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 The first principle of asana is effort and let do. It states that first when we go into the posture, we need to put effort and once we are in the posture we let go of the effort and relax in the posture. Today, I was doing Laghu Shanka Prakshalana. I started the process with the aim to clean my stomach. I put effort in all the preparation required to start the process. I prepared kichdi, lukewarm saline water, looked the material to revise all the asanas required to do in each round. I started the process. I drank 500 ml of water in squatted position and did all the required asanas but I did not feel any pressure to go to the washroom. So, I began the second round, did all the asanas and still did not feel any pressure to go to the washroom. But I still decided to go to the washroom and forced myself to do potty. Very less small stool came out with a lot of effort. I was slightly disappointed with the experience. Now continued with third, fourth and fifth round. Still no urge to go to

 In Pranamaya Kosha, the mukhya prana manifests into 5 different forms based on direction, movement and function. The pancha prana are: Prana : Air flowing forward. It helps in all inward movements such as breathing, swallowing, eating, drinking, sensory reception. Breathe is the gross manifestation of Prana.  It influences Anahata and Vishuddhi chakra. Apana : Air that moves away, moves downward and outward helping in elimination, excretion and ejaculation. It helps eliminate negative emotions and mental experiences.  It influences Mooladhara and Svadhistana chakra. Udana : Upward moving of air, helps in standing, speech, growth in body and all kinds of emotions. It is active at the time of death and is responsible for ejecting Subtle body from gross body.  It influences Ajna and Sahasra chakra.  It is also related to the Sushumna nadi. Samana : Balances Apana and Prana. It aids in digestion at all levels.  It influences Manipura chakra. Vyana : Moves from centre to the periphery. It

 The Bhagawad Gita is the knowledge of the creation and universe revealed by Lord Krishna who was the incarnation of infinite consciousness while in conversation with Arjuna at the beginning of the war. The knowledge present in Gita is so universal that it can benefit the entire humanity. It can help bring people out of their sufferings and take them towards moksha i.e. liberation and freedom. It has knowledge to come out of materialistic attachments and find happiness. The knowledge of Gita was given to Arjuna when he was in the middle of battlefield clouded by fear and attachment to concepts. Lord Krishna then gave the knowledge of Gita to follow his dharma and not be entangled in emotions. Lord Krishna takes us step by step, chapter by chapter to attain liberation. There may be a lot of contradictions between different chapters in Bhagawad Gita such as Bhakti yoga may say this is the path to attain liberation, Karma yoga may say this is the path to liberation and can be confusing. B

Karma yoga is action performed by putting in 100% effort without bothering about the fruits of action. When the results of action is not the motive behind our action, it brings a lot of liberation and fulfilment.  For example: We always think that in order to be successful we need to do these 3-4 activities, but we forget to include all the uncertainties that could occur in our path to success. Let’s take a concrete example of a student preparing for his annual examination. He is studying with the aim to be first in class. He figures out that in order to top the class, he needs to study all these chapters, practice all these problems etc. Once he master these chapters he will be first in class. Now, if we look carefully, he missed so many other parameters to top the class such as he needs to be healthy on the day of exam. If he has diarrhoea on the night before the exam and wakes up feeling very weak on the day of examination, very likely he cannot perform as per his own expectation. O

8 postures of Surya namaskar along with the meaning of their names: 1. Namaskar/Prayer pose      Namaskar means bowing down.  2. Hasta Uttanasana (Ardha Chakrasana)/ Standing backward bend      Hasta means hand, Uttana means intense stretch 3. Hastapadasana/Standing forward bend      Hasta means hand, Pada means feet 4. Ashwa Sanchalanasana/Equestrian pose      Ashwa means horse, Sanchalana means movement. The posture that looks like an horse about to jump. 5. Chaturanga Dandasana/ Four limbed staff pose/ low plank pose      Chatur means four, Anga means limbs. This posture looks like Four limbed staff pose or a low plank pose. 6. Ashtanga Namaskara/ Eight limbed salutation      Ashta means eight, Namaskar means bowing down. In this posture eight parts of the body are touching the floor. 7. Bhujangasana/Cobra pose      Bhujanga means cobra 8. Adho Mukha Svanasana / Downward facing dog      Adho means downward, Mukha means face, Shwana means dog