22/01/2025
๐๐ฎ๐ฅ๐๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐ฬ๐ฌ๐๐ง๐๐ฌ
(1) Before practising aฬsanas, do vyaฬpaka shaoca or take a full bath. Vyaฬpaka shaoca must also be done before daily meditation; if aฬsanas are done with daily meditation then it is not necessary to do vyaฬpaka shaoca separately.
(2) Do not practise aฬsanas in an open place, because it may result in sudden exposure and thereby you may catch cold. While practising aฬsanas indoors, attention should be paid to keep the windows open so that air can pass through.
(3) No smoke should be allowed to enter the room. The less smoke the better.
(4) Males must wear a Kaopiina (laungotฬaฬ), and there should be no other clothing on the body. Females must wear tight-fitting underwear and a bra.
(5) Practise aฬsanas on a blanket or a mat. Do not do aฬsanas on the bare ground, because you may catch cold, and some secretions which come from the body while practising aฬsanas may be destroyed.
(6) Practise aฬsanas only while breath is flowing through the left nostril or both nostrils; do not practise aฬsanas when the breath flows only through the right nostril.
(7) Take saฬttvika food. But a person for whom it is difficult to give up raฬjasika food can for the time being take a small piece of myrobalan (it is better to use the small type of myrobalan), or something of a similar nature, after meals. However, this procedure does not apply in cold countries.
(8 ) Do not cut the hair of the joints of the body.
(9) The nails of the fingers and toes must be kept cut short.
(10) Do not practise aฬsanas on a full belly. It is prohibited to perform aฬsanas for two-and-a-half to three hours after a meal.
(11) After practising aฬsanas, you should massage your arms, legs and entire body, especially the joints, very well.
(12) After the massage is finished, remain in shavaฬsana (co**se posture) for at least two minutes.
(13) After shavaฬsana do not come in direct contact with water for at least ten minutes.
(14) A practitioner of aฬsanas should not massage his or her body with oil. If you like you may rub oil lightly over the body.
(15) After practising aฬsanas, it is desirable to walk in a solitary place for some time.
(16) Just after aฬsanas praฬnฬaฬyaฬma is prohibited.
(17) If it is necessary to go outdoors after practising aฬsanas and if at that time the body temperature has not come down to a normal level, or if there is any difference between the room temperature and the outside temperature, you must cover your body when going out. If possible, inhale a deep breath inside the room and exhale it after coming outside. In that way there will be no chance of catching cold.
(18) It is not prohibited for the practitioner of aฬsanas to practise free-hand exercise, running or sports, but just after aฬsanas all these are prohibited.
(19) There is no restriction of nostril for the following aฬsanas: padmaฬsana (lotus posture), siddhaฬsana (siddha posture), ardhasiddhaฬsana (half siddha posture), bhojanaฬsana (cross-legged sitting posture), viiraฬsana (viira posture), diirgha pranฬaฬma (long bowing posture), yogaฬsana (yoga posture) and bhuฬjaunฬญgaฬsana (snake posture).
(20) For all those aฬsanas where there is no restriction of nostrils, there is no restriction on food either.
(21) During menstruation, pregnancy and within one month of delivery, women must not practise aฬsanas or any other exercise. The aฬsanas for dhyaฬna can be done under all conditions โ padmaฬsana, siddhaฬsana and viiraฬsana are the proper aฬsanas for dhyaฬna and dhaฬranฬaฬ.
Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar
Published in:
Ananda Marga Caryaฬcarya Part 3
