Welcome to Bindu

Periodical and program Quality of teaching population. Yoga has a good reputation,
After a pause in publication we are We also wish to be the mouthpiece for and to live up to this and to keep a
again ready to take up the inspiration maintaining the quality of teaching in high standard, we have recommeneded
to make Bindu. From now on the yoga and meditation at as high a level the evening school leaders to employ
periodical will be released four times a as possible. only conscientious and qualified
year. Each time with a yoga teachers, with a
content of articles, that recognised education
shed light on various behind them.
aspects of yoga, tantra In all probability it can
and meditation. work to teach from
personal experience, but
experience can be built
Need for upon fantasy, and when
information we sometimes see what
In recent years is passed out under the
meditation and name of meditation
yoga has on several - even under the name
occasions been the of yoga, we don’t
subject for public recognise it. It can
debate. Scandinavian be completely diluted
Yoga and Meditation and with no bite, and
School has actively the results that should
taken part in this arise, are not lived up
debate. We have to of what one must
also made ourselves demand from real yoga
available for and meditation, and
elaborating upon which serious scientific
information for those research confirms.
who have requested
it, and have in There is a great
general experienced difference between
an extensive need looking at something
for information from the outside and
concerning the art of knowing it from within.
living and science that The more ability the
meditation, tantra and yoga is. In Denmark yoga is mainly taught teacher has, the better he or she can
With Bindu we wish to inform and in evening schools, and has on teach and not only the advanced classes,
inspire, and if possible bring clarity, different occasions been advocated but also where the beginner classes are
where misunderstanding and false by the Danish Doctors Union, many concerned.
conceptions prevail. politicians and a wide range of the The teacher needs not only the

2
necessary experience, imagination
and desire for discovery, but must
also be firmly anchored in the original
tradition with its rich knowledge. This
comes about in the form of a thorough
education and training in a tried and
tested system. In this way one ensures
that it is liberation and concentration,
that is achieved, and not confusion,
dreams and dull actions.
Bindu goes to the source
In this issue we bring an inspiring
article: “On the ability to experience”
by Swami Janakananda, written from
the tantric yoga and meditation tradition
and his own comprehensive insight into
meditation’s innermost nature.
Swami Janakananda’s sought after
book, Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in
Daily Life, was released last summer
in a revised and extended edition. It
is both a thorough and practical hand-
book, well illustrated, and a description
Contents
On the ability to experience 4 built on other principles.
by Swami Janakananda.
“Say the troll’s name, and it
disappears”, goes the old fairy tale.
“The teacher’s foremost task is to
awaken the student into being able to
experience - perhaps the most releasing
and curative ability we possess.”
Yoga, Tantra and Meditation
in Daily Life 7 Janakananda.
Swami Janakananda’s book on yoga
from a yogi’s point of view.
of the tradition and background. An
indispensable book for you who
practice or want to know more about
yoga and meditation
In future Bindus we will describe
various yoga exercises in more detail.
We begin this series with three articles
on why and how yoga works, and
give an account of headstand and nose
cleansing.
Håå Course Centre
You will find a presentation of the
Intemational Håå Course Centre
in southern Sweden. The Course
Centre is not only an important part
of the yoga teacher education of
Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
School, but also home to our most
deep going courses. There are 10-
and 14-day courses during autumn,
Christmas, New Year and summer.
In late January, Swami Janakananda
begins his 20th three-month course
Yoga
Not a word about sweat and effort;
with yoga it is a question of well-being
Headstand
When you stand on your head, you see
everything in a new perspective.
Nose cleansing
In Sweden, nose cleansing has
been recommended by doctors as part of
a project concerning toxic substances.
Heart of London
A weekend course in Covent Garden
with, among other things, learning of
the tantric Kriya Yoga. In the later
numbers of Bindu we will publicise
scientific research, e.g. the research
that has, for a number of years, been
carried out on the 3-month courses.
The next edition
Bindu will be released again in
January, 1994, and will contain an
article by a Japanese professor on
the far reaching effects of the yoga
programme, Pawanmuktasana - that
is otherwise known as the programme
of small wind and tension releasing
exercises. It is written on the basis
of a knowledge of the vital energy,
which in India is referred to as Prana.
In China it is known as Chi, and this
energy’s flow and junctions are made
use of in Chinese acupuncture.
In another article we will look closer
at the meditation The Source of Energy.
Enjoy the new Bindu!! q
8 Håå Course Centre
in southern Sweden 16
Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
Schools course centre Håå is an
internationally recognised power centre
10 within modern yoga and meditation
teaching. Course participants gather
here from all corners of the globe.
12 The 3-month Course 17
at Håå Course Centre. Including a
33-days initiation into advanced
tantric Kriya Yoga with Swami
15
Yoga at Home 18
3
On the Ability to Experience
In the surroundings - to be here and now; and internally
- in your thoughts and attitudes, to see your self in your consciousness
by Swami Janakananda
The ability to experience is, according
to my understanding, the most
liberating and healing ability we
possess. This article explains the
concept, both in relation to your inner
life, through its use in meditation, and
through simple but powerful methods
that you can use to remain in tune with
the world around you.
The ability to experience - to be
constantly aware and present - can
be learnt and trained. The way to this
ability we find defined, for instance,
in the tantric yoga and meditation
tradition.
The teacher’s foremost task is to
awaken the student into being able to
experience and to bring him or her out
of the judgmental prison, out of all that
which the student fears or craves for,
and which makes the student forget
him/herself and lose the perspective.
The first step on the way can occur by
learning the meditation Inner Silence
(Antar Mauna).
When in the beginning of this
meditation you learn to experience the
totality of the sounds around you and
when, through the technique, you gain
the ability to allow thoughts to flow by,
then this acts upon the entire organism,
not just upon your mind. The tolerance
that arises in relation to your thoughts
and feelings, creates an instantaneous
4
harmony and tranquillity and you
realise that it is not necessary to
identify with all that crops up in the
mind. Thus you release deep seated
tensions and open up to greater
creativity.
I know this from my own
experience, but, nevertheless, I am
amazed by the results my students
regularly achieve. I had a young
woman on a meditation course in
Copenhagen, who had suffered from
diabetes for some years. During
only the second evening of the
course, where she learned to relax
in relation to her surroundings and
thoughts, her insulin production went
to work again, by itself. That made
me ask, is there really nothing more
to it, than experiencing thoughts and
surroundings for a moment without
becoming involved, to make the
cause of sickness vanish? Possibly
the worst conception one can have
about meditation is that it is difficult
and that it demands struggle and
exertion.
As a seeker one may easily
become self-involved. One can get
lost in personal dreams, or illusions
of exaggerated ideals that one
should live up to, or roles to play,
or cling to fashionable attitudes and
tailor-made explanations of life, to
Swami Janakananda has been using yoga
most of his life, and a disciple of Swami
Satyananda since 1968. Swami Janakananda
is the founder of the Scandinavian Yoga
and Meditation School, with branches
throughout Scandinavia and northern
Germany. His book Yoga, Tantra and
Meditation in Daily Life, now translated
into seven languages, has confirmed his
international recognition as a consequential
and independent exponent of yoga and
meditation. Swami Janakananda lives at
Håå International Course Centre, southern
Sweden. A place where people gather from
all over the world, to attend advanced
residential courses or to live in the ashram
- the teaching is mainly in English, but
also in German and the Scandinavian
languages. Here Swami Janakananda,
among other things, trains yoga teachers
and teaches the tantric Kriya Yoga.
different mythologies - but none of this
strengthens the ability to experience,
nor does it give a better contact with
ones own reality.
Through meditation, on the other
hand - and also if one wishes to go
further with a personal training in
a supportive and intense milieu (an
ashram), or on a deep going residential
course - the teacher can guide the pupil
to realise his true identity and essential
being. When you know who you are,
when you can experience yourself
as a spectator in the midst of life, as
consciousness, it becomes possible
to remain open and let experiences
manifest themselves, and thus remain
independent of them.
During meditation I let happen what
is already happening and experience it
without resisting it. I realise that I do
not have to use energy to avoid outer or
inner disturbances - they transform into
experiences that I am done with as they
happen.
This is not just of benefit to yourself, it
also has an impact on your surroundings
and raises your tolerance towards
others.
A woman, living in a large city
in Norway with a responsible and
demanding job describes this,
comparing the periods when she
attended yoga classes with periods
when she did not find time for it:
“The experience I get with yoga and
meditation influences the whole of
my normal day. Things fall into place
better, misunderstandings do not
happen so easily and bottlenecks do
not arise at work. And, furthermore,
everything at home, within the family
goes much more smoothly in those
periods when I do yoga and meditate.”
Investigation of
Consciousness
An international group of scientists,
concerning themselves with investi-
gation into consciousness, met in 1980
in the USA at the Human Consciousness
Research Conference. Through their
research, they were discovering short-
cuts to the most effective methods of
releasing the mind’s potential. For over
ten years they had studied results from
widely disparate forms of therapy,
meditation etc., inquiring into how
good people were at dealing with daily
life and resolving their own problems
before and after they had been in
contact with one method or another.
They unanimously came to this
conclusion: Regardless of what you do
or study, it is of no benefit if you do
not awaken or train your awareness, so
that you can be present and experience
that which happens here and now - in
yourself and in your surroundings.
“Neurosis,” said Daniel Goldman
at this conference, “is caused, one way
or another, by a deficiency illness - and
what is lacking is awareness.”
The word awareness is not quite suf-
ficient to describe this state. Conscious-
ness is probably better. For the time
being I prefer to use words such as
total-experience or wakefulness. An
attunement where everything that
occurs in your surroundings has equal
significance, regardless of proportion
or intensity. You become one with
the situation you find yourself in,
when you experience it as a totality.
You are therefore also aware the
moment something makes you forget
the wholeness - and yourself. It does
not mean, however, to be on guard,
or to critically search for special
occurrences or sensations. Neither do
you attempt to set a distance from what
is happening by constantly describing
or analysing what you experience.
When we allow ourselves to
experience an existing disharmony
- we do not shun it, but remain
ourselves in relation to the experience
- then, simply by perceiving it, we can
incorporate it into the wholeness or
liberate ourselves from it.
In an ancient tantric text Vigyan
Bhairava it is written: “At the start
of sneezing, during fright, in anxiety,
above a chasm, flying into battle, in
extreme curiosity, at the beginning
of hunger, at the end of hunger, be
uninterruptedly aware.”
Wakefulness on
the Inner Plane
The ability to experience is also
trained and used in the special way we
meditate upon our own form, the body.
This method makes us transcend the
body to states closer to our essence.
We also deepen our state by awareness
of the breath. To experience the body
and breath in their entirety - without
disturbing the state of the body or
process of breathing - releases not just
tension, but works also curatively.
When you meditate upon the breath,
for example, you do not attempt to
alter or control it. You just let the body
breathe, while you follow the breath
and experience it. It is a technique that,
in one way or another, is used in all
traditions on the earth where there is
mention of meditation.
In the same way you relate to your
thoughts - you do not interfere with
or attempt to understand the thoughts,
5
you are just aware of them and allow
yourself to experience them as objects
you can observe. This will make
certain thoughts unveil themselves as
automatic and recurrent “this is how
I am” programmes. When you have
become familiar with the meditation,
you realise that you are not these
thought patterns, and that you can
choose to follow them or not.
On this foundation you can make
resolutions and carry them through to
realisation. Or you can free yourself
of that which previously was an
unconscious influence. A concealed
apprehension, for instance, becomes
evident and can be dropped. Medical
research that was carried out for six
consecutive years during the yearly
3-months course at the Scandinavian
Yoga and Meditation Schools’ course
centre in Håå, south Sweden, shows
clearly that meditation reduces anxiety.
Meditation helps us meet and over-
come the unconscious attitudes that we
carry around and which time and again
crop up and determine our everyday
life: A lack of motivation, a reluctant
or excessively reserved attitude, a
low profile (when you hide yourself
instead of doing what you really want),
thoughts full of hate or doubt ...
But we do not get anywhere if we
become frustrated or suppress our
thoughts - on the contrary - and if we
are given to examining and analysing
them and calling them good and bad,
then we just cling to them and become
self-involved.
The open awareness is released by
the meditation techniques, the brain
is relaxed and remains so during the
meditation. When you witness the
thoughts and do not identify with them,
6
it makes you able to not block or close
up, when expectations, apprehensions
or ideas demanding that something
in particular should be experienced
emerge - and you don’t let yourself get
carried away so easily by that which
fascinates. The state of meditation will
make it possible for you to remain
yourself, as the one who experiences.
You are present where the thoughts or
emotions arise, where consciousness or
awakening is needed.
“Say the trolls name, and it
disappears”, goes the old fairy tale.
It works almost like a miracle, but to
admit and realise the presence of a
thought or a state is enough to neutralise
it. When during meditation we train
and develop the ability to remain silent
and are content with experiencing the
thought, the emotion or the state, then
we are freed of its influence.
Wakefulness on
the Outer Plane
Also in the outer, in your environment,
are you present with your conscious-
ness. You can use it either to encounter
intense and difficult experiences, or in
general to experience the surroundings
that you find yourself in right now, as
a whole. In that way you get help from
the experience you get in meditation
and it becomes natural to be more aware
in everyday life - this too is an impor-
tant part of the liberating process of the
tantric yoga and meditation tradition.
A clear example of being present was
related by a woman yoga teacher. She
told me of the birth of her first child.
“When I teach pregnant women they
learn psychic breathing, panting breath
and to experience the spontaneous
breath.
But, when it came down to it, I
became so fascinated by what was
happening, it was so exciting, that
I even forgot to use the breathing
techniques.
I had decided not to take painkillers.
When the contractions came, and they
really hurt, I chose to go into the pain
and experience it. Then everything
changed. The pain vanished and I was
fully concentrated inside the womb
feeling the forward and downward
movement...”
I will conclude by suggesting an
experi-ment to you, something that can
change your whole attitude towards
life:
The next time you go into a room
full of people - that can be on a bus,
at work or at a party, in a supermarket
or at a concert - remain standing for
a brief moment at the door or in the
middle of the room. Stand still and
experience the whole situation and
your self in the middle of it - the
entire room and everybody there. Let
your awareness remain open until
it perceives everything and, in that
wholeness, all the details that may
spring forth.
Compare this state that you go in
to when you do it with the times you
are in a similar situation and have
just looked down at the floor, or have
immediately limited your awareness to
one thing or one person.
If sometimes you feel your sur-
roundings as a pressure, or if you feel
introverted, imprisoned by thoughts,
emotions or states, then this is a start-
lingly effective method to become free
of that pressure again. You will ex-
perience a difference so great that you
will almost not believe it yourself. q
Yoga, Tantra and Meditation in Daily
Swami Janakananda’s book in a revised and extended edition
(Rider Books, UK and Weiser, USA. Yoga, Tantra et Méditation dans la Vie Quotodienne, Editions Satyanandashram, France)
This book offers an alternative to the
way many books deal with yoga, when
they maintain the misunderstanding
that one must take on a new life style to
use yoga and meditation.
Swami Janakananda does not only
stress the practical side of yoga and
meditation in this book, but shares the
Tantric wisdom and view, that gives
you the freedom to practise yoga and
meditation entirely on your own terms.
Many attempts have been made
to ex-plain yoga from a scholarly or
religious viewpoint. This book instead
describes yoga from within, based
on the author’s own understanding
- from a yogi’s point of view. Yoga
has, through many thousands of years,
developed into a system that deals with
human develop-ment and health. We
find traces of yoga from the past on
earth’s various continents. Today yoga
and meditation are both one of the most
used alternative therapy forms in many
countries, and a basis for an active and
creative life for many people.
As you follow the exercises in this
book, you will realise that yoga is
based on a profound knowledge of hu- books and tried to follow them, but
man nature: A knowledge not limited they were not filled with much infor-
to any age, life-style or nationality. It mation. Your book tends to go into
is the fruit of a living tradition, where more detail about each asana, breathing
knowledge is passed directly from exercise and meditation. Many of my
teacher to student, from generation to friends didn’t understand yoga until
generation. Step by step you are guided I showed them your book and they
through the subject, and in a practical found it very fascinating. Personally, I
manner you can benefit from the differ- have tried different kinds of exercises
ent poses, breathing exercises, medita- such as weight lifting which afterwards
tions and the Tantric sexual yoga. made me feel very tired and sore. I
also tried Tai Chi, which is similar to
yoga and meditation, but I found out
A readers that yoga gives a better overall relax-
recommendation ing effect than Tai Chi. I have only
“I am writing this let- been doing yoga for about eight
months, but I am inspired by
ter to tell you how
yoga more and more each day.
pleased I am with
I have been doing the classi-
the book ‘Yoga,
cal poses in the ‘Yoga, Tantra
Tantra and Medi-
and Meditation’ book now for
tation in Daily
a few months. In closing, I
Life’. I have also
would like to thank you for
recently bought
the wonderful material and
the tape ‘Yoga
some day I would like to
Nidra’. I am
travel to Sweden and go
very pleased
to your school.
of what I
Sincerely,
saw and
Clinton Blackmore,
heard. I
Regina, Canada”
have read
many
yoga
7
Yoga
by Gunnar Petersen
and Franz Jervidalo
- and something fundamental
with the use of yoga postures, asana

be forgotten completely. And for this

Yoga is about the art of living. To be
able to rest in yourself and have balance
in life, balance between activity and
rest, between tension and relaxation,
between the external and the internal.
Yoga is also about being able to
return to that balance, if it should
momentarily disappear or, for a while,
we use, among other things, the pos-
tures of yoga, which are called asana.
We will in this and the following
issues of Bindu go into further depth
with specific postures and programmes.
We start by outlining an essential
feature.
Asana are often viewed as a form
of gymnastics. But in contrast to
gymnastics, where the movements are
paramount and not always carried out
quite consciously, the yoga postures
are performed under great tranquillity
and with full awareness; and are not
called exercises, but postures. They
are based upon a timeless knowledge
of how the body functions, in itself,
and in relationship with the mind and
the psychic energy.
Asana means a correctly rendered,
stable and comfortable pose,

8
developed, tried and tested and
passed on from teacher to pupil for
generations. The different asanas
influence the body in various ways;
muscles, organs, blood circulation,
nervous system, glands and the breath.
(e.g. see article on headstand).
Here we shall focus on one method,
which is that when a muscle is held
stretched its tensions decline, the
longer it is retained, the more it
relaxes. This is demonstrated by
measuring muscle tension during a
posture. Therefore one stands or sits
completely still for some time in each
yoga posture, and with a combination
of various poses one literally touches
all the muscles in the body.
One does not over-strain, but goes as
far into the posture as the body allows
and stays there for a while. Gradually
the tension falls so much that it is
possible to reach further into the pose.
In this manner all yoga postures, with
some practise, become comfortable.
The asanas give an immediate
experience of well-being and, in the
long term, good health; and makes the
mind concentrated. But the postures
have a further purpose: They are
preparatory to the meditative state and
deepen it. q

9
Headstand
by Tine Elmer and Mira
The headstand (Shirsasana) is
considered the most important of all
yoga poses. As long as you haven’t
completely explored this pose, you will
not know the full effect of physical
yoga. However, this is not a pose you
begin with. In yoga you progress step
by step. When you learn the headstand
you first prepare with easy exercises to
get to know your body thoroughly.
But don’t think it is a pose for a
select few. Practically everybody can
learn to stand on their head. Many
people, young as well as old, do it
every day. Our oldest yoga teacher,
Laurs Djørup, now 68 years old, who
took up yoga ten years ago, stands
on his head every day “as soon as I
have flnished my shower, to get the
morning stiffness out of my body”. In
the documentary film, The Young Old,
by the Danish director Jørgen Roos, an
octogenarian tells how he has stood on
his head regularly all his life. According
to him, that is why he has never had a
headache. India’s first Prime Minister,
Nehru, stood on his head every day for
a quarter of an hour, and “that among
other things inspired me to start doing
yoga”, says Swami Janakananda.
Research on the headstand...
As you get used to standing on your
head you begin to relax in the pose.
Then you will be able to stand for a
longer time and get a deeper effect.
Begin with half a minute to one minute
10
and then gradually increase the time.
You may stand on the head as long as
you like, up to half an hour, but around
five minutes is more usual.
At The Third Clinic of Krakow in
Poland, research was made into the
composition and quality of the blood of
a man who stood on his head for thirty
minutes. It turned out that the intake
of air in the lungs was considerably
reduced (3 liters per min. as compared
to the normal 8 liters per min.) and
his breathing became much slower (2
breaths per min.). The assimilation
of oxygen increased by 33% and
the air exhaled contained 10% less
oxygen. To put it simply: When
relaxing completely in the headstand,
even though the body breathes slower,
the blood absorbs considerably more
oxygen, and consequently so does the
brain and inner organs. Furthermore,
the research showed that disturbing
mental and emotional states, anxiety
and breathing difficulties gradually
disappeared. Mental balance and
physical well-being was the outcome
for those who used the pose regularly.
... and your own practise
This is not a practical guide to the
headstand. You should learn the
exercise from a competent yoga
teacher and get to know how to use
it. For instance, you should not stand
on your head if your blood pressure is
too high; but if your body is prepared
through a series of other yoga poses,
the same precautions do not apply.
When you stand on your head,
more blood flows to the head than
in any other position. This provides
nourishment and oxygen to cells and
tissues. Clarity and concentration are
enhanced, which is useful for studies
and other mental tasks. For the yogi
this pose is of particular importance
as a preparation for meditation. The
headstand is beneficial not only while
you are doing it but also for a certain
time afterwards. One of our pupils, an
accountant, began to use the pose in the
evening before retiring. He said that
he could clearly feel the effect of the
pose in the form of increased energy
and clarity all through the following
morning.
All parts of the body are vitalised
because of the stimulated blood circu-
lation and the increased content of oxy-
gen in the blood. The heart is relieved
since it can now provide oxygen to the
brain with less exertion, and the blood
from the body flows back to the heart
by itself. This relieves the valves of the
veins which are ordinarily exerted when
the blood from the body flows back
into the heart. In this way varicose
veins are prevented. The abdomen, the
bowels, and other inner organs are re-
laxed by hanging upside down.
Yoga literature
According to yoga literature the
headstand can prevent, relieve or
remedy: hernia, infertility, various
diseases of the abdomen, digestive
complaints such as constipation,
insomnia, headaches and diseases of
the ears, nose and throat. The pose
strengthens the nervous system and
is a remedy for failing energy. The
glands in the upper part of the body,
in the neck and head are stimulated,
in particular the thyroid and the pineal
glands. The headstand may remedy
nervously conditioned asthma and
is good for hay-fever. For hay-fever
the pose is used after neti and before
breathing exercises.

The experience
of the headstand
The headstand is one of the classical
yoga poses in which the effect may be
increased by concentration on various
places in the body, which are energy
centres. In this pose the point of
concentration is the crown of the head,
sahasrara chakra.
When coming out of the headstand,
you stand up immediately and relax
with your eyes closed. Afterwards you
stretch your body upwards, standing on
your toes with your arms above your
head, hands folded, palms upwards;
this is the palm, the counter pose to the
headstand.
A speedy transition from the head-
stand to the palm loosens tensions and
liberates energy. The energy is felt to
flow upwards through the body, and
immediately afterwards you will ex-
perience an intense state of being NOW.
If you want to avoid that or if you faint
easily then make a slower transition
from the headstand to the palm.
As it is our principle that our pupils
remain anonymous, we cannot disclose
the politicians, artists, and many others
who are using this pose every day, but
they are many. q

11
Nose Cleansing
by Joachim Rodenbeck
“As a child I often had bronchitis together with asthma and
since then I have rarely been able to really breathe through the
nose. The day I learned nose cleansing, I was able again for the
first time to breathe completely freely through the nose.”
(40 year old course-participant from Oslo, Norway)

Why cleanse the nose? With us here

To cleanse the nose with luke warm
salt water is a yoga technique, which
benefit is presently being discovered
by still more people. This article deals
with its origins, its possible applications
and other things worth knowing. Nose
cleansing, also called neti, is very easy
to do. Everybody can learn it. The few
directions given at the end of this article,
though, should be followed carefully.
Neti refreshes, and the nose becomes
pleasantly open. The entire nose area is
relaxed and cleaned from inside: Mucus,
dust and dirt, even pollen and allergy
provoking particles are gently rinsed out.
This simple method can also help with
many ailments or illnesses, e.g. cold, dry
mucus membranes, allergy and asthma.
In different cultures...
In the yoga tradition neti is one of the
so-called Hatha Yoga methods, that in
various ways clean the body. There are
similar methods for the eyes, stomach
and intestines. Neti exists in different
variations, but the most gentle and
pleasant way is probably the one where,
with the help of a special pot (see
picture), you pour salt water through the
nose. Corresponding methods, in more
or less complete forms, can be traced to
the most diverse cultures.
in Scandinavia
nose cleansing is
known as an old
house hold remedy
against colds and
infections. Old
fishermen tell, that
they have avoided
colds throughout
their lives by
sniffing salt water
from the hand
or a small bowl
and spitting it out of the mouth again. would put the hose to their nostril and let
Similar descriptions of how people take the water run through. That was the most
advantage of the sea water’s curative and effective means they knew against colds.
disinfecting abilities, one finds, amongst
other places, in France, Germany,
Finland and even Jamaica. With our ... and today
senior citizen groups in Copenhagen, For a long time it seemed that this old
many of the participants still remember technique would be forgotten in favour
that in their childhood, nose cleansing of modern medicine. When the first yoga
was regularly used in the home against teachers from our schools over twenty
colds. At the turn of the century one years ago came from India to Scandi-
could even, at many Scandinavian navia with neti pots they were almost
pharmacists, buy nose cleansing pots of unknown and many saw them as an ex-
glass. otic curiosity. But today nose cleansing
The following story originates from has become a popular and established
south Sweden: On a military base they method - many see it as natural body
had a large container full of salt-water, hygiene, an economical and, above all, a
at the bottom of the container there was healthier alternative to medicaments such
a small tap with a rubber hose. If the as nasal drops and sprays. Especially
soldiers felt a cold coming on, they in Sweden the doctors also show a great

12

interest: “We recommend nose cleansing
against dry mucus membranes, to people
with allergies and when working in dusty
environments”, says chief physician, Dr.
Claude Laurent, from the ear, nose and
throat clinic in Falun in Sweden. He and
his colleague, Dr. Matström from Hud-
dinge Hospital in Stockholm, are two out
of many doctors who recommend neti to
their patients.
At the Scandinavian Yoga and
Meditation School we teach nose
cleansing on all of our yoga courses, and
during the last 20 years approximately
75.000 people in Northern Europe have
learnt nose cleansing with us. Now and
again one hears the question: “Why on
earth should we clean the nose?!” But
when people have tried neti, they are
surprised about how easy and pleasant it
is, and above all what effect it has. Many
continue to use neti daily at home, and
return and tell about how it helps them.
Students report at the height of the pollen season. She
The spectrutm of experiences is broad: cleans her nose daily, several times if it is
There are those who simply recount, necessary.
that they feel fresher, more awake and
clear in the head after having cleansed
the nose. They first of all emphasise the What does physiology say?
relaxing effect that can even relieve or What actually happens as a result of the
cure different forms of headaches, for salt-water bath is described by professor
instance migraine. Paul Stoksted from Odense, Denmark:
With others nose cleansing has helped “In the sinuses and mucus membranes
against physical ailments or even serious microscopic hairs are found, the so
illnesses. A 19-year old student reports: called cilia, that all vibrate in the same
“I suffered from chronic sinusitis for direction. Under a microscope they
years, with headaches, tiredness etc. resemble a cornfield swaying in the
Medicine didn’t help any more, and wind. The cilia are coated with a layer
an operation was necessary. After I of mucus that catch dust, bacteria, pollen
had learnt nose cleansing,
together with a few breathing
exercises, I used it daily.
The operation became
unnecessary, and to-day I am
completely healthy”. With
sinusitis especially we receive
a lot of feedback on the
beneficial effects of neti. To
receive the best results with
this, neti should be performed
in conjunction with certain
breathing exercises. For this,
though, it is necessary to be
guided by a competent yoga
teacher.
People with allergies also
have positive experiences.
It improves their condition
when they rinse their nose
during the pollen season. A
woman from Stockholm in
Sweden related that since her
childhood she has suffered
terribly from hay fever -
each spring with the usual
symptoms: swollen eyes,
that ran with tears, and a
completely blocked nose. She
has no problems today, even
13
and white blood corpuscles. Through
their motion the mucus membrane acts as
a conveyer belt, transporting the mucus
and caught particles through the nose,
down the throat and further on to the
stomach”. Therefore it is not only the
mucus membranes in the nose that are
stimulated by the use of neti, but also
the rest of the air passage all the way
down to the lungs, which is especially
beneficial to smokers. Actually nose
cleansing activates all the mucus
membranes in the body, also in the
stomach and in the eyes. Professor Paul
Stoksted continues: “The movement
of the cilia hairs can be paralysed by
virus and allergy provoking substances,
and also when it dries out, the mucus
becomes tough and crusty and looses
its function. Cleansing with salt water
keeps the mucus moist, the cilia hairs
are stimulated and encrustations, dust
as well as allergy provoking substances
are removed”. If one has problems with
dry mucus membranes, which is often
the case with dry air in offices and other
places, one may add a drop of almond oil
to the water (or another plant oil).
Why nose cleansing helps chronically
blocked nostrils and sinusitis, explains Dr.
Kenneth Uhre from Tallmogården Sanato-
rium in Sweden: “The nasal cavity is con-
nected to the sinuses with small orifices.
When during a cold these channels are
closed because of swollen mucus mem-
branes, it can lead to sinusitis. By nose
cleansing these channels are kept clear”.
Regular use of neti can also prevent
colds, as it changes the PH-value towards
alkaline. Because when the mucus mem-
brane is too acidic, that is to say when
the PH-value is too low, the virus can
survive and become attached to the mucus
membrane and thus develop into an
infection. Contrarily, if the PH-value is
higher, the virus dies. “Many people can
even experience sinusitis-like symptoms
when the orifices close for other reasons
such as stress reactions or overwork”,
says Dr. Uhre. With this background it
is also clear why neti can consistently
relieve psychosomatic ailments such as
asthma since during asthma attacks the
mucus membranes become swollen, and
make breathing difficult when the air
passage is obstructed by mucus.
The effects of neti are as you see very
comprehensive and can be employed
for many purposes. It is up to each
individual how one would use it: As a
daily routine together with brushing the
teeth, as “medicine” when one has use
for it, as help when one wants to stop
smoking, together with the breathing
exercises of yoga, or simply just when
one feels like being refreshed... q

How to do Nose Cleansing - Neti

n To clean the nose, you use a neti-pot, a small pot
with a spout that fits into the nostril and seals it. You fill
the pot with luke warm water and dissolve a teaspoon of
ordinary salt there in.
n Sea salt is unsuitable for nose cleansing. We
have repeatedly experienced that people got a strong allergic
reaction when they had sea salt in the pot - with ordinary
salt, on the other hand, there were no problems. This might
be due to the increasing pollution of the seas or a pollen
content of the sea water.
n The water in the pot now has the same salt
concentration as the body (0.9%), and will feel comfortable
when it runs through the nose.
n Do neti over a sink. Hold the pot in one hand and
place the spout against one nostril, so that it fits tightly. Lean
forward, breathe relaxed through the mouth and turn the head
to one side (see picture). Now the water will flow by itself,
in through one nostril and out of the other.
n When half of the water has run through one nostril,
gently blow out any remaining water and mucus. Then
repeat this process in the other nostril.
n In the end the nose should be dried. You bend
forward and let your head hang loosely down, so that the
remaining water can run out of the nose. Close one nostril
with the index finger and turn the head alternating from side
to side. Blow gently (not forcefully) through one nostril at
a time - until the nose is dry. This exercise to dry the nose
is an important part of nose cleansing, and should be done
thoroughly every time.
n After nose cleansing one can benefit from breathing
exercises, first of all “The blacksmiths bellows” and
“Kapalbhati”, they cleanse the lungs and the respiratory
passage and supply the blood with more oxygen. As a
harmonic conclusion of such a small program, you can
do “The alternate nostril breathing” to gain an even better
balance and clarity in the brain.
We would be pleased to send you the brochure on neti, free
of charge. Or order neti pots directly from us, see p. 18. q.

14
Weekend Course in London 8th. - 9th. January
14, Neals Yard,
Covent Garden
The course wil1 consist of:
- Physical Exercises - Asana
· Breathing Exercises - Pranayama
· Relaxation - Yoga Nidra
· Concentration - Dharana
· Meditation - Dhyana
The course will be spread over two days
and will build up in stages. so as to give
you a real experience of what yoga and
meditation is about.
Physical Exercises
With yoga’s physical exercises and
postures, tensions and tiredness of the
body are removed. Pawanmuktasana
is a program of many small exercises
whereby you touch all the muscles and
joints in the body and establish harmony.
As you progress to more classical
postures, the body becomes supple and
the mind more open and receptive to the
meditative state.
Breathing Exercises
The way we breathe reveals something
about how we feel, therefore the
breath has a direct influence on the
central nervous system. In a soft and
effective way, breathing exercises
remove emotional stress and blocks, and
communication between the two brain
halves becomes balanced.
Yoga Nidra...
...is an ancient meditative relaxation
that rests all levels of your being. When
we miss the opportunity to relax after a
stressed situation we become vulnerable.
With regular use of yoga nidra, this is
avoided. Furthermore, we now know
today that relaxation strengthens the
immune system.
Concentration & Meditation
are mental techniques that, in various
ways, widen our awareness, which is
the foundation for all experiences. By
training the ability to hold concentration
upon a single object, e.g.. a burning
candle, clarity is heightened. In the
meditation The Source of Energy a breath
is used that reinforces and cleanses the
body’s energy field. By the additional use
of a specific sound, mantra, the state is
deepened. Inner Silence (Antar Mauna)
is a meditation where you train your
awareness by learning to experience
disturbances and thoughts in a way that
you can accept them. The core of this
meditation is a transformed experience of
that stillness from where we experience
everything else - being one with yourself.
Teachers
Shanti, one of the schools most experi-
enced teachers, is leading the course.
She is educated by Swami Janakananda
and is probably a familiar face to many
people who have attended courses at Håå
Course Centre, where she has lived for
12 years. Currently she lives and teaches
at the Copenhagen school, and travels
throughout northern Europe running
weekend courses. Mark Richards, from
England, has travelled extensively around
the world, and now lives and teaches
yoga in Copenhagen, under the guidance
of Swami Janakananda.
Course place:
14, Neals Yard, Covent Garden
Course times:
Saturday 8th Jan. 9.30 am. - 1 pm. and
3.30 pm. - 6.30pm.
Sunday 9th Jan. 9.30 am. - 12.30 am.
and 2.30 pm. - 6 pm.
Course price: £60
1. £10 deposit (non-refundable), payable
upon confirmation of your enrolment.
2. Balance (£50) to be paid before the
course starts, either by depositing the
remainder in to Lloyds bank, Bristol,
Bond Street, account number: 7176395
(bring receipt of payment); or by cash at
the start of the course.
Enrolment:
Fill in the enrolment form and send to:
Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
School, c/o Christopher Price
3, Lombard Road
London
NWI1 lLT
Tel. 081 361 1956
Enrolment form
Name __________________________
_______________________________
Address ________________________
_______________________________
_______________________________
q yes, I want to participate in the
weekend course in London 8th.-9th.
January
q yes, I have payed the deposit £10
to Lloyds bank, Bristol, Bond Street,
account number: 7176395.
15
Håå International Course Centre
“Yoga is not an ancient myth
buried in oblivion. It is the
most valuable inheritance of
the present. It is the essential
need of today and the culture of
tomorrow” (Swami Satyananda)

Current Courses
Christmas 19 Dec. - 1 Jan.
Swami Janakananda and Vyasa
New Year Course 2 - 12
January
Jørgen Hastrup and Mette Kierkgaard
3-Months Course 25 Jan. - 23
April
Swami Janakananda and Sita
10- and 14-days Courses

yoga techniques, they form a firm

foundation from where you can reach
an inner balance. We also have week-
end courses each autumn.
Do you want to go deeper? Håå International Course Centre
The courses at Håå International Course Centre in Småland, Sweden, lies in the middle of the nature of
are open to anyone wanting an experience of the potency inherent in Småland, surrounded by lakes and
Tantric yoga and meditation. As to depth and scope, they are unique forests. During your free time our
within present-day therapy, self-development and yoga. riding horses, rowing boat, canoes and
the relaxation tank, “The Pyramid”, are
at your disposal.
The courses are also holidays, but you really want to do. Our teaching is not based on
from what? After all, this is about During the 10- or 14-days courses, romantic notions of “new times”, but
you, now and in the long run. Why which are held throughout the summer, on a basic knowledge of humanity.
isolate yourself from work, family and in the autumn, at Christmas and You return home with your own
worries? Because it gives perspective. New Year, you learn the little Kriya experiences of your participation in a
Gain - through the tranquillity and Yoga (Ajapa Jap) and other Tantric dynamic process and a knowledge of
energy acquired - an overview on your meditations, such as Antar Mauna techniques that you can use for your
life and the energy to fulfil that which (Inner Silence). Together with various own benefit. q

16
The Three-Month Course
25th. January - 23rd. April, at Håå International Course Centre
When I was younger,
I was concerned about the body.
Later it was thoughts and emotions
that captured my interest.
Now I dare to live on the earth and act
without being frightened of the next accident
- I have learnt to know myself (Swami Janakananda)
If you wish to spend three months of your life and gain
a real deep reaching experience and training in yoga and
meditation, here is the opportunity. The three month course
is a continuous expedition in your own possibilities - outer
as well as inner. Experience a real transformation during the
course’s height: a 33 day initiation in advanced tantric Kriya
Yoga with Swami Janakananda.
“Kriya Yoga converges all the energies, gross and subtle,
into a point (bindu) in the middle of the mandala of one’s
being. This is the gateway to meditation”
(Swami Satyananda)
“I experience Kriya Yoga as a powerful meditation giving
me a clearly felt increase of energy, and a state in which it
becomes difficult to hold on to tensions and depressions. It
cleans out my subconscious mind in a more effective way
than any other method I know. The strength that I generate
makes it easier to tolerate and confront the content of my
mind - my dreams become clearer. I am able to look in the
eye that which would normally fascinate me or make me
forget who I am.
In my experience, the need for sleep is considerably
reduced by those who use this technique. Our creative
abilities are strengthened and developed”.
(Swami Janakananda)
Swami Janakananda is the first in Europe to teach the great
tantric Kriya Yoga - a knowledge that he received from his
teacher, Swami Satyananda. Now he has taught Kriya Yoga
for more than twenty years, and has shared in enriching the
lives of many people. q

17
Books, Cassettes, CD's ...
The book: Yoga, Tantra and
Meditation in Daily Life
175 Sw.Cr. + 55 Sw.Cr. postage.
Also available in other languages.
New French translation of the book!
See also page 7.
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, (short spout)
blue, red, yellow, green or black.
165 Sw.Cr.+ 55 Sw.Cr. postage.
Krutis, (long spout)
blue, sand, white or green,
195 Sw.Cr. + 105 Sw.Cr. postage.
The periodical: Bindu, no. 3-9,
25 Sw.Cr. each + 20 Sw.Cr. postage.
Hopi Ear Candles: made of 100%
beeswax and cotton; cleanses the ears.
35 Sw.Cr. + 30 Sw.Cr. postage.
The brochure (free):
about the retreats at Håå International
Course Center. (See page 16).
We can only accept payment in
Swedish Crowns by Eurocheque,
international money order or to our
postal giro account 73 86 03 - 0 in
Sweden. No personal cheques please,
as they are too expensive to cash.
Please send money and order to:
Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation
School, Håå Course Center,
340 13 Hamneda, Sweden.
18
Yoga, Tantra and Meditation
in Daily Life
by Swami Janakananda
A practical hand book on tantric yoga and
meditation, written by a genuine expert. Most
of the exercises, that we teach on our courses,
are found in this book - and much more that
can inspire you in your own practice.
Yoga Nidra - Cassette / CD
Two deep relaxations created and guided by Swami
Janakananda. With nature sounds and with music by Roop
Verma. As a background and introduction there is a 20
page booklet inserted.
“This tape is a hit, if you can talk about hits within
relaxation.” (A. Thomson, therapist and New Age
bookseller in UK)
“After a number of years of having a stressed life with
a job that almost ruined my ability to live in the present,
I’m now again happy to face each new day, not to unnecessarily worry myself about
tomorrow. I have learnt to laugh again. I think it’s fantastic.” (E. Berg, Sweden)
“The tape is one of the most inspiring I have heard for a long time. It is a
multidimensional work of art of a nature that is rarely seen.”
(M. Lammgård, musician and therapist, Växthuset Kaprifol, Sweden)
“Yoga Nidra (meditative deep relaxation) is much more than a deep relaxation; it is a
total experience that touches and awakens all parts of your being.” (Swami Janakananda)
Nose Cleansing Pots
Nose cleansing (Neti) is
refreshing. Prevents colds, dry
mucus membranes, hay fever
and asthma.
See also the article on p. 12 in
this issue.
 Subscription
You are welcome to support us, so we
can continue to publish Bindu. Pay
45 Sw.Cr. for one issue or 80 Sw.Cr.
for 2 issues + 40 Sw.Cr. postage
(payment, see below). Further contri-
butions are also welcome.

Håå Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda, Sweden

Tel. +46 372 55063. Fax. +46 372 55036, email: haa@scand-yoga.org
Sweden
• Västmannagatan 62, 113 25 Stockholm, tel. +46 8 321218,
fax. +46 8 314406, email: stockholm@scand-yoga.org
Denmark
• Købmagergade 65, 1150 Copenhagen, tel. +45 3314 1140,
fax. +45 3314 1434, email: kbh@scand-yoga.org
• Vestergade 45, 8000 Århus, tel. +45 8619 4033,
fax. +45 8619 4013, email: aarhus@scand-yoga.org
• Kongensgade 12 B, 3000 Elsinore, tel. +45 4921 2068
Internet
• www.scand-yoga.org
Germany
• Egestorffstrasse 3, 30449 Hannover, tel. +49 511 454163
fax. +49 511 447281, email: hannover@scand-yoga.org
Norway
• Georgernes Verft 3, 5011 Bergen, tel. +47 5614 3310
fax. +47 5614 9738, email: bergen@scand-yoga.org
Finland
• Sukula, 30100 Forssa, tel. +358 3 4350599
email: forssa@scand-yoga.org
• Helsinginkatu 8 B 77 • 00500 Helsinki, tel. +358 9 8703
071, +358 40 5811 382, email: helsinki@scand-yoga.org

Publisher: Bindu, Håa Course Center, 340 13 Hamneda, Sweden. Circulation: 5,000 in English (Also printed in German, Swedish and Danish)
Printed: Håå Course Center, by Erling Christiansen & Mark Richards. Layout: Robert Nilsson & Swami Janakananda. Pictures: Front cover: Tratak, Swami
Janakananda; back cover: Energy Art in Television with Sri Yantra, Ronald Nameth; p.2 “Yantra“, Bjarke; p.4, 5 Yvonne Åsell; p.9 Robert Nilsson; p.13 Franz
Jervidalo; p.7, 15, 16 Karin Reif; p.10, 11 Thomas Petersen; p.18 Jørgen Hastrup. Copyright © 1993 Bindu and Scandinavian Yoga and Meditation School.

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