their spouse being involved with someone else; they always keep a watchful eye over one another.  The mind begins to torture itself incessantly till the loved one or his message arrives.
These are some of the external situations which may arise in your life, but there is no end to the possibilities of such circumstances. If you are not free from emotional bondage, then neither can you ever be really free of worries and anxieties. And if you have a high level of anxiety in your mind, it will certainly give rise to a number of diseases in the body too. An unhealthy mind lives in an unhealthy body.
So the question is: Do you know how to keep your mind anxiety and bondage free? If you don’t, then you are really in bad shape – you are slowly inching towards disease and death!

An unhealthy mind lives in an unhealthy body

A stressed out mind is home to many psychosomatic diseases. I can honestly say, that if you wish to remain physically and mentally healthy, then you must keep your mind free of bonds and stress. Actually all the stress occurs because of bondages. You want  that a person who is a source of joy and security to you should stay with you forever; he should never leave you. Therefore, no matter how difficult it is to live with that person, you still carry on. Unhappy marriages continue because of such insecurity and mental bondage.

You don’t know how to survive without certain people so you put up with them and end up suffering a lot. And the more you suffer, the more you seek opportunities to hit back! In the name of relationships, individuals torture one another. Arguments and fights happen all the time between husband and wife, parents and children, friends, and lovers.
Are you aware of a state of mind, a state of consciousness which is bondage free where you relate well with yourself and with others – be it friends, colleagues or relatives. A person who has not struck up the right relationship with himself, cannot have a relationship with anyone else.
There are some people who cannot live or sleep alone; they need someone with them, be it a person or a toy. Fear of loneliness and darkness etc., is simply because you do not know how to live with yourself; you haven’t had a communion with yourself. Man has time to relate with others through mms, sms, phone and email, but he never has the good fortune to meet his own self. When you lose out on having a relationship with yourself, how can you have an in-depth interaction with others?

I saw an advertisement of a textile company on television. The ad said that their fabric makes you a complete man. I really wondered how a piece of cloth could complete a man! But the reality of life is that this is how people live. Some feel a relative completes them, some say a certain amount of money completes them and yet others feel that social status completes them! They feel incomplete without the object of their desire. How untrue these statements are!  So untrue! But people love the lies which offer false consolation. A fool’s paradise is what everyone is looking for; no one wants a real paradise – the fool’s paradise comes cheap and without effort too! But does such a paradise really exist? It certainly does not!
Human life is a gift from god, from nature, then why is it so difficult for a human being to see life as a precious gift? The answer is very clear: they don’t have the eyes to see; ignorance and darkness have blinded their vision. To put it simply and harshly: people are handicapped. The mind which is full of cluttered thoughts, scores of unfulfilled desires and hundreds of grudges, cannot see what lies ahead.
Jesus used to say that if you have eyes then see and if you have ears then listen to me. I always wondered what kind of a statement this was! He was not dealing with throngs and throngs of blind and deaf people, then why did he say this. The eyes we have are made to see the truth; the ears we have are made to hear the inner song of divinity. But those eyes are different and those ears are different. In ancient Hindu scriptures, it is said that the master is the healer; he is a physician. We are all born with deformities and handicaps, and until and unless you find a physician you will not be normal.

The diseases of the mind are many; of them, dependence on others is the worst one for it makes people’s
life a living hell

The diseases of the mind are many; of them, dependence on others is the worst one for it makes people’s life a living hell. A wife is dependant on the husband – physically, emotionally, financially and socially. Children are dependant on the parents, parents are dependant on children, the list goes on and on. In all relationships, one is weak and the other is strong. The weaker one is dominated by the stronger one to serve his selfish ends. Until and unless an individual is free – totally free – he cannot live in peace. Our mind is always looking for some shoulder to lean on – this makes one vulnerable and weak.
Ask yourself this question: Do I want to remain vulnerable and tied to someone or something, to the extent that that thing or person becomes my master and then treats me like an animal? There is no weakness that cannot be overcome. The only thing needed is the will to overcome it and I say: ‘Yes, I can overcome it, without any doubt.’
Once I heard the story of a trader who halted at a serai – a type of an inn. As he was tying-up his camels, he found he was short of rope. Exhausted and too tired to look for rope, he sat wondering what to do. A kind man saw his plight and asked what the problem was. When told about the shortage of rope, he said that he had a piece of advice for the man. “Just move your hands in a tying motion around the feet of the camels and talk to them telling them that now you have tied them up so they should just sit there and relax for the night.” The trader was bewildered and wondered how this nonsense would work! “Trust me, it always works,” said the kind man. Disbelieving the man, the trader anyhow did as instructed. Then he went into the inn to rest for the night. Early next morning he went to see his flock. To his amazement the camels were all there – as he had left them – not one was missing!
He started untying the camels and ordering them to move. One by one the camels started getting up slowly – but not all of them – some just kept sitting. He shouted at them, yet they didn’t move. He whipped them; still they did not budge an inch. He was flabbergasted. What had happened to his camels? On seeing the kind man pass by, the trader rushed to him for help, “What have you done to my camels? They are not getting up. The kind man smiled and he said. “Did you untie them?” “Yes, of course I did. What kind of a stupid question is that?” said the trader. “Including the ones you tied with imaginary ropes?” The trader felt embarrassed recalling the last night’s episode. He said, “No, I didn’t untie those who were tied with imaginary ropes. But how does it matter? They were not real ropes.” The kind man laughed and said, “If imaginary ropes can tie, then they can hold back the camels too. So go to your camels and untie them the way you tied them – talking to them and moving your hands around their feet.” The trader did as instructed, and Lo! the camels moved and started walking.
Human minds are also tied with imaginary ropes, and you forget when you had bound yourself. Someone is tied to his house, wife, husband, children, money or status – hence he can’t move – move on the path of self-awakening. We have to untie these ropes to move above and beyond the body, ‘I’ consciousness, pettiness and all the diseases of the mind. To begin with, you have to understand where you have tied your mind; one has to look for the unseen ropes and be free of them.
When you are unbound, only then are you totally free; free to be what you are; free to express; free to interact without any expectations, slavery or silly conditionings.
Meditation teaches you to be with the self in such a way that you are richer, happier, and more content with yourself. Then you do not need others to feel happiness, joy or completeness.

Q: What exactly is an emotion and from where does it arise? Is it a mental state related only to the individual or does it involve others as well. How is it related to our thoughts?

Gurumaa: In this world duality is concerned only with subject and object. The interaction of these two results in a range of experiences. The entire experiential world consists of an object and a subject. Every individual has a characteristic mind set, a particular background, a certain upbringing, a defined socio-economic structure, and a personalized ability to comprehend life: these differ from other individuals. Hence each individual’s reaction to an object or a situation is different. The mind too works at various levels: conscious, unconscious, sub-conscious and super-conscious. All the inputs received through the five senses – eyes, nose, ears, tongue and skin – are continuously perceived and registered by the mind. The objective world is known by its sight, smell, taste, touch and sound: all these sensory inputs are stored in the sub-conscious mind which can be called the hard disk of our mental computer.

It is strange that each mind perceives and stores information in a different way. The same thing can be good, bad, wonderful or ugly to different people. Our world is created by our perceptions, therefore I can say that emotions are spontaneous reactions of individuals to objects experienced by the senses. Emotions are waves that emanate from a conditioned mind. Waves of thoughts keep rising in the mind; the mind reacts impulsively or responds logically to a given situation. When the sub-conscious mind receives information it is passive, but most of the time the conscious mind – dependant on its preconditioning – imparts a certain hue to the input received. At other times the information is analyzed by the mind itself, for we have strong opinions about most things.

Emotions are spontaneous reactions of individuals to objects experienced by the senses

Q: Could you please explain us about emotional dependency?

Gurumaa: Every individual seeks joy and security. Fear of loss, fear of the unknown and fear of death is intrinsic to the human mind – therefore the mind always looks for happiness and emotional security. It is the natural tendency of the mind to seek a person or thing most likely to give us hope of joy and security in an uncertain future, and fit into the requirements of our needs. Because insecurities are deeply embedded in the human mind, therefore one is unwittingly attracted to the source of apparent hope. And soon the mind spins a whole web of expectations around that thing or person. No one wishes to be alone or unwanted, so the mind plays all kinds of games and uses all kinds of ploys to seek attention and to make a positive impression on parents, teachers, friends and colleagues. The mind tends to lend a wide spectrum to its aspirations – it wants to grab everything which can give it a sense of worth!

It is the natural tendency of the mind to seek a person or thing most likely to give us hope of joy and security in an uncertain future, and fit into the requirements of our needs

The mind suffers from the disease of possessiveness; it clings to objects and individuals as though this alone can make it happy or secure. From here dependency begins. This one line: I cannot live without you, is the trademark of your dependency. On record no one will admit to being dependant, yet no one is free of dependence. Take a minute to think and look deep inside and see if you feel that you cannot live without something or someone. If the answer is yes, then certainly you are an emotional dependant. This fact is unrecognized and unaccepted by most people; that is how you end up suffering at your own hands.
I know of many people who say that they can’t live without something or someone – a relative, a car, a dog, the husband, the wife, the job or status – the list goes on and on – and yet if you confront them directly with this fact, they will simply deny it.

Q: What does it mean to take emotional responsibility? How can one change the pre-conditioning of the mind?

Gurumaa: Being emotionally responsible means not being vulnerable, rather, being conscious in our dealings with people. It also means to be conscious of our mind and to observe our responses to people and situations. Unknowingly the mind creates mental bondages and desires – propelled by lust and greed – which are then topped with insecurities. You are constantly and untiringly occupied with creating a mess in your life! Speculations that are strife with anxiety add fuel to fire, increasing our agony further. One has to look deep into the mind and ask: ‘What do you want O mind. What are you looking for?’ If you have a little clarity the answer will be right in front of your eyes. But if you are totally immersed in worldly pursuits, then only the bitter knocks of life can give you a wake up call!

Awareness is the anti-virus to the infection of dependency in the mind
If a virus infests our computer we have it cleaned up; so it is always wise to have a good anti-virus system installed on your laptops and computers. Awareness is the anti-virus to the infection of dependency in the mind. But awareness does not happen in a day, one has to learn to develop and strengthen it with every passing day. A life lived without awareness is indeed a bed of thorns, of insecurities and of slavery.

One has to look deep into the mind and ask: ‘What do you want O mind. What are you looking for?’ If you have a little clarity the answer will be right in front of your eyes

Q: How can one rise above emotions?

Gurumaa: By simply being a witness to them. All emotions arise in the mind – and the knower of the mind is indeed different from the mind. The association with the mind is so strong that it seems absolutely impossible to see oneself as separate from the mind. The identification with the mind is even deeper than the association with the body. When one can’t see the body, senses and the mind as being different from the self, then how can one be a witness to their action? We never feel that the body is different from us – we see the body as being us. The same is true of the mind. Although we do say that ‘my’ mind is sad, happy, excited, anxious or angry – yet deep inside we see ourselves as a body and a mind. Thus any sensation taking place in the body or any  emotion arising in the mind, are thought of as happening to us. So when the mind is shattered we feel that I am shattered; when the mind is happy then we say that I am happy. The waves of emotions which arise in the mind engulf you. The identification with the mind is so strong and overpowering that it is very difficult to see the knower as distinct from the mind.

We never feel that the body is different from us – we see the body as being us. The same is true of the mind. Although we do say that ‘my’ mind is sad, happy, excited, anxious or angry – yet deep inside we see ourselves as a body and a mind
It is difficult to learn to swim when the river is in flood; it is wiser to do so when it is calm. Similarly, when the mind is not disturbed one can understand experientially, the art of witnessing thoughts. What is the mind? It is the sum total of thoughts, impressions, memories and conditioning. As one practices awareness, one by one the thoughts unravel and very slowly one begins to understand the whole drama played out by the complexities of the mind. This art requires deep patience and perseverance on the part of the meditator – it will not happen in one day, nor will it happen with theoretical knowledge. It will happen only by first accepting the fact that thoughts exist and then alienating one’s self from them. Emotions are strong responses which occur more as a reflex than as a deliberate exercise. You do not think of a response to a situation, it happens spontaneously defeating all your meticulous plans of not getting angry, sad or jealous. When the situation arises you do just the exact opposite of what you had planned! And feel guilty into the bargain!
Emotions fail all your great philosophies. Life is full of new situations and challenges, and  no one can prepare or tutor one’s self to meet them. The mind is very complex and one needs to understand its mechanism to overcome its grip. Witnessing the functioning of the mind gives you the ability to be established in the process of witnessing – this paves the way for overcoming the grip of emotions.

Q: What about the accumulation of suppressed emotions, is it not also a disease of the mind?

Gurumaa: There are two schools of thought on this issue: traditional society favours suppression and modern western society favours expression. In the first the practitioner suffers and in the second where you vent your feelings, there is a possibility that the other person suffers – so one party has to suffer, which is definitely not a good thing. A third way is to neither suppress nor express, but to watch the drama of emotions played out in the mind as a witness to the reactions and responses of people including yourself. People are so well conditioned and trained to emote that they act and react accordingly. There are some words which will upset you and others which will make you happy. Every smart person tries to learn the trigger words; those who do can easily manipulate people. Deep in their hearts everyone tries not to be vulnerable and they create a wall around themselves – a wall of cold behavior, anger, egotism or aloofness. That is their way of protecting themselves from an onslaught of emotions and its repercussions.

Society requires people to behave in a certain way; there is code of conduct to be followed in offices, in families and in public places. Everyone tries their best to follow the diktats of social mores, but this only adds to their hypocrisy, leading to further suffering. Society is more accepting of robots than of human beings who respond to situations.
I have heard that when Rinzai’s master died, he cried so loudly that people were surprised: How could a man of his stature cry like this in public. Some advised him not to wail like a woman, others reminded him of his master’s message that the body is mortal. Rinzai said, “Well, I do know that, but I have lost my master’s body, the one that spoke great words of wisdom, that loved me and accepted me as I am. I am not bothered about what people will say about my crying. I am weeping for the body and not for the eternal soul. I am crying for the body which will never again be seen in all its beauty and glory.
Rinzai was not a hypocrite – he was a normal person who could cry when he was hurt, while simultaneously witnessing the crying; he could come out of it whenever he wanted to.

Who are you? What are you? Where are you?

There is a story in the Upanishads of ten students who studied together in a gurukul. One day all of them went to attend a function in a neighbouring village. They had to cross a river which was in spate. They held hands and cautiously waded through the powerful current of the water till they crossed over safely. The leader of the group said, “Let me check if all of us have reached the shore safely. God forbid that anyone has been washed away in the current.” Everyone lined up and the leader starting counting: one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine – the line finished at the ninth man! They were all shocked. Where was the tenth man?  Another student offered to re-check and he changed positions with the leader; he too counted in same manner and again the count ended with the ninth man!
Now the finding was confirmed; tragedy had struck! The tenth man was missing. They started crying, all of them grief-stricken. A wise man was passing that way. Taking pity on them he asked what the problem was. Sobbing uncontrollably they narrated the whole story. The wise man immediately understood the problem! First he assured them that they had no cause for worry as he knew where the missing tenth man was. But they would have to pay him for the help he offered. Encouraged by his words, they all agreed and took solace in the words of the wise man.
So this wise man made them stand in a line and asked the leader to count each one. The leader did as instructed and again the count came to nine. The wise man slapped the leader and said, “And you are the tenth man.” Everyone was ecstatic and all of them started dancing and singing, thanking the wise man for having solved their problem.
This is a story from the Upanishads. Through such simple stories seers explained great philosophical truths. Every one is looking for the truth, for god, as though god is lost somewhere. But no one realizes that the one who is searching for truth doesn’t know who he himself is.
In creation, starting from one’s own body, a gross physical entity, (individual and cosmic total) is objectified. If the gross and subtle entities are effects then the entity which brought them into being, (individual and cosmic total) is objectified as the personal as well as the total ego entity. In short, the gross, subtle and causal entities are objectified.
These gross, subtle and causal entities are objectified very clearly in the waking state, are vague in the dream state and completely resolved in the deep sleep state. So there are three distinct entities, each of them objectified in three states of experience. What is objectified must be different from the subject. Just like in the Upanishad story, the ’self’ is apparently missing, but all the above mentioned nine entities are counted by the ’self’ itself.
The ’self’ is the subject and distinct from the above mentioned nine entities. But it is seldom realized as the one which counts the other nine entities. Thus this story establishes the existence of the ’self’. The analogy in the Upanishad story must be used only to the point of establishing the existence of the ’self’. Every example should be taken only up to the limit it is meant to be taken to. The ’self’ cannot be grouped with the gross, subtle and causal entities of waking, dreaming and deep sleep states, as it was done for the ten students mentioned in the story.

Every one is looking for the truth, for god, as though god is lost somewhere. But no one realizes that the one who is searching for truth doesn’t know who he himself is.
The study of the ’self’ is not just a study by itself, but an exploration of the ’self’. We are focused on the body and senses, and even more focused on the objects of the senses, i.e sound, sight, smell and taste. Our senses are exposed to all the five objects and the mind is in an ever non-gratifying mode; it asks for more and more – the hunger of the mind is insatiable. The mind can eat all it pleases and have sex with all the men and women of the world, yet it will crave more. Our whole journey is towards the outside world. Your involvement is with everything; the identification with the mind is so great that it is not even as though we have just attached our self with the mind, but as though we have become the mind itself. So the important question that arises is: Who is the one who is behind the mind and beyond the mind?
We know about the mind and its hunger. We count the titillations and the material achievements, but what about the one who is a silent witness to all the flimsiness, the wanderings of the mind, the ego trips and the physical sensations? We never ever wonder about the one who is the master of the body, the senses, the mind and the intellect. The self which we have created is a false self. The route to this false self too is via the mind. This Upanishad story provokes you to seek the real self – the universal self, in its nakedness, stripped of the body, senses, emotions, thoughts and perceptions. Who are you? What are you? Where are you?

Knowledge is that which stays with you in life; information stays in the head alone and it has no link with the life you are living.
You have lost your real identity and taken the false self to be the real ’self’. If the body is the ’self’, then where were you when there was no body? Were you there or not? Were you there or not when the mind did not exist? Were you there or not? Who are ‘you’?

Know who you are, not through the head but through experience. Know who you are and that you cannot objectify your self.
Knowledge is true knowledge only when you are focused on searching for the real ’self’. Is the ’self’ an amalgam of emotions, senses, thoughts and perceptions alone, or is the ’self’ more than this. Is ‘I’ limited by space, time and object, or is the real ’self’ way beyond this; is it omniscient and all pervasive? If yes, then is ‘I’ a part of god or is god my own name – a bit different and exotic!
Knowledge cannot be gained from external sources like books and scriptures. Gurus can provide you with only information, and information is not at par with knowledge. Real knowledge is experiential and not abstract.
I once heard of a vedantist who fell sick; he was in tremendous pain. His brother disciple came to meet him. Seeing him writhing and shrieking in pain he said, “O brother, the pain is in your body, and you are a brahman. So why are you cursing everyone? Be calm and witness the whole drama.” The vedantist shouted the choicest of abuses and said, “To hell with brahman, I will break your head if you dare lecture me again. I am dying with pain and you are lecturing me.”
Knowledge is that which stays with you in life; information stays in the head alone and it has no link with the life you are living. Know who you are, not through the head but through experience. Know who you are and that you cannot objectify your self. Keep on peeling off the layers around you – the truth which you seek is you – not in you, but you. You are the truth!

Anger comes in several forms, including outrage, frustration, jealousy, resentment, fury, and hatred. It also masquerades as judgment, criticism, and even boredom. Like all emotions, it is a complex, ever-shifting state involving thoughts, feelings, and bodily changes.
Yogis understand anger as an energy existing, like all emotions, halfway between a physical and mental experience. Like heat or other energies, anger wanes naturally, if we don’t hold it back with psychological defenses-say, denying or repressing it: Anger tends to arise in a very visceral wave. It arises, crests, and then passes away.

Anger tends to arise in a very visceral wave. It arises, crests, and then passes away
In yogic theory, asanas, pranayama, and meditation comprise a comprehensive toolkit for freeing up blockages at the mental, physical, and energetic level. Yoga, particularly therapeutic forms like restorative yoga, has proven to be a valuable method of cooling hot-reactives down. Asanas may be in fact the best yogic antidote for anger because asanas allow you to move the energy.

In yogic theory, asanas, pranayama, and meditation comprise a comprehensive toolkit for freeing up blockages at the mental, physical, and energetic level

The fact that anger manifests differently in each person, and must be treated differently as well. Some of us get so revved up by our catecholamines that we can’t think straight. In those cases, experts have found that methods such as deep breathing, moderate exercise, or walking away from a provocative situation are the best way to lower the intensity of anger. But for those who are milder by nature, awareness can accelerate anger’s rush through, and out of, the body. Yoga helps people stay with the wave of anger all the way to the other end.
The first step at anger management is – do not resist and do not ignore the cause of anger. Experience it fully. Try and develop an attitude of an observer or a witness. Learn to change your role from being the subject to becoming a bystander. See how the anger is operating. See what it is doing to your mind and how. When faced by an anger causing action, immediately get into the mode of exploring and rationalizing with the “whys” and “more whys“.
You will start seeing some wonderful perspectives. You start appreciating that it is not necessarily the desire of the person to hurt you – getting angry is YOUR response. You realize that a person is seeing the situation from his point of view to the best of his intellectual and emotional capability – he may not be quite ‘capable enough’ to appreciate your point of view. This is only natural – because individuals are built in different ways. After all, aren’t you showing similar traits when you are getting angry!

Yoga Asanas to overcome Anger
All postures should be performed while doing deep, quiet breathing

The Shoulder Stand
(Sarvang Asana)

Benefits
1. Effective for excessive anger or hate, migraine headache, liver disorder, hemorrhoids, anemia, hypertension, indigestion.
2. The shoulder stand invigorates and rejuvenates your whole body.

Description of the asana
1. Lie down on the floor with your legs together and your hands, push down, by your sides. Inhaling, push down on your hands and raise your legs straight up above you.
2. Lift your hips off the floor and bring your legs up, over and beyond your head, at an angle of about 45°.
3. Exhaling, bend your arms and support your body, holding as near the shoulders as possible, thumbs around the front of the body, fingers around the back. Push your back up, lift your legs.
4. Now straighten your spine and bring the legs up to a vertical position. Press your chin firmly into the base of your throat. Breathe slowly and deeply in the pose, gradually trying to work your elbows closer together and your hands further down your back toward the shoulders, so as to straighten your torso. Keep your feet relaxed.

Caution
1. Shoulder stands should not be attempted without a qualified teacher.
2. Any one suffering from breathing difficulties or pain in the upper spine should not attempt these postures.

The Half Bow
(Ardha Dhanurasana)

Benefits
Half Bow energizes and strengthens the entire body, and especially builds core body strength. It stimulates the kidneys, adrenals and reproductive system.

Description of the asana
1. Lie on your belly, with the legs together or a few inches apart. Bring the chin to the floor and slide the right arm along the floor, over your head with the palm facing down
2. Bend the left knee and reach the left hand back to hold onto the left heel or ankle.
3. Inhale and kick the left foot into the arm to lift the left leg, head and chest off of the floor. Keep the neck in line with the spine, looking down at the floor. Lift the right arm off of the floor, keeping it parallel to the floor.
4. Breathe and hold for 2-6 breaths.
5. To release: slowly exhale and lower the leg, arm, head and chest down to the floor.
6. Repeat on other side.

Caution
People who have recently sufferred through and injury or are suffering through some chronic injury to the legs, hips, neck or arms; pregnancy, recent abdominal surgery should avoid doing this asana.

Hidden Lotus Pose
(Gupta Padmasana)

Benefits
This asana corrects postural defects of the spine. It may be used as a relaxation or even a meditation pose as it induces peace, stability and emotional balance.

Description of the asana
1. Sit in Padmasana. Place the hands on the floor in front of the knees. Leaning on the arms, raise the buttocks and stand on the knees. Slowly lower the front side of the body to the floor in the prone position. Rest either the chin or one cheek on the floor.
2. Place the palms together behind the back. The fingers may point downward, or upward in Universal Spirit. If possible, touch the back of the head with the middle fingers. Close the eyes and relax the whole body.
3. Return to the starting position, cross the legs the other way and repeat the asana.
4. Hold the position for as long as is comfortable. For complete relaxation, the hands may rest on the floor beside the body with the palms upward.

The Corpse Pose
(Shava-asana)

Benefits
The goal of the Shava-asana is for the body and mind to be perfectly still and relaxed. Not only should the body be motionless and at ease, but the mind as well should be quiet, like the surface of a still lake. The result will be a deep and stable relaxation that will extend into your meditation or be felt through the activities of your daily circumstances. If you find yourself getting drowsy while in the Shava-asana increase the rate and depth of your breathing.

Description of the asana
1. Lie flat on your back with your legs together but not touching, and your arms close to the body with the palms facing up.
2. Keep your eyes gently closed with the facial muscles relaxed and breath deeply and slowly through the nostrils.
3. Starting at the top of the head and working your way down to the feet, bring your attention to each part of your body, consciously relaxing it before proceeding on to the next.
4. Remain in the Shava-asana for between 3 and 5 minutes or longer. If you become sleepy while in the Shava-asana begin to breathe a bit faster and deeper.