five verbatim teachings

The current text-ensemble is dedicated solely to the presentation of five verbatim teachings as pertain to the post-classical vernacular yoga-tantra of Saint Guru Chod (1900-1988). These are five separate pieces of written instruction. They are limited in scope and specifically pertain to the lower forms of yoga. The texts are intended for public viewing but mainly as a means for assisting students in the process of yoga training. Suffice it to say, they are supplements merely: there can be no substitute for the personal guidance of a master. I hasten to add that Guru Chod never accepted any credit for the teachings he advanced, but gave all credit to Swami Sivananda of Rishikesh (1887-1963). He entrusted his guru with the highest veneration. He said: "Swami Sivananda was a living god in India ...He left this world ... He is Gurudeva."

The Five Verbatim Teachings of Saint Guru Chod are listed as follows:

1. Bhucha Phra-Athit (Classical Thai Sun Salutation)
2. The Names of the Sun
3. Asana List
4. Anuloma Viloma Pranayama (alternate breathing)
5. Yoga Practice Guidelines

The most appropriate time to perform Bhucha Phra-Athit, or the "Classical Thai Sun Salutation" is when the Sun is just at the point of rising above the horizon, that is, in the early morning. But this is not obligatory. Every time that you perform Bhucha Phra-Athit, you should directly face the Sun. As with other forms of exercises, it can be done whenever your stomach is empty. It is best to do this with all the windows of your room open, or in the garden on the lawn under the open sky. You should have as little clothing on as possible, or wear light clothing in which you can move about freely when doing this exercise. It should be done with bare feet.

There are twelve positions in Bhucha Phra-Athit.

In the First Position, you stand erect, alert but not tense, looking straight ahead of you with the palms of the hands joined together at chest, your feet closed in, toe-to-toe and heel-to-heel. Think of the Sun as the eternal source of light and power. Breathe in, and then out as you extend your arms in front of you at shoulder level, palms down.

It seems that many people have forgotten how to properly breathe. They pull in their stomachs when they inhale and push out their stomachs while they exhale. This method of breathing is incorrect. The correct way is to push out or distend your stomach as you breathe in, and to pull in or contract your stomach when you breathe out. This way you can inhale more deeply, as well as exhale more fully. Thus in the first position when you are inhaling, you should throw out your stomach or distend it fully. You pull in or contract your stomach as you exhale. This also exercises your kidneys and liver every time you inhale and exhale.

In the Second Position, you raise your arms high over the head and bend backward from the waist while deeply breathing in.

In the Third Position, you breathe out while bending your body forward so that your hands go down as far as they can. Do not strain yourself. Your head should eventually touch your knees. The legs should remain straight. Your hands touch the ground right beside your feet. Your fingertips and toes mark a straight lateral line.

In the Fourth Position, you move your right leg backwards while keeping the left leg where it is. Here the left leg, which must be kept stationary, is bent at the knee and the knee of the right leg, which is to be moved backwards, should be resting on the ground. The right leg touches the ground only with the toes and the knee. Relax and move your body forward a little. Rise up your chin and chest while inhaling deeply, distending your stomach to the fullest. By doing this, the heels of your hands are automatically raised up, only the tips of your fingers still rest lightly on the ground. If this position is properly done, it tones up your liver and kidneys, and exerts gentle pressure on your abdomen, helping proper elimination.

The Fifth Position is assumed when you throw your left leg back to the full length of the leg, and then throw the right leg back, as well, making a plank. The head, back and legs form a straight line. At this point, you should hold the breath.

In the Sixth Position, you bend the arms and let your body come to rest on the ground with the eight points or ashtanga of your body touching the ground. These eight points are, the two feet (toes), the two knees, the chest, the forehead and the two hands (palms). As you lower your body, exhale as deeply as possible, expelling all the air out of your lungs, while at the same time pulling in your stomach.

In the Seventh Position, you raise your head and chest upward to the full extent of your straightened arms; arch your back and raise your chin up as high as possible. Breathe in.

In the Eighth Position, without moving your feet or hands, you raise up the entire body so that your bottom is in the superior position, like a mountain, with the knees and elbows straight. Try to touch the heels and the top of the head to the ground. Breathe out.

The Ninth Position is achieved by dropping the left knee down on the ground, about half way between the hands and the feet and then bringing the right leg forward all the way to the hands (in reverse of position no. 4). Breathe in.

The Tenth Position is achieved by bringing the left leg forward, putting the left foot at the side of the right foot and letting the hands remain on the ground. This is in repeat of position no. 3. Breathe out.

In the Eleventh Position, you return to position no. 2. Breathe in.

In the Twelfth Position, you lower your arms down straight in front of you until they come to rest at your sides. Breathe out.

These twelve positions make one round. It is essential to point out that you should perform Bhucha Phra-Athit twelve rounds at a time. If you are tired after any round of the exercise, you can rest and then start again until twelve rounds are completed.

Finally, Bhucha Phra-Athit is never complete without proper breathing. Breathing is the rhythm, the rhyme and the life of this exercise. You must, therefore, practice this exercise with care in order to master the technique of breathing. Without proper breathing, this exercise is just an exertion. With breathing properly done, it charges your personality with unbounded cosmic energy.

COMMENTARY: "The Starting Point"

As elsewhere stated, throughout the world today the practice of yoga is largely associated with Hatha-yoga. The major emphasis of Hatha-yoga is developing physical health and fitness. And the common means of achieving this is the utilization of bodily postures called āsanas. Hatha-yoga is an initial component of Guru Chod's Yokha-booran,[1] too.

In this way, the starting point of Yoga Sri Tantra is almost always physical culture, specifically employing the highly-Khmerized Classical Thai Sun Salutation, or Bhucha Phra-Athit, to wonderful results. When regularly performed as a sacred ritual, together with its noble benedictions (mantras), Bhucha Phra-Athit bestows on one incalculable therapeutic benefit. It energizes the personality and makes it sensitive to the cosmic power. It cures all blemishes such as disease, despondency and lethargy. It taps the wellspring of life within. As Guru Chod remarked,

Surya Namaskar is the most perfect exercise ever discovered by humankind. When observed with a sentiment of openness and purity, Bhucha Phra-Athit enables a person to adapt oneself to the infinite source of universal energy.

But don't be deceived. Bhucha Phra-Athit in no way corresponds to today's generic surya namaskar. It is set apart clearly by (i) its technical precision, (ii) the unadorned elegance of its Siamese-Khmer stylistic modes, (iii) the organization of its rule-ensemble, and (iv) its subtle philosophic idiom. Pregnant with sophisticated cultural elements, Bhucha Phra-Athit is an integral component to the highly refined vernacular that Yoga Sritantra signifies.

Cultural and Philological Underpinnings

Here some mention of Bhucha Phra-Athit's distinctive cultural and philological underpinnings would be in order. Briefly, Bhucha Phra-Athit is a Sanskritic-Thai expression denoting a highly Khmerized mode of Sun worship.[2] Its Vedic origins are evident. Bhucha is derived from the Sanskrit pūja, which combines the sentiments of 'worship,' 'reverence,' 'adoration' and 'rite.' The prefix phra- is a Thai honorific that functions to deify the noun it precedes.[3] Athit is derived from the Vedic Aditya, one of the twelve ritual names of the Sun.[4] Supplication of the Sun as Nature Deity is therefore an extremely ancient enterprise. In the remote Vedic religion its worship is supported by the archetypal myth of the Solar Deity riding in a single-wheeled chariot pulled by twelve horses symbolizing the months of the year as it passes through the houses of the zodiac.

Now this sentiment of heliolatry is no less implicit in Guru Chod's rediscovered Yokha-booran. However, cloaked as it is in the Vedic myth, we cannot automatically assume its Indic origin; for there are aspects of Bhucha Phra-Athit that are strongly redolent of Ancient Royal Egypt, "cobras conferring kingship" and that sort of thing.[5] In fact, many scholars are of the view that heliolatry is the origin of all religions. They furthermore postulate Egypt as its birthplace.[6]

Notes

1. Yokha-booran is a Sanskritic-Thai expression: 'yokha' is obviously the Sanskrit yoga; 'booran' is derived from the Sanskrit pūrna, which with extended meanings in the Thai language implies 'complete, full, fulfilled, restored and perfected,' among other things. Yokha-booran would have a Sanskrit reconstruction in Pūrna-yoga.

2. Its Sanskrit reconstruction would be Āditya-pūja.

3. The Thai form phra is likely derived from the Sanskrit prefix para, "supreme," is consequently related to Classical Greek para-, which functions to exalt 'to the furthest extent.' In a nineteenth-century translation of the Christian Bible into Thai, "Thy hallowed name" was rendered as phra-naam. Phra also designates an ordained Buddhist monk in Thailand, and is the chief reference term for any ascetic.

4. Āditya is known as "The Son of Aditi," "the begetter of life," with reference to the Sun as deity; but also in the plural as Ādityas, the chief sons of Aditi. In post-Vedic Sun worship, their ritualized number was established as twelve in association with the months of the year and the houses of the zodiac. The theme was taken over by the Buddha-cult as well as Gautama the Buddha was called Ādicca-bandhu (Pāli), "Kinsman of the Sun."

Regarding "Aditi," it means "infinity" (a-, "not," + -diti, "limited"). Aditi is the Vedic goddess of 'space, the beyond, the unmanifest.' She is an extremely remote divinity found at the center of the oldest Vedic creation myths. Aditi is the mother of all, and queen of the eternal law (dharma).

5. Lawrence Durrell, Quinx (1984).

6. Egypt's most famous Pharaonic site is the plateau of Giza, a short distance from Cairo. One wonders what faith-inspiring conceptions of life could have possibly compelled an ancient people to carry so many stones and bricks to its monuments. Its geometric constructs are highly exacting, its designs complex and vastly arcane. It was set on a massive physical scale and arranged in accordance with the primordial conception of a North-South Axis. Thus the pyramids are geomantically aligned between the two other ancient Egyptian theological centers at Onu and Memphis. Onu was established north of Giza. The Greeks knew it as Heliopolis, "City of the Sun." Onu was the Ancient World's leading healing center. It was also the seat of the Royal Cult of Re (or Ra) the Universal Sun God. In the later Amarna Period (ca. 1500 BC), King Akenaten achieved a revolution and the cult of Re became overshadowed by the worship of a single god, Aten, arguably the world's first monotheistic deity. And what means aten? Compare Egyptian aten, "universal spirit," "god," with Old High German atum and Modern German, atem, "breath"; and with Pāli attan and atta (from Vedic, ātman), not from Greek/Latin animus, but "steam"; compare also with tuma (n), most likely the apostrophe form of Pāli atuma = atta, Sanskrit ātman = Higher Self].

All notations by sritantra (last revised Jan. 2006)

The idea of perfroming the Classical Thai Sun Salutation, or Bhucha Phra-Athit twelve times is derived from Vedic solar mythology whereby Sūrya, the Sun – "as deity of light and warmth, on whose influence all organic life directly depends" – has twelve names. Sūrya also has twelve red mares representing the months of the year and which pull his one-wheeled chariot across the sky as it passes through the twelve zodiacs in the heaven.

The 12 Names of the Sun are listed as follows:

(Sanskrit - English)

1. Mitra – Friend
   
2. Ravi – Shining
   
3. Sūrya – Beautiful Light
   
4. Bhanu – Brilliant
   
5. Khaga – Who Moves Through the Sky
   
6. Pūshan – Giver of Strength
   
7. Hiranyagarbha – Golden
   
8. Maricha – Lord of Dawn
   
9. Āditya – Son of Āditi
   
10. Sāvitr – Benevolent
    
11. Arka – Energy
    
12. Bhāskara – Leader to Enlightenment

The following is Guru Chod's customary āsana list, which he adapted applied to persons individually.

(English – Sanskrit)

1. Sun Salutation – Aditya Pūja (Thai: Bhucha Phra-Athit)

2. Head Stand – Shirsa Āsana

3. Shoulder Stand – Sarvanga Āsana

4. Diamond – Vajra Āsana

5. Plough – Halā Āana

6. Pincer – Paschimottana Āsana

7. Cobra – Bhujanga Āsana

8. Locust – Salabha Āsana

9. Head to Knee – Janushirsa Āsana

10. Bow – Dhanu Āsana

11. Body Twist – Matsyendra Āsana

12. Wheel – Chakra Āsana

13. Yoga Seal – Yoga Mudrā

14. Fish – Matsya Āsana

15. Half-Cobra – Ardha-Bhujanga Āsana

16. Jack Knife – Vajroli

17. Squatting-Umbrella – Utkutaka Āsana

18. Scissors & Belly Turning – Jathara Parivartana Āsana

19. Dead Man – Shava Āsana

20. Breath Control – Prānāyāma

* * *

COMMENTARY ON ASANAS

Generally a session of yoga practice consists of a standard scope of exercises lasting on average between one and two hours. After Bhucha Phra-Athit, or Classical Thai Sun Salutation, a series of bodily postures called āsanas begin.

Now, I would surely be remiss if I failed to underscore that āsanas can only be applied to persons individually. Why is this so? Every yoga āsana has its own course of development as well as numerous variations. But the variations have to be given with delicacy, and adjusted according to the individual's capacity and need. What is more, each variation has its own course of development. Little can be said about the finer points of this Classical Thai Therapeutic approach. As Guru Chod explained to me,

The primary function of āsanas is to render the body healthy and fit in order to develop a strong and healthy mind. Through strength of mind a person is more able to confront the problems and difficulties of life.

The science of breath has its foundations in the control of prana or vital energy. The important starting exercise for the student of yoga is the alternate breathing exercise, known as Anuloma Viloma Prānāyāma. The reason for doing alternate breathing is that the breath alternates between two nostrils. You can easily find this out for yourself by placing your palm near the nostrils. One of the nostrils will always be partially blocked, and the flow of air in and out of the lungs will be mainly through only one of the nostrils. If a person is in normal health, the breath will alternate approximately every hour and fifty minutes. This normal period of breath alternation is established only when one has perfected prānāyāma, starting with alternate nostril breathing.

In the vast majority of persons, this change of the breath from one nostril to the other varies a great deal, owing to such conditions as unnatural living habits, wrong diet, diseases and the lack of proper exercise. All these incorrect living habits have an effect on the breath, diverting it from its normal flow.

According to yoga, the breath in the right nostril is said to be hot, while the flow from the left is cool. Therefore, symbolically, the right channel is known as "sun breath," and the left channel is referred to as "moon breath." The energy that flows through the sun breath produces heat in the body; this is catabolic, efferent and acceleratory to the bodily organs. Conversely, the energy that flows through the moon breath produces coolness in the body; this is anabolic, afferent, and inhibitory to the organs. When the breath continues to flow through one nostril for more than two hours, it is a symptom of derangement caused by excessive heat or cold. Consequently, if the sun breath is more active, the heat of the body increases and there can be mental and nervous disturbances. Conversely, when the moon breath is more active, the metabolic activity of the body becomes low, cold and lethargic, and mental activity is suspended.

This Alternate Nostril Breathing Exercise is mainly for maintaining equilibrium in the catabolic and anabolic processes in the body. According to yoga, when a person's breath flows through only one nostril for hours without changing, it is a sign that some illness is at hand. This abnormal flow is caused by the ganglia of a particular nerve center being over-worked by a longer than normal flow of breath (or prana) in a particular center. The longer the flow of breath in one nostril, the more serious the illness will be.

Exercise 1 – Single Nostril Breathing

Sit in any one of the meditative poses (or sit on a chair in a pose called the Egyptian seat) keeping the spine, neck and head in a straight line. Close the right nostril with your thumb. Inhale slowly through the left nostril, counting mentally five times. Exhale through the same nostril while counting ten times. That makes one round. Exhalation time is always twice the inhalation time. The proportion is 1:2. Repeat this exercise fifteen to twenty rounds through the left nostril, keeping the proportion five seconds inhalation and ten seconds exhalation.

Now, close the left nostril with your right ring finger and little finger and inhale through the right nostril. Count five times for inhalation. Exhale through the right nostril while counting ten times. Repeat this fifteen to twenty rounds. Do not make any sound during inhalation. Apply the basic rule of low, mid and high breathing during inhalation. In exhalation, try to expel as much foul air as possible from the lungs. You should practice Exercise 1 for fifteen days and then slowly increase the proportion to six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation. Do not attempt the higher proportion until you are able to do the lower proportion very easily. This is the main rule in every breathing exercise. Always keep within your capacity and never overdo.

In Exercise 1, there is no retention. The purpose of inhaling and exhaling through one nostril is to correct wrong breathing habits. Unless one is able to do low, mid and high breathing perfectly and automatically, one should not attempt advanced prānāyāma. Practice Exercise 1, Single Nostril Breathing, for at least a month, even though you may feel the urge to increase the count or attempt Exercise 2. If you have a strong foundation, you can build a strong building.

Exercise 2 – Alternating Nostril Breathing

After a month of practicing Exercise 1, move on to the alternate nostril breathing. You no longer need to practice Exercise 1, single nostril breathing. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and inhale through the left nostril. Now close the left nostril immediately with your right ring finger and little finger. Remove your thumb from the right nostril and exhale through that nostril. This is a half round. Now without pausing, inhale through the right nostril. Close the right nostril with your right thumb and exhale through the left, as previously done. This makes one full round. The proportion of breathing in and out is 1:2, as in exercise no. 1, or six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation. The same general rules for Exercise 1 apply for Exercise 2.

Do fifteen to twenty rounds. When you are able without difficulty to do fifteen to twenty rounds at six seconds inhalation and twelve seconds exhalation, then increase to seven and fourteen seconds, and then to eight and sixteen seconds. These increases must be slowly undertaken. You should practice this exercise for two to three months before increasing to eight and sixteen seconds. Within this period, you can see tremendous change taking place in your body and mind. The breathing will become perfect, especially the movement of the diaphragm. The body will be light and the eyes will shine.

Exercise 3 – Full Alternate Breathing

In this third exercise, we include retention or holding of the breath. This is the only difference between the second and third exercise. The correct ratio between inhalation and retention is 1:4. But beginners are advised to follow the 1:2 ratio for a few months before taking up the 1:4 ratio. The minimum starting proportion is 4:8:8, or four seconds inhalation, eight seconds retention, and eight seconds exhalation. When you are holding the breath, you must close the right nostril with the right thumb, and the left nostril with the right ring finger and little finger. Do not use the index finger for closing the nostril because the magnetic current from that finger is polluted. In Sanskrit, inhalation is known as pūraka, retention as kumbhaka, and exhalation as rechāka.

Inhale the air through the left nostril while counting, mentally, four times. Retain the air while counting eight times. Exhale through the right nostril while counting eight times. Now without stopping, inhale through the right nostril, retain the breath, and then exhale through the left nostril, all with the same 4:8:8 proportion. This is one full round.

Full Alternate Breathing should be practiced daily, fifteen to twenty rounds. After a month, increase the proportion to 5:10:10. Increase it gradually until you reach 8:16:16. When you are able to do the 8:16:16 proportion, comfortably, then change the ratio to 1:4:2. Start with four seconds inhalation, sixteen seconds retention and eight seconds exhalation. Gradually work up to 8:32:16. It should take from eight to twelve months of practice to reach this timing. Do not try to rush it.

WARNINGS

1. You should never get out of breath, feel tired or feel as if you are straining yourself when practicing yoga āsanas or prānāyāma. Try to keep cool and never over-do it, especially if you are over 40 years of age.

2. Do not practice Bhucha Phra-Athit or āsanas between 12 noon and 1 p.m. The sun is at its zenith and the body may easily get over heated. Finish up by 12 o'clock or start after 1 p.m. The reasons for this may be less apparent in the winter season and in places far from tropical climes, but it remains a standard rule.

3. It is fine to practice prānāyāma from noon and 1 p.m.

4. You may practice prānāyāma up to of four times a day: at sunrise, noon, sunset and at midnight. Yet, once a day is more realistic.

5. Do not shower, bathe or immerse the body right after practicing yoga āsanas or prānāyāma. You may catch a cold or pneumonia. You should wait at least 45 minutes. [Commentary: Jumping in the snow or in an ice-cold lake after coming right out of a sweltering Swedish sauna may indeed be tonic for a person's health: the body has absorbed external heat and then is tempered by extreme external cold. But yoga is different. When practiced correctly, yoga generates a special internal calming warmth. You should let this energy slowly equilibrate after yoga exercises. Please remember: In the afterglow of yoga, important effects are still taking place and the sudden shock from immersing the body may, figuratively speaking, trip the body's automatic thermostat and cause its defenses to momentarily shut down. In this faltering state one is vulnerable to lingering germs and disease.]

OBSERVANCES

The Practice Time. Early in the morning is the best time to practice yoga, or late in the afternoon.

The Practice Place. The actual place where you practice yoga should be quiet, clean and open. It should be naturally ventilated. The floor or surface should be flat and smooth. If out of doors, the area should be shaded from direct sunlight and out of the way direct wind.

What You Don't Need. Try to avoid unnecessary forms of commercially generated yoga accessories such as belts, ropes, pulleys, curiously designed cushions, plastic mats, etc. Such paraphernalia is not without its place, but it all too frequently acts to obscure that unadorned simplicity, which is the hallmark of post-Classical Yoga Sritantra.

What You Do Need. All you really need for practicing yoga is to wear light clothing in which you can move about freely. Have as little clothing on as possible. Practice with bare feet if temperatures permit. You need to have a large beach towel: it's a must.

The Towel Explained. When practicing yoga āsanas one has to use a very large beach towel. Its dimensions depend on the size of each person. The length of the towel should extend – when draped – from the tip of your nose to the ground (when standing): when folded in half the towel should be square. Fold the towel in half and lay it on the floor. It is only used for the head and shoulders as you lay on the floor. Never sit or step on the towel.

The important idea behind this Oriental custom is that a person's head is looked upon as the high and therefore pure part of the body, whereas the feet are considered to be low and unclean. Therefore something that is meant for your head must not be used for your feet. Conversely, something intended for your feet must never be used for your head.

Extra Gear. Apart from loose clothing and a large beach towel, the only other piece of gear likely needed is a blanket or a moderately thick piece of cloth. You can spread it as a cushion against back and knee pain for certain exercises, especially when practicing on an uncarpeted floor.

Eating Before Practice. It is correct to eat something before you practice yoga. Food gives necessary energy to burn. But not right before. Allow an hour or two before you start practicing, depending on light or heavy meals. Practicing yoga on an over-loaded stomach will make you feel bloated, sluggish and uncomfortable. It is not, however, a dangerous thing. Through experience you will learn what is right for you.

Vegetarian Diet. When practicing yoga you must eat nourishing foods that suit your personal constitution. Drastically altering your dietary habits may cause both physical and mental disruptions. That being said, you should not be afraid to experiment in the direction of a nutritious vegetarian diet. Try to understand that it simply isn't necessary for humans to depend on slaughtered animals when ample varieties of grains, salads, root and herbs, and when yogurt, cheese, nuts and fruits are readily available almost everywhere you go. Abstaining from poultry, meat and fish is for many a natural and healthy way to eat. What is more, a tasty, well-balanced vegetarian diet sould not at all be costly.

Re. Faintness and Hypotension. Persons with hypotension (i.e. "low blood pressure") may feel light headed or faint when first learning to hold the breath during āsana or prānāyāma practice. One should not be alarmed by this: it is common. If you ever feel faint while practicing yoga, lie down on your back and take a short rest. From then on follow two simple rules. 1) Do not practice holding the breath (kumbhaka) while performing āsanas and prānāyāma. 2) Keep your eyes open while performing āsanas. With regular practice the feeling of faintness will probably stop. Then you can practice holding the breath.

SOME TIPS ON YOGA TECHNIQUE

1. Yoga exercises should always be performed slowly and softly, never with quick or jerky movements. Never sway or rock your body. Yoga should be done with beauty and grace. Don't forget to rest in between the various āsanas by lying on your back for a few moments, shoulders and head on your folded towel.

2. Breathing should always be done through the nose. It should be natural. Never strain your neck or facial muscles. Breathing should be silent and as smooth as silk. It is suggested that you practice deep abdominal breathing at all times during your āsana practice. If possible, you should practice it in your daily life until it becomes an unconscious habit. As a result, you will hardly ever catch a cold.

3. Remember: Meditation and yoga are not separate things. All the while you are practicing yoga, you should think of your body as the basis of your meditation. Think to yourself, 'My body ... my meditation.'