To be contemplative isto focus the heart onthe Absolute Realitythat gives meaning tolife. To be a spiritualactivist is to be en-

gaged in the social world without los-ing perspective of the Absolute.To bean activist is also to be a realist and yetno sane human being is entirelywithout a sense of values. The con-templative faces that inner world ofvalues and draws strength and wis-dom from it, but no human being isdevoid of those inner sacred values.

Urgent NeedThe recognition of the ‘sacred’ is

one of the most urgent needs of ourtime.The ‘sacred’ need not be basedin a supernatural, or religious view ofthe world.We can acknowledge cer-tain values as sacred: the innocence ofchildhood, the beauty of nature, thevalue of life, the courage of integrity.The recognition of the sacred is therecognition and relationship with realvalue,with something greater than theindividual’s selfish preoccupations.

Face RealitiesThe self — liberated from selfish-

ness — can bring about the new earth.But we must face the realities of po-litical and economic systems that cur-rently dominate our lives.

The corporate state, the oligarchythat rules us, is the result of the alien-ated self.The corporate state traps usin a system that we feel uneasy aboutbut find it almost impossible to stepoutside of.The corporate oligarchyis the product of the false reality thatis false because it is incomplete —just as profits from the exploitationof resources while escaping the in-calculable costs of the destruction itleaves in its wake. Its methods seemlogical while its goals are insane. It isan economic system without empa-thy and detached from reality. It isunsustainable because of its absolutedependence on increasing debt, onfinancial profits regardless of cost tothe environment and human well-being. It fails to see and acknowledgeits own demise.

What we need is the ability to standaside,be quiet and reflect, to think crit-

ically about our situation,and to realisethat the steps we are capable of may onlybe incremental.The change that is ac-quired is so fundamental, so much a re-versal of the accepted way of doingthings that it challenges the great com-mon assumption of how life is supposedto be lived.

Raise Your VibrationsThe experience of our wellbeing is

an experience of the Self in harmonywith the magnetic field of Mother Earth,which we experience as a state of tran-scendence,a foretaste of the Divine.Na-ture lives deep within us.The humanself contains its own transcendence.Wetouch that immanent transcendencewhen we raise our vibrations. Raisingour own vibration is one of the great-est acts of service but it is not enough.We also need practical knowledge to

build a more peaceful world.Most approaches to peace are in-

effective because they are naïve andlack understanding of the forces thatcontribute to violence. Social move-ments to change the masses,whether religious or political,will be successful when thesesocial movements transform theself. It doesn’t take a genius tobuild a better world.

In spiritualityand religion, a newlanguage is needed.The key to this spiri-tual sense, this percep-tion of value, is de-scribed by the word ‘sa-cred’. The experience ofthe sacred is an experienceof joining ourselves withsomething of value greater

than ourselves and the ego’s preoc-cupations as well.

Human suggestibility has been ex-ploited to enslave us to systems thatserve hidden elite. Consciousness isthe best corrective for this sug-

gestibility, and itis the responsibil-ity of practicalmystics, thosewho are moreawake, to helppeople becomeconscious in theirown lives and

thus to be less manipulated and con-trolled by others. Human beings’ sug-gestibility is easily exploited because thegreat majority of human beings are liv-ing without a spiritual centre capableof withstanding the weapons of massdestruction.The power of suggestion,when not balanced by consciousthought,can lead us to be programmedto believe almost anything.

Awakening CallOutwardly, we seem to be in a

third world war in slow motion, butdespite appearances, the third worldwar is actually already over. On thespiritual level, peace is near.The chal-lenge of this generation is to estab-lish a culture of compassion. It is timeto call forth an awakening in thewhole human race. Bless everyone,call it forward in everyone; they’re allpart of God.

Those who reduce religion to asystem of laws, outer behaviours, anda code of dogmatic beliefs are betray-ing the reality of spirit that is appre-

hended by the heart. Such conceptof religion satisfies the ego but notthe heart. It typically leads to au-thoritarianism and injustice.And wemust forgive those who have pro-

jected their own violenceupon us, because reactingwith violence only provesthem right and perpetuatesfurther cycles of violence.Each of us must find theelements within ourown tradition that can

contribute to ending con-flicts in our world. ■

Follow Kabir Helminski atspeakingtree.in

The process of exhalingwith immense speedagain and again is calledkapalbhati. It is made up

of two words — kapal and bhati.Kapal means ‘head’ and bhatimeans to ‘brighten’ or understandthe head.Thus,kapalbhati helps toactivate or rejuvenate energy cen-tres in the head by cleansing thebrain and increasing cognitiveand perceptive vision.● Procedure: Sit down with bothlegs folded in sukhasana or pad-masana and keep your back andneck in a straight line.Yourchest should bulge out.Place your hands on yourknees, as in gyan mudra,close your eyes and sitcomfortably. Then con-centrate on your breath and itsrhythm, without keepingyour stomach slack orloose.To perform kapalb-hati, push your stomach in-side, below the navel, with ajerk, and squeeze the muscles ofthe stomach. Simultaneously, ex-hale forcefully through the nose,making a hissing sound.After that,relax the stomach muscles — whichyou had squeezed — and inhale airwithout making any sound.

Refrain from exerting any pres-sure while inhaling and allow airto go inside your body naturally.Push your stomach inside againwith a jerk and exhale the air nois-ily.This practice should be donecontinuously. Exhale quickly asmany times as possible and whenyou feel exhausted, sit quietly tillyour breathing resumes its normalpace. Initially, breathe 20-30 timesor as much as possible in one round.

As your practice increases, thespeed and number of breaths willalso increase.● Precautions:While performing

kapalbhati,do not make any soundfrom your throat.This can dry upyour mouth and cause irritation.Don’t move any other part of yourbody except your stomach.Be calmand peaceful and keep your eyesclosed. People suffering from car-diac diseases, high blood pressureand chronic asthma should not per-form this exercise. But it can be

practised at a slower pace if the dis-ease is in control.This exercise isalso prohibited for patients of her-nia. In case of backache,kapalbhatimay be practised in the vajrasanaposture. If one is unable to sit onthe ground, this exercise can bedone while seated on a chair.● Resolution:While practising ka-palbhati, you should feel that withevery breath you exhale, variousailments from your body are beingexpelled and you are becoming freeof diseases.● Centre of Dhyana: Manipurachakra ● Advantages: Kapalbhati is acleansing process that plays an im-portant role in removing toxins,foreign objects and polluted airfrom inside the body with the help

of your breath.With the purifica-tion of the body, the mind becomesrelaxed. In kapalbhati, blood fromyour hands and legs starts flowingtowards the stomach muscles andother parts, making the food pipe,stomach, small intestine, large in-testine, gall bladder, pancreas, rec-tum, liver, kidney, testes and pros-trate, and the uterus and ovaryhealthier. It aids in curing variousailments related to these organs:■ Kapalbhati keeps the thyroid andparathyroid glands, thymus gland,

lungs and trachea well-toned.■ An increase in the oxygencontent of the blood results inthe supply of this vital elementto all cells and tissues.■ Kapalbhati also makes theheart muscles strong and sup-ple and prevents cardiac diseases.■ This exercise cures disorderslike constipation, gas, indiges-tion and obesity, controls dia-betes, improves appetite.

■ By regulating the secretion of digestive juices, it improves digestive power.■ It helps in disorders of the prostategland and urinary tract.■ Kapalbhati is also helpful in cur-ing disorders like irregular men-struation,vaginal discharge and ex-cessive bleeding.■ It helps remove tumours andcures cough and cold.■ Kapalbhati is really useful in treat-ing skin diseases and preventinghair loss,hair breakage and prema-ture greying.■ Kapalbhati can keep you feelingfresh throughout the day, makesyou healthy and improves your level of concentration.Please Note: Consult a yoga instructor or health advisor for yourexercise regimen. ■

Follow Surakshit Goswami at speakingtree.in

T H E S P E A K I N G T R E EK O L K A T A , A P R I L 1 9 , 2 0 1 5

O God, You are peace, and from You comes peace, and our return is to You, to peace— Traditional Sufi prayer

Need To Focus On Quality Education■ This is with reference toyour cover story ‘Back ToSchool’,April 12. A child isborn to naturally admireand understand nature andher ways, but he is tutoredin a controlled environ-ment. Even when the firstletter he utters is ‘Ma’, atschool, his first step tospeech starts with the letter‘A’ and the number ‘1’.

Learning based onmoral values is replaced bycompetitive capitalism inour education system.Wecan create good human be-ings only if we teach ourchildren to be compassion-ate toward all beings.

Usha Vadivia speakingtree.in

■ Earlier, when the gurukulsystem was prevalent,all stu-dents were not treated alike,irrespective of their family,status and gender. At thattime, children belonging toso-called lower castes andgirls were not given gu-rukul education.At least, to-day schools don’t differenti-ate between students be-cause of their castes.

However, education hasbecome a business nowa-days.We need to stop com-mercialisation of educationand improve its quality.

Anil Tanwar, via emailFocus Your Mind On The Present■ Apropos ‘Look ForTurning Points’, April 12,it is more important tofocus our mind on the

present moment than toquieten it. When ourmind wanders, recallingthe past or anticipatingthe future, we cannotconcentrate on what ishappening in the here andnow. Our achievementstoday will provide satisfy-ing memories and futuresuccess, if we base ourgoals on our needs ratherthan on our desires.

Ron Krumposvia speakingtree.in

Nirvana Can’t BeServed On A Plate■ Refer to ‘Shortcut ToNirvana’,April 12.There isno shortcut to nirvana.One has to traverse thepath explained in thescripture or take the helpof a guru. Nobody canserve it to you on a platter.One has to consistentlypractise meditation.

Raghavendrag Gardevia speakingtree.in

To Shiva,Via Rishikesh■ Apropos, ‘Lord Of TheUniverse’,April 12, when-ever, I visit Haridwar and

Rishikesh, I instantly feelconnected to Shiva. Forme, he is the creator ofRishikesh. Uttarakhand isthe land of Shiva,‘Oh Shi-va, I bow to you’.

Chandresh Chandrawatvia email

Why The Cow Is So Special■ The article, ‘Holy CowDecoded’, April 12, wastimely and relevant. Tradi-tionally, the cow wasrevered as an economic as-set of Hindu families andthe bull was the farmer’sprized possession and nofarm could be tilled with-out the help of a sturdy pair.They were also an essentialmedium of transport.

Cow dung was used tolight the kitchen fires.In fact,the social standing of a house-hold was marked by thenumber of cows and bullocksowned by a family.With itsspiritual and religious signif-icance, it becomes easier tounderstand why this nobleanimal is so special.

Brinda UpadhyayaMumbai

Grandpa Tales“So Grandpa,” said Dave at his

engagement party,“Your marriage to Grandma is

legendary — everyone talks abouthow you two get along so well

and never fight.What’s the secret to your marital success?”

“Well” said Grandpa Joe aftertaking a deep breath,“it all

started on the way home from our wedding.We hadn’t gone but

a mile when the horse startedgiving us trouble. I gave the horse a little whip and that’s when Iheard your Grandma say in a

low voice,“that’s strike one.”Abit later, the horse stopped again.

“That’s strike two,” she said.The third time it stopped, she

grabbed my shotgun and almostshot the horse. I was in shock!

“What in the world was that allabout?” I had protested at the time.

She said,“That’s strike one!”“And that is

what I owe our marital success to.”

Gem Of A GiftA husband gifted his wife adiamond necklace for their

25th anniversary and then shedidn’t speak to him for six

months.When his family andfriends heard this, they asked if it was because it was fakeor cheap. He replied,“No...

That was the deal!”

Who Am I?A young woman went to her

mother and explained how thingswere so hard for her. She did not

know how she was going to make itand was on the verge of giving up.

She was tired of fighting andstruggling. Her mother took her tothe kitchen and filled three potswith water and placed each on a

high flame. Soon the pots came to aboil. In the first, she placed carrots,in the second, she placed eggs, andin the last, she placed ground coffeebeans. She let them sit and boil,

without saying a word. In about 20minutes, she turned off the burners.She took off carrots, eggs and coffee

and placed them in bowlsseparately.Turning to her daughter,she asked,“What do you observe?”

“Carrots, eggs, and coffee,” theyoung woman replied.The motherbrought her closer and asked her to

feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft.

She then asked her to take an eggand break it.After pulling off theshell, she observed the hard-boiled

egg. Finally, she asked her to sip thecoffee.The daughter smiled as she

tasted its rich aroma.The daughter then asked,“What

does it mean, mother?” Her motherexplained that each of these objectshad faced the same adversity —boiling water — but each had

reacted differently.The carrot wentin strong, hard and unrelenting.However, after being subjected to

the boiling water, it softened and became weak.

The egg had been fragile. Its thinouter shell had protected its liquidinterior. But, after sitting throughthe boiling water, its insides hadbecome hard! The ground coffee

beans were unique, however.After

they were in the boiling water, theyhad changed the water.

The mother asked her daughter.“When adversity knocks on your

door, how do you respond? Are youa carrot, an egg, or a coffee bean?”What am I? Am I the carrot thatseems strong but, with pain andadversity, wilts and becomes soft

and loses strength? Am I the egg that starts with a

malleable heart, but changes withthe heat? Did I have a fluid spiritbut, after a death, a breakup, or afinancial hardship, does my shell

look the same, but on the inside amI bitter and tough with a stiff spirit

and a hardened heart? Or am I like the coffee bean? The

bean actually changes the hot water,the very circumstance that brings

the pain.When the water gets hot,it releases the fragrance and flavour.

If you are like the bean,when things are at their worst,you get better and change the

situation around.

Brain Brightener

LEARNING TREE LAUGHING TREE

Email us at st.letters@timesgroup.com or write to:The Speaking Tree,Times Annexe,9-10, First Floor, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, New Delhi-110002

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Yogacharya SURAKSHIT GOSWAMI’S regular column on yoga focuses first on kapalbhati to cleanse body and mind

Sacred Earth, Sacred Self

Experience the Self inharmony with the magnetic

field of Mother Earth, says Sufi Shaikh

KABIR HELMINSKI

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YOGA FOR FITNESS

Sacred Earth, Sacred Self

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