Pranayam – the greatest gift to Yoga

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This is a curiosity in a way. If you think you know about pranayam, please stop here. If you think pranayam is for health, Go to Ramdev. He runs a multi million dollar business based on pranayam, yoga and selling ayurved medications. There are millions of people who follow up – please go there. If you think you can read up on pranayam on the net -this is not the web page for you.

Yoga means union. Union with God, Union with pure consciousness. Thats all. Yoga is perhaps the fastest way to reach God, reach pure consciousness. Sorry, delete that. It is the fastest way, not perhaps. Yogananda said the same thing. Babaji gift was bringing the lost technique of Kriya yoga.

There are 8 steps to yoga. Hence known as Ashtang yoga. They are

1. Yama and niyam
2. Aasan
3. Pranayam
4. Pratyahar
5. Dharna
6. Dhayan
7. Samadhi (two types)

Without the first step of yama and niyam, (physical and mental discipline) one cannot go forward. Without Aasan, it is difficult to do true pranayam initially. When advanced one can do pranayam without aasan

Pranayam – depending on the proficiency manifests as dharna, pratyaha, etc.

So in any yoga text a few things are mentioned

There are multiple types of pranayam

ONE SHOULD NOT DO PRANAYAM UNLESS PROPERLY INSTRUCTED BY A GURU. IT IS FORBIDDEN

The best pranayam is Kriya. It also goes by the name kevali. This secret technique has not been revealed even now. Of course this is just my opinion. And the corollary of this statement one can infer is perhaps I dont know it. This unique pranayam will perhaps never be revealed to the public. All Guru extoll it as the highest. Many people read up about it on the internet. However, I am yet to see anyone like yogananda. All that means is, painful as it is, no one knows how to do it properly. Also, you need a powerful living Guru to do it properly. Gorakhnath said it is the highest. This is the yoga which Patanjali talked about. Like I said, if you know pranayam, just stop reading what I wrote.

This is the tragedy of ignorance. Incomplete or even foolish information is considered as Gospel. People foolishly believe their understanding is accurate and incomparible

I once met a Guru who told me, if done properly, you will start seeing the past and future accurately. Needless to say, I am yet to meet anyone who can do that. And then he added, that is not even the starting point! One has to go much much further.

I say this so the human vanity,ego which makes people believe they know Kevali or true pranayam, those people can stop and reevaluate their thinking and method.

So based on what Gorakhnath said, based on Devatma shakti and what Yogananda said, (he often said, because of spiritual injunctions, he cannot reveal Kriya or kevali), I do believe it is one of the most powerful, fastest way to perfection. Within 12 years perfection can be reached. 12 years is too long and meant for the very dim witted disciple

I have been doing this for 40 years and have still a long way to go. So you can assuredly placed me as lower than the dim witted.

Having said that, I have a very firm belief in the power of doing it properly! I have written about it in great detail elsewhere