 to an end when we no longer fear
impermanence. As long as we have a stake in the illusion,
we will suffer. Children are eager to explore the world, and they love how
everything is changing. But at the same time a child wants the
security and safety of hom e. This balance becomes harder to
maintain as an adult. Change becomes threatening when there’s
no one at home to promise s afety and security. One way to hold
anxiety at bay is to pretend t hat “I,” the ego-personality, is stable
and reliable. “I” has a stake i n the world, something to maintain. The ego  builds itself up by every kind of clinging—to pleasure,
fantasy, wishful thinking, outworn conditioning, old memories,
and false beliefs. All t hose things are imperma nent, so it doesn’t work to build a
self wit h them as a foundation. Fear of change departs only when
you base your life on the true  self. As you wake up, the transition
from ego to true self happens naturally. For Today
The bes t way to feel safe is when you take safety for gra nted
without worryi ng about it. Consider the commercials you see on
television for life insurance, pharmaceuticals, retirement homes,
and burglar alarms. They offe r reassurance by first bringing up the
fear tha t you are not secure a nd safe. The tactic works bec ause we
don’t really take our personal security for granted—we push
anxiety out of sight instead. To feel how real, unshakable security feels, stop reading for a
second. Then start reading again, and stop again. In the pausebetween readin g these words, you took for granted that yo u know
how to read. T here’s no underlying anxiety about this—yo u know
it for certain—and the same is true for dozens of things you know
how to do. Thi s is how it feels when you are truly secure  without
hiding f rom underlying anxie ty. When you wake up, you will take
for gran ted tha t you have alw ays existed and always will. On that
basis, you are a gain like a child, free to explore the world and safe
from fear because you are at home always, inside yourself. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 28

Freedom is the natural state of existence, knowing that we
are aware here and now. Virtual reality isn’t reliable when it comes to lasting happi ness,
security, fulfillment, love, and other things we cherish. Some
people enjoy very few of those things, and even when we get more
than our fair sh are, we fear p ossible loss. It is a bad deal to rely on
what is unreliable. You would n’t take a job from an employer who
says that he w ill toss a coin every day to determine if you  stay or
get fired. But we cling to vir tual reality with no guarantees that
things w ill work out. This is a form of bondage—the wor st form,
since the widely held belief is that there’s no alternative. Real freedom isn’t something  you struggle to achieve, hope for,
and fee l unlike ly to win. Free dom is our natural state if we don’t
imprison ourselves. On waking up, you no longer feel bound to
virtual reality. Mental constructs lose their grip and eventually
fade away entirely. Being her e now is the same as total freedom,
because the now is gone before anything can lay claim to y ou. You
exist and you are aware—that’s enough to set you free. For Today
All of us have our own version of what it feels like to be fre e and
its opp osite, what it feels like to be trapped, hemmed in, and
suffocated. Yet  these concepts disguise the reality, which is that
our sense of freedom is al ways bound up with its o pposite. Retirement frees us from the demands of work; having the
children go off to college frees us from having them under our
roof. But our freedom is constrained by having a job and becoming
a parent in the first place.True fre edom isn’t bound up with its opposite. To prove this to
yourself, think  for a moment and describe what you were doing at
7:37 last Tuesday evening. What thoughts were in you r head? What words did you say? Even if something memorable sticks
with you from last Tuesday, it takes an effort to recall it. You are
free fr om 7:37 last Tuesday evening because there  is no
attachment to it. A moment of now has fled and gone. The
moment when you started to read this lesson has fled and gone. Your re lationship to the now is to experience it, extract what it has
to give, and move on. This is the state of nondoing and
nonclinging, which dawns as your natural state when you wake up. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 29

Knowing ourselves as timeless beings, we can live
consciously. We can be what we really are—a species of
consciousness creating the human universe. “I,” the ego-personality, grapples with the stuff of creation
every day, turning new idea s into reality. We call this progress,
and it is—of a sort. The ideas we turn into reality have an agenda
and a past. The y crop up in a context that accepts or rejec ts them. The con ditioned mind has no choice but to respond to all kinds of
external limita tions. Once a wish, hope, or dream manages to turn
into rea lity, we cling to wh at we have created. We ignore the
inevitable ruin  of all things—one day the things we’ve built will be
relics like the Parthenon or the Egyptian pyramids. Creation that is lasting must be built upon the timeless. That’s
not possible with physical things, and since physical objects
represent ideas, even ideas cannot truly last in the face of the
ravages of time. In the timeless, what lasts isn’t an idea or a thing
but creativity itself. The “stuff” of creation is our own awareness
and its infinite  capacity to cre ate. By waking up, you creat e on the
basis of  being a creator, not o n the ideas and things that surround
you. Yo u are beyond things and ideas, a conscious being of
timeless dimension. For Today
Timeless  i s a concept that feels very fa r removed from daily life,
but it comes c loser when you realize what time is. Time is the
process of creation and destruction. Therefore, if you don’t
identify with creation and de struction, you stand in the timeless. You have a cho ice to shift you r allegiance to the timeless w heneveryou wan t. Stop  for a moment  to look around the room. When you
return to reading this page, everything you looked at is in the
process of decaying, dissolving, and fading away. But did time take
away th e present moment? No—it only took away the things you
noticed in the present moment. The present moment constantly
renews itself. It stands for the timeless that persists in the activity
of time. When you are awake, the timeless takes precedence over
everything else. This shift allo ws you to celebrate creation without
feeling anxiety over things passing away. YOUR EXPERIENCE:

 DAY 30

Knowing that we are free, the future of humanity can go
beyond birth, death, and all the stories in between. If you could land anywhere in history, you could seek out
people who are awake. The y would always be a minor ity, and
perhaps a tiny sliver of a minority. But counting noses is n’t how
waking up works. If you want to know if human beings ca n swim,
you on ly need to find one example. Likewise, one aw akened
person tells you that waking  up is possible, and, even more, that
everyone is part of the process. Waking up isn’t learned; it is not
acquired behavior. It is a state that all of us already exist in. The
only thing that happens when you wake up is that you realize who
you rea lly are. Humanity is a lready free—we wouldn’t be here as
conscious bein gs if that weren’t true. Only the stories we tell
ourselves block our view of our true nature. This interference pattern, like a fuzzy television picture, doesn’t
affect re ality. The broadcaste r is still sending a clear picture, even
if our receiver  isn’t picking i t up. When you wake up, the signal
and the receiver are both c lear and in tune with each other. Thoughts and feelings come and go without creating interference. This is what it means to be in the world but not of it. For Today
You can  be in poverty for two reasons—either you are act ually
poor or  you are rich but don ’t know it. In relation to the infinite
potential that is our true nat ure, we feel limited in everyday life. So whic h is it? Are we actuall y limited, or do we not know that we
are unli mited? The answer isn’t given by looking at conditions on
the ground. The richest, smartest, most gifted, and happiestperson can wind up leading a very limited life. The answer is only
available in your own awareness. Sit for a moment and try to  think


	hours	a	night	for	a	five-	to	seven-week	period	instead
of	their	usual	6	hours. The	results	showed	that	their	speed	and	accuracy,	as	well
as	their	physical,	mental,	and	emotional	well-being,	all	grew	measurably	better. 4
It’s	no	surprise,	then,	that	many	top	athletes,	including
Usain	Bolt,
Michael
Phelps,
LeBron	James,	and
Roger	Federer,	report	getting	upward	of	10	to	12
hours	of	sleep	a	night. You	may	be	asking	yourself,	What	does	this	have	to	do	with	beauty? Well,
athletes	need	to	allow	their	bodies	to	rest	and	rejuvenate	to	reach	peak
condition	for	their	athletic	competitions. Likewise,	rest	and	rejuvenation	is	key
for	all	of	your	body’s	functions	to	perform	at	their	peak. This	has	a	direct
impact	on	your	beauty. An	article	published	on
Harvard	Medical	School’s
website	explains	that	major	restorative	functions,	“like	muscle	growth,	tissue
repair,	protein	synthesis,	and	growth	hormone	release	occur	mostly,	or	in	some
cases	only,	during	sleep.”
5
Ultimately,	you	must	listen	to	your	body	to	see	how	much	sleep	you
personally	need. It	might	be	8	hours	or	possibly	even	9	or	10. It	is	completely
individual. You	may	wonder	where	you	could	possibly	find	more	time	to	get
additional	sleep,	but	it	is	often	possible	to	cut	out	unnecessary	evening	activities
and	simply	go	to	bed	earlier. Television	is	one	thing	that	takes	up	so	much	time
for	most	people	but	is	completely	unproductive. It	may	sound	radical	to	suggest
giving	up	TV	entirely,	but	it	might	be	easier	than	you	think	and	could
profoundly	improve	your	life. Once	you	have	a	deeper	understanding	of	how	strongly	sleep	can	impact
your	beauty	and	overall	wellness,	you	will	likely	feel	compelled	to	really
prioritize	your	sleep. The
Effects	of	Too	Little	Sleep
If	you	consistently	get	fewer	than	the	ideal	number	of	hours	of	sleep	for	you,
here’s	what	you	are	most	likely	dealing	with. ACCELERATED	AGING
If	you’ve	ever	wanted	actual	scientific	documentation	for	the	phenomenon	of
beauty	sleep,	here	it	is:	A	study	published	in	2015	assessed	actual	skin	aging,
and	the	subjects	whose	sleep	was	deemed	“good”	were	found	to	have	lower	skin
aging	scores. This	included	a	30	percent	higher	barrier	of	recovery	whencompared	with	poor	sleepers. 6
In	another	fascinating	clinical	trial	from	the
University	Hospitals	Case
Medical	Center	in
Cleveland,	Ohio,	a	direct	connection	was	found	between
poor	sleep	and	accelerating	aging,	especially	of	the	skin. 7
	Researchers	examined
sixty	premenopausal	women	between	the	ages	of	thirty	and	forty-nine
8
	who	fell
into	either	a	“poor”	or	“quality”	sleep	group,	based	on	sleep	length	and	overall
excellence. They	discovered	that	the	poor	sleepers	showed	twice	as	many	signs
of	aging	as	those	in	the	quality	sleep	group. These	measurements	included	fine
lines,	uneven	pigmentation,	slackening	of	skin,	and	reduced	elasticity. 9
	They
also	found	that	those	in	the	quality	sleep	group	recovered	more	efficiently	from
damage	and	other	stressors	like	exposure	to	the	sun. 10
	This	shows	that	sun	is
not	the
only
	big	issue	with	skin	aging. Other	factors,	such	as	the	quality	of	your
sleep,	may	reduce	your	skin’s	ability	to	recover	from	sunlight	exposure. Need	more	proof? A	study	at
Sweden’s
University	of	Stockholm	found	that
sleep	deprivation	produced	visible	signs	of	aging,	including	increased	hanging
eyelids,	darker	circles	under	the	eyes,	more	wrinkles	and	fine	lines,	swollen	eyes,
and	more	pronounced	droopy	corners	of	the	mouth. 11
	Anything	that	promotes
the	use	of	the	word
droopy
	to	describe	your	face	must	obviously	be	avoided	as
much	as	possible! WEIGHT	GAIN
In	general,	those	who	do	not	sleep	well	tend	to	weigh	more	than	those	who	get
good	levels	of	sleep. 12
	A	University	Hospitals	Case	Medical	Center	clinical	trial
found	that	poor	sleepers	were	nearly	twice	as	likely	to	be	overweight	than	those
who	slept	well. In	their	study,	23	percent	of	the	“good	quality”	sleepers	were
obese,	versus	44	percent	in	the	group	that	reported	poor	sleep	quality. 13
	A
Wisconsin	Sleep	Cohort	study	found	that	as	hours	of	sleep	per	night	went
down,
body	mass	index	(BMI)	went	up	proportionally. 14
	This	further	disputes
the	vastly	oversimplified	approach	that	what	is	on	your	plate	and	how	much
you	work	out	are	the	only	factors	that	determine	your	weight. In	another	study	published	in	the
American	Journal	of	Epidemiology
,	women
who	slept	5	hours	or	less	a	night	had	a	15	percent	higher	risk	of	becoming
obese	than	women	who	slept	7	hours	a	night. Over	the	course	of	the	sixteen-
year	study,	the	women	who	got	less	sleep	also	had	a	30	percent	higher	risk	of
gaining	30	pounds	than	the	women	who	got	7	hours	of	sleep	per	night. 15
You	may	be	wondering	exactly
how
	sleep	affects	your	weight. It	turns	out	that
a	lack	of	proper	sleep	can	disrupt	the	key	hormones	that	control	appetite,
making	those	who	sleep	poorly	more	hungry	than	those	who	sleep	well	throughthe	night. 16
	A	study	published	in	the
Journal	of	Clinical	Endocrinology	and
Metabolism
	looked	at	the	connection	between	sleep	and	the	hormone	leptin,
which	controls	appetite,	and	found	that	circulating	levels	of	leptin	in	your	body
are	influenced	by	the	quality	of	your	sleep. 17
	This	means	that	the	more	sleep
you	get,	the	better	your	body	becomes	at	sensing	when	it	is	full. The	connection	between	sleep	duration,	body	weight,	metabolism,	and
specific	hormones	was	backed	up	by	a	team	of	researchers	from	the
Stanford
University	School	of	Medicine,	who	found	that	getting	less	sleep	can	lead	to
higher	levels	of	ghrelin,	a	hormone	that	triggers	appetite,	and	lower	levels	of
leptin,	which	tells	your	body	it’s	full,	as	well	as	an	increased	BMI. 18
	In	other
words,	the	less	you	sleep,	the	hungrier	you	will	be	and	the	more	food	it	will	take
to	make	you	feel	full! The
Harvard	School	of	Public	Health	suggests	that	not	getting	enough	sleep
leads	to	other	factors	that	contribute	to	weight	gain. For	example,	people	who
don’t	sleep	enough	may	be	too	exhausted	to	exercise,	leading	to	weight	gain. Or
perhaps	these	people	simply	have	more	opportunities	to	eat	since	they	spend
more	hours	of	the	day	awake. And	we’ve	all	experienced	pesky	food	cravings. When	sleep	deprived,	you	may	feel	more	emotional,	fatigued,	and	susceptible	to
cravings. One	study	showed	that	the	amygdala,


 Use the obstacl e,
the annoyance, as an opportunit y to connect with your inner self. Today, see how many times you can take what would have been
an uncomfortab le reaction within you and transform it into a
blessing for yourself and the other divine beings as well. Use the
incidents as opportunities to practice and experience
nonjudgmental observation of what is happening in the world of
form. Set judgment toward yourself and others aside, and instea d
observe what you are feeling, and let those feelings free you. Eventually, in this way, you will discover the blessing or
opportunity in what previously you allowed to be an obstacle to
harmony in your life. Today, Wednesday, you are becoming the
waking dreamer, turning obstacles into opportunities while in
your waking body, just as you do when you are in your dreaming
body.5. Thurs day: You create everything that you need for the dream. As waking dreamers we know deep within that when we die our
consciousness will live on in a new dimension, and that
everything experienced on our present level of wakefulness will
appear as an illusion. Thus, just as in the dreaming body,
everything that we need for the waking dream is created by us,
even the people whom we experience as difficult: they are in our
life because we put them there. They have important lessons to
teach us. Today, concentrate on asking yourself, “Why did I create
this in my life?”  Take responsibility for everything that is in your
life, believing that you created it all. Dedicate this Thursday to
experimenting with this self-realization. Respond today as if
everything that comes your way was put there by you, just as
everything that you experienced in your dream last night was
created by you. Everything that happens to us is in some way a
mirroring of our inner beliefs. When you really and truly know
that you create every aspect of your daily life, then you will learn
to discontinue disharmony, or to discover its message. When you
no longer need to learn how to deal with disharmony in your life,
you will stop creating it, and you will create love and harmon y
virtually everyw here you turn. Today is your day to keep this
uppermost in your consciousness all day long. 6. Frida y: The reactions are real, the characters are all illusions. Today is the day to soar in a transformational sense. Look at how
you play out the reactions to all of the characters and events that
you create for your life. Remin d yourself that all of the feelings
that you experience within you, the anger, joy, fear, stress,
happiness, are all very very real for you, just as in your dream
when you find yourself panting and breathing hard because
someone has been chasing you, the panting and breathlessness are
real, but the characters are your creation. Your reactions are the
very stuff of which the quality of your life is made up. Today
study how you are reacting to all of the externals that you have
created for your life, concentrate  on how you are processing yourthoughts. Reacti ons to life are determined by our thinking. Begin
today to study the self-defeating reactions instead of the event or
person. Imagine  waking up from your dream and being upset all
day long because one of the characters in your dream did not
behave the way you thought he or she should. You know enoug h
to say simply, “That was a dream,” and then get on with living, or
examine this reflection of yours elf. Today, you can use that very
same strategy and refuse to be immobilized by the actions of
anyone else. 7. Saturday: The only way you know you are dreaming is to
awaken. Today you can practice awakening, that is, dying while
you are alive, and look back at what you judged you needed to do
for your life. Begin to realize that everything that you experien ce
is a thought. The cookie that you want to eat but that will not help
you is nothing more than a thought. The anger at your spouse or
children becaus e they refused to act in a certain way is only a
thought. You are awakening, and by doing so you are able to see
exactly how all of your self-deprecating actions are really
responses to what you are creating for yourself. From this
perspective, you are separated  from your body, and you are
watching how you behave in a variety of situations. Like an actor
on the stage, you see your body  go through the hoops and roles
that you have created for it, and you know that you are not
exclusively that physical form. You are invisible and impervious
to the senses for a day, and you can almost laugh at yourself for
acting so foolishly as to immob ilize yourself through the avenue
of thought. As an awakened being you know that you can only
give away what you have inside, and that whatever is inside is
there because of thoughts. If you give away any hate or anger
today, it is not because of anything outside of you, but rather what
you have inside to give away. Loving, harmonious thoughts
produce love and harmony to give away, regardless of what is
coming at you. Disharmonious hateful thoughts produce the hate
and anger that you have to give away. Both reflect your belie fs
about your world. In this life, in this dimension of wakefulness,you simply cann ot give away what you do not have. Watch what
you give away all day long, and realize that the only way you will
ever get a firm harmonious grip on how to live out this illusion is
to awaken to another dimension and view all of your actions from
the new perspective. So ends a week of working each day at being a waking dreame r. Knowing
that we only have moments to live, rather than weeks and months, we can
begin to use this awareness to make our everyday lives a state of
wakefulness as unlimited as that which we experience in our dreaming
body. Keep seven words uppermost in your mind and think on the wisdom that
is behind them. From the Prince of Peace, “As ye think, so shall ye be.”
OceanofPDF.comONENESS

You are at once a beating heart and a single heartbeat in the body
called humanity. Take a few moments to study the word “universe,” the term that we use to
describe this immense world of form in which we find ourselves thinking
and breathing, day in and day out. Breaking the word down, we have “uni,”
meaning “one,” and “verse,” a “song.” One song! That is our universe, my
friends. Just one song. No matter how we separate into individual little
notes, we are all still involved in the onesong. This is one of the most difficult concepts for us to grasp and apply to our
daily lives, because we believe so strongly in our separateness. We
recognize ourse lves as one unit functioning separately among billions of
others. We ident ify exclusively with our own mind as unique and separate
from everyone else’s on our planet. We look out from our separateness and
believe that through it is the only way to interact with the world and our
reality. A huge shift is required in our consciousness to include the universal
principle of oneness. Once we make that shift and begin to recognize all of
humanity as a beautifully harmonious song, magnificent change s take place
in our individua l lives. But to make the shift you will need to suspend
beliefs resulting from the narrow perspective of a personal life history, and
instead begin to think about yourself in relationship to everyone else who
shares this planet now, who has ever been here before, and, even more
strikingly, who will show up in the future. A NEW  PERSPECTIVE ON OUR PLACE IN THIS ONESONG

Albert Einstein, a man I consider perhaps the greatest mind of our century,
wrote these words regarding the perspective I am asking you to examine:
A human being is a part of the whole called by us “Universe,” a
part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his
thoughts and feelings, as something separated from the rest, akind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a
kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to
affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free
ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion
to embrace all living creatures and the whole nature in its beauty. Einstein was much more than a scientist; he was a deep-thinking
metaphysician, with little or no regard for the established ways of thinking
and doing. In the words I have quoted, Einstein offers us a challenge to free
ourselves from our cages and to see how we are all connected, not only in a
spiritual or astral sense, but in a linear physical real world sense as well. I have my own way of making that concept take shape for me. First, to
get a perspective for dealing with metaphysical matters, I ask myself, “Can
I get back far enough to see the entire picture?” I visualize being able to
stand in a place and literally see the entire scope of creation. Since this is
impossible to do in form, I try to look in the other direction, that is, toward
the tiniest speck, and to magni fy what


 breath inside and raise both hands
to the face. Close the ears with the thumbs, the eyes with the
index fingers, the nostrils with the middle fingers, and the
mouth by placing the ring and the little fingers above and
below the lips. Perform mula bandha and vajroli mudra (see
p. 91 and 114). Concentrate on the sahasrara while retaining the
breath inside. Hold the breath for as long as possible without 106
strain, then release the finger pressure on the nostrils and
slowly exhale. During this exhalation release mula bandha
and vajroli mudra, but keep the fingers in position. Maintain
awareness of the sahasrara. At the end of the exhalation,
relax for a few seconds and then repeat the whole process. Duration: For as long as possible without strain. Notes: In the body there are nine openings through which
sensory experiences of the external world enter and waste
matter is excreted: the two ears, the two eyes, the two
nostrils, the mouth, the anus, and the urinary passage. These
openings are called the nine "gates" in the "temple" of the
body. By closing these gates and withdrawing the mind in
ward, one is able to pass through the tenth gate - that of
spiritual awakening - thereby transcending mundane con
sciousness. The mystical tenth gate is in the crown of the
sahasrara chakra and is known as the gate of Brahma (higher
conscousness). Benefits: As the mind is drawn within from the external
world, awareness develops of the nada, psychic sounds
which originate in the sahasrara chakra and emanate from
an important center in the brain called bindu-visargha. (10) Agnisar Kriya (Vahnisar Dhauti: "purification by fire
breathing"). Vajrasana 107
Sit in Vajrasana (note diagram, p. 106), keeping the toes
together and separating the knees as far as possible. Place
both hands on the knees and lean the upper half of the body
forward slightly, keeping the arms straight. Open the mouth
and extend the tongue from the mouth. Breathe rapidly in
and out by contracting and expanding the abdomen. The
breathing should resemble the panting of a dog. Repeat this
rapid breathing 25 times. Advanced form: Take the same pose as in the sample form. Exhale as deeply as possible and perform jalandhara bandha. With external retention, rapidly contract and expand the ab
dominal muscles. Precautions: Wait at least four hours after eating to prac
tice this mudra. Limitations: Those with high blood pressure, heart disease,
or peptic or duodenal ulcers should not do this practice. Benefits: Abdominal conditions such as excessive wind
(flatulence), constipation, depressed liver function, etc., are
relieved, the abdominal organs are toned, and the appetite is
stimulated. This serves as a good preparation for uddiyana
bandha (see Chapter III p. 92) and nauli kriya (abdominal
massage, see Chapter IV, p. 120). Although described here with the basic mudras, aginsara
kriya, which can be used as a substitute or preparation for ud
diyana bandha, is not a mudra proper, but a part of hatha
yoga practice. With it, this section is concluded, and we pro
ceed to the methods for awakening the chakras. Methods for Awakening the Chakras
One traditional approach to the awakening of the chakras
is exemplified by the Gorakshashatakam, a brief treatise writ
ten in the tenth century by the guru Goraknath. This text will
be presented in detail in Chapter VI-B. The principle tech
nique described is the concentration on each chakra while
gazing at the tip of the nose. For example, Goraknath 108
writes, "The first chakra, called adhara (the muladhara), is
like burnished gold. Meditating on it with the gaze fixed on
the tip of the nose, one is freed from sin. The second chakra
is the svadhisthana, as beautiful as a genuine ruby. Meditating on it with the gaze fixed on the tip of the nose,
one is freed from sin. " The effectiveness of this practice can be explained by the
location of the ida and pingala nadis, which originate in the
muladhara chakra - the seat of kundalini - and terminate
in the left and right nostrils, respectively. Gazing at the tip of
the nose therefore stimulates these nadis and the muladhara
chakra, as well as the kundalini it houses. When using this
method while concentrating on another chakra, the practi
tioner can cause kundalini to rise and further energize that
chakra, already activated by mental concentration. This 109
technique of nose-gazing, then, is a powerful method which
can potentially double the effects of concentration. However, since this practice is so simple and monotonous,
a beginner finds himself easily distracted by thoughts and
desires which emerge from the subconscious. His mind
becomes restless, and his concentration is easily broken. For
these reasons, the practices recommended here are of a more
comprehensive and varied nature. Indian yoga has devised
and handed down other effective methods for awakening the
chakras which combine chakra concentration with asanas,
pranayama, and mudras. The mechanism of these practices
follows a distinct pattern: first, prana is absorbed through
pranayama; next, the chakra is stimulated physically and
phychically through specific asanas and mudras; and finally,
the chakra is activated by the infusion of channeled prana
and direct mental concentration. The following descriptions of practices for awakening the
chakras are largely based on Tantra of Kundalini Yoga by
Swami Satyananda Saraswati. Please realize that the prac
tices enumerated here traditionally have been taught only to
outstanding students under the careful guidance of a guru. Practicing alone from a book can easily lead to a misunder
standing and thus considerable danger. It is essential that the
instructions recorded here be followed only under the most
expert guidance. (1) Awakening the Ajna Chakra
Sit in siddhasana (women in siddha yoni asana) with the
eyes gently closed. If siddhasana is impossible, sit in half sid
dhasana, with one heel - whichever feels more comfort
able - pressing against the perineum. Place the hands on the
knees in chin mudra and make sure the spine is erect. It is
important to keep the eyelids closed gently; the unconscious
strain generated when the eyes are closed tightly prevents
entry into deep meditation. Concentrate between the
eyebrows or on the tip of the nose, fixing the eyes themselves 110
on either spot behind the closed lids. At the same time, alter
nately contract and relax the perineum gently, where the
heel is pressing. Continue for 5 to 10 minutes. Next, become aware of the breath and adjust to the rhythm
so that the perineum is contracted during inhalation and
relaxed during exhalation. Breathe at a natural speed in this
way for 50 breaths, maintaining awareness of both the
perineal contractions and the breath. This is the first half of
the method. Next, remaining in the same position, concentrate on the
ajna chakra between the eyebrows. Inhale slowly and deeply,
imagining the absorption or prana between the eyebrows as
you chant OM* in your mind. Then exhale slowly, imagining
that you are radiating prana from the eyebrow center, return
ing it to the universe, as you continue to chant OM. Continue
for as long as possible (30 minutes to two hours). There are two reasons why stimulation of the perineum,
the location of the muladhara chakra in the physical body, is
helpful in awakening the ajna. First, this practice helps to
awaken the kundalini which resides within the muladhara. No chakra can be awakened unless it is energized by an ac
tivated kundalini. Secondly, the ajna is directly connected to
the muladhara by the ida, pingala and sushumna nadis,
which converge at these two points. Direct stimulation of
one of these chakras generates a contingent effect upon the
other. Thus, the activation of the muladhara in the first part
of the practice described here is an excellent preparation for
the direct concentration on the ajna which follows. Concentration on the ajna chakra is strongly recommend
ed before attempting to awaken other chakras, for the follow
ing reasons. Each chakra is said to possess its own latent kar
ma, which is brought to the surface and activated to some ex
tent when it is stimulated through ascetic practice. The
* Pronounced like "home" without the "h". III
awakening of the ajna chakra avowedly enables the practi


 and can work out a thorough scientific
method. All attempts in this direction are quite well come. Our tl'lis much will not suffice. We shall have to make more and
more experiments and establish a definite system. We shall have to
regularize it and put some restrictions also on its haphazard use. Urine is beneficial in its pure and natural state. I doubt if its efficacy
can be improved through any mixture with it. Yet if someone tries to
increaie effic;:acy of utility through natural methods, I have no
objection. But one should be careful in such an attempt as it would CONClUSION : 175
0
• ma mind it WO. Jid be a vain dabble with its original potentiality. To y
attempt. 0 a ree to start health centres in
With such· an attitude I w. uld h g • atients may be treated and
Gujarat and other parts of ln~~l=l e~:dyas, allopaths, diecticia~s
restored to perfect health. S. y undertake research of thiS
and others interested in mediCine :~:de ofdevotion service and
therapy in such centres, but an_ a 'Tuh hould pr~pare detailed. · h ·mary necess1ty. ey s f self-sacnf1ce IS t e pn. var ing methods treatment rom
reports of diseases, cas~-h,ston~s,. ;ons during the course of
patient to patient, actions an :~~~~ and established a scientific
treatment so that there can be e
full-proof system. d. e a fair trial to this
The intelligent reader isberequfie~t~ a~~r gpl:rsonal test, it should
ot is proved ne 10a f 1 systmeo In case, '. d ublicity. If there is any au t, every
be given proper recognition an p. It. also hoped that in near
ld b ade to liminate lt. IS ~ effort shou e m. will hel in· starting research centres or
future leaders of ~c,~ty. fo~ and its propagation. carrying out scientific lnvestlga'. portant precautions. First,
I. I wish to repeat two lm bed. In cone us1on, be bl d nor its efficacy dou t m
the urine treatment should not damet old age reduced vitality, H. on some cases ue o. 'I case i. is ine ectlv~'0 bod or due to some other factors. n
high quantity of poisons m th\ ihat the predominace of one or
such cases, one should rea ISe t llowed urine to do its work. h bo causes have no a ld t more of t e a ve h lth by this treatment shou no
Second, the person restored_ to =~~ libe in diet and in unresr~c:ed
think that he has been pern:''~ed. d" (and. living for maintammg
I·• He must observe restnctlons m le lie. health. L_ PART IV
WORK AND VIEWS
OF
PRACTITIONERS, EXPERTSAND THINKERS CHAPTER I
URINE THERAPY IN NUTSHELL
1. Auto-urine is an easy, natural and self-dependent means to
health. 2. • It is germicide, anti-poison and a tonic. 3. It is a destroyer of disease and restorer of health. 4. It is nutritive, digestive and a unique and sure laxative. 5. It is equally useful to males and females of all the age-groups
from childhood to old age. 6. It protects and restores to health every organ of the body. 7. It is incomparable as regards its merits and inexpensiveness. 8. It is harmless, faultless and is in consonance with religious
sanctity. 9. It is helpful to a simple and a disciplined life. 10. It fulfils the universal law of circuit. 11. No diagnosis is required in auto-urine therapy. 12. It is a sure cure for all minor and major diseases all <3:t a time. 179 CHAPTER II
THE CRAZE FOR MEDICINE
By Gandhiji
[Mahatma Gandhi while in South Africa, wrote a few articles in
Indian Opinion on "General Konwledge about Health". Therein ho
has given his opinion on the medical profession. He has also
quoted a number of physicians. The articles appear to be more
applicab. le today even after a lapse of more than half a century. we
are quotrng one below because of its great importance for a seeker
of ture health. Indeed it is quite relevant in the conte~t of the urine
therapy.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the author's opinion on the medical profession?,
A: The author believes that the medical profession is often based on guesswork and that patients should not rush to doctors or buy drugs for every illness, but instead, they should try to understand the causes of the disease and take control of their own health.
Q: Who has supported the idea of urine therapy?,
A: The author mentions that many experts, including Mahatma Gandhi, have supported the idea of urine therapy and have used it to cure patients.
Q: What is the author's stance on the use of urine in medicine?,
A: The author believes that urine is harmless and always beneficial, and that it is a universal remedy for all diseases. He advises against the use of external evidence and encourages self-experimentation.
Q: What is the author's view on the importance of diet in urine therapy?,
A: The author emphasizes the importance of proper diet control and advises against the use of certain foods and drinks, such as sweets, tobacco, and strong spices, as they can hinder the effectiveness of the treatment.
Q: What is the author's opinion on the role of the government in promoting urine therapy?,
A: The author believes that urine therapy should not be confined to hospitals, but should be made universally available and accessible to everyone, and that the government should not intervene, but rather allow people to take control of their own health and well-being.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>Enema twice · daily separated and
excreted layers of mucus. After extensive di6ch!rge of phlegrf\ and
mucus I resumed food step.by step. ·
211 212 : AUTO-URINE THERAPY
Blessings from Gurudev, devoted nursing by co-working sisters
and determination of physician -all brought about the happy
atmosphere that became conducive to my successful fight against
the hardships. Long accumulated foreign matters in the body were
evacuated on by one and in the same measure I was restored to my
health. I am now fully recovered and have experienced lightness of
body. since my recovery I have never tried any medicine even when
I.a~ occasionally assailed by my old ailment which 1 repel by
d1etary precaution and nature cure. Gurudev's blessings have lent me such a remedy that 1 can afford
to dispense with doctors and their potions. At last 1 am released
from the long-suffered illness. It is only said of the sadhus that they
are blessed only with their wishes, never with that which is not
wi'Shed." (2) Sister Siddha Prajnaji's report of her recovery :
"i w.as a bad patient of severe cold when Acharya Tulsiji opened
his tranining centre. The severity rose to such a level that 1 was in
critical condition. I became pencil thin. Nights brought excruciating
aggravation. Ayurveda, f;iomoeopathy, allopathy -all proved futile. N last in 1976 I ventured to adopt auto-urine therapy of Shri
Sanchetiji with belief and trust. With three days' auto-urine treatment
my cough vanished. I could not pursue the fast owing to extreme
weakness. l switched on to light diet of juices and ragi (F1T) water. The result was I had eruptions from head to foot and it was
difficult to lie down or even sit. Yet I never lost patience and
endurance. And I was amply rewarded when at long last I was free
fr~m suffering which in fact influenced other sisters in the ashram. Now in the training centre this effective remedy has been
accepted by all for cold and cough. student sisters have now
accepted this and have gained recovery form the ailment several
times.11 CHAPTER II
DRY COUGH AND OTHER COMPLAINTS
By Hansraj Hans
Shri Manikchand Baradia hails from Dungergarh (Rajasthan)
though settled at Balua-kaliaganj (Dist Purnia, Bihar). Wrong living
in childhood had made him a victim of one illness or the other. Western medicine gave some temporary relife occasionally. Once a
three-year bout with cough rendered him lighter by several hundred
rupees. His wife had regained health owing to auto-urine therapy and so
Manikchand,• so agreed to try it and came down to Momasar. His
condition was miserable; He suffered form breathlessness, dry
cough, constipation, excessive hunger with absence of normal
thirst, insomnia, gastric gases and quick fatigue. Treatment began with fasting. Daily two-hour massage was
given. During fasting he was prey to several complaints like
growing palpitation,


eel	intact,	experiencing	the	world	just	as
before	but	from	inside	a	machine? This	is	a	perfect	example	of	how	we	can	be	victimized	by	our	own
explanations. Awareness	can’t	be	found	in	information. The	fact	that	a	billion
zeros	and	ones	are	loaded	into	a	computer	won’t	make	it	conscious	unless
each	zero	and	one	is	conscious	already,	which	leads	to	the	absurd	conclusion
that	the	numbers	printed	in	a	math	textbook	are	thinking	about	themselves.You	cannot	explain	consciousness	at	any	level	of	nature	without	running	into
the	same	contradiction. So	do	we	have	to	give	up	on	scientific	explanations	or
is	science	ready	for	insights	that	will	force	it	to	explain	Nature	differently? Creative	Leaps
One	property	we	cherish	in	ourselves	is	the	ability	to	create	something	new. We	come	by	this	honestly. The	appearance	of	life	on	Earth	depended	on	the
sudden	ability	of	a	molecule,	DNA,	to	replicate	itself. No	molecule	before	it
had	ever	done	that. We	can	explain	the	evolution	of	the	universe	entirely	in
terms	of	such	creative	leaps,	or	“emergent	properties.”	Before	oxygen	and
hydrogen	could	discover	how	to	become	water,	the	cosmos	had	to	create
atoms,	which
weren’t
	present	at	the	Big	Bang,	and	atoms	had	to	turn	into
gases,	solids,	metals,	organic	molecules,	and	so	on. None	of	these	events	were
simple	combinations	like	pouring	sugar	into	water. The	sugar	may	disappear,
but	if	you	evaporate	the	water	you	find	that	the	sugar	has	remained	intact. There’s	no	new	property	in	sugar	water	that	wasn’t	already	present	in	the	two
components	when	they	were	separate. An	emergent	property,	on	the	other	hand,	is	a	creative	leap	that	produces
something	out	of	nothing. In	spiritual	terms	the	cycle	of	birth	and	rebirth	is	a
workshop	for	making	creative	leaps	of	the	soul. The	natural	and	the
supernatural	are	not	doing	different	things	but	are	involved	in	transformation
on	separate	levels. At	the	moment	of	death	the	ingredients	of	your	old	body
and	old	identity	disappear. Your	DNA	and	everything	it	created	devolve	back
to	their	simple	component	parts. Your	memories	dissolve	back	into	raw
information. None	of	this	raw	material	is	simply	recombined	to	produce	a
slightly	altered	person. To	produce	a	new	body	capable	of	making	new
memories,	the	person	who	emerges	must	be	new. You	do	not	acquire	a	new
soul,	because	the	soul	doesn’t	have	content. It’s	not	“you”	but	the	center
around	which	“you”	coalesces,	time	after	time. It’s	your	zero	point. I	was	recently	reminded	of	just	how	uncanny	this	transformation	is. I
know	a	couple	from	Italy	who	suffered	a	terrible	family	tragedy	two	years	ago
when	their	teenage	son,	Enrico,	killed	himself. He	had	gotten	drunk	with
some	friends,	one	of	whom	started	playing	with	his	father’s	handgun. It	went
off	and	Enrico	was	killed. His	family	was	devastated,	all	the	more	when	it
was	suggested	but	never	proved	that	their	son	had	shot	himself	playing
Russian	roulette. A	week	after	he	died	his	mother	went	into	his	bedroom. She	had	the
impulse	to	pray	for	her	son,	and	as	she	knelt	by	his	bed	she	heard	a	noise. A
remote-control	toy	car	of	Enrico’s	had	fallen	off	the	shelf	for
no
	apparent
reason. It	began	to	run	around	the	floor,	and	the	mother	removed	its	batteries. Still	it	continued	to	run. This	strange	phenomenon	lasted	three	days,	she	toldme. It	was	witnessed	by	the	entire	family,	and	Enrico’s	older	sister,	the	one	he
was	closest	to,	insisted	that	her	brother	was	operating	the	car. She	asked	it
questions,	as	one	would	a	Ouija	board,	and	the	car	would	go	left	or	right	to
signal	yes	or	no. Months	later	Enrico’s	father	happened	to	be	in	India,	and	he	went	to	a
jyotishi
,	or	astrologer. Certain	jyotishis	do	not	cast	your	chart	but	consult
already	written	charts,	many	dating	back	centuries,	that	apply	to	the	person
who	comes	for	a	reading. (This	decision	is	made	according	to	the	time	a
person	appears	and	by	matching	certain	personal	data	with	charts	that	the
astrologer	has	on	hand.) This	was	true	of	my	friend,	who	was	told	the
following	story:	In	his	previous	lifetime	he	had	lived	on	the	west	coast	of
India. He	was	desperate	to	have	a	son,	but	unfortunately	his	wife	was	barren. The	couple	adopted	a	baby	boy	when	suddenly	she	became	pregnant	and	in
time	delivered	a	boy	of	their	own. After	the	biological	son’s	birth,	the	father	began	to	ignore	the	adopted	boy
and	abuse	him. Tormented	by	this,	the	boy	committed	suicide	at	exactly	the
same	age	as	Enrico. The	astrologer	told	my	friend	that	there	was	a	connection
here. The	former	son	was	reborn	as	Enrico,	and	he	committed	suicide	again	to
show	his	father	what	it	was	like	to	lose	a	real	son. Naturally,	my	friend	was
quite	shaken	to	hear	this,	but	when	he	met	me	some	months	later,	he	said	that
the	final	result	was	a	sense	of	peace. He	had	come	to	terms	with	Enrico’s
tragic	death	and	understood	the	karma	behind	it. I	have	no	idea	how	many	readers	will	scoff	at	this	tale	and	how	many	will
consider	it	uncanny	but	possibly	true. To	me,	it	says	a	great	deal	about	how
mysteriously	life	and	death	are	woven	together. They	are	two	aspects	of	the
same	creative	act. Our	brains	are	set	up
to
	operate	in	time	and	space. We	do
not	witness	the	mechanics	of	creation	outside	that	framework. But	the	life	you
are	experiencing	now,	the	one	that	preceded	it,	and	the	one	that	will	follow
didn’t	appear	out	of	nowhere. They	appeared	through	a	continuous,	evolving
consciousness—the	real	you. There	is	a	gap	between	lifetimes	that	we	cannot
observe,	yet	your	soul	keeps	track	of	you	as	you	enter	the	gap	and	reemerge. Consciousness	doesn’t	lose	track	of	itself;	the	zero	point	of	the	soul	is	just	as
capable	of	correlating	events	across	time	and	space	as	the	Zero	Point	Field	is. In	this	story	father	and	son	remained	joined	across	the	gap	between	birth
and	death. They	unconsciously	recognized	each	other,	they	carried	out	a
common	purpose,	and	they	worked	out	karma	together—all	these	things
defied	death. At	the	same	time	their	physical	bodies,	their	private	memories,
and	their	sense	of	identity	were	transient—these	didn’t	survive	death. Nature
is	built	from	the	same	intricate	relationships. The	oxygen	atoms	locked	in	a
water	molecule	or	in	your	brain	are	still	themselves,	but	they	have	learned	to
relate	in	a	totally	new	way,	making	it


, your feet on the floor, all of these feelings. Gradually move parts of your body to awaken them, coming back feeling
awake and alert and comfortable. Again use your breathing to bring you
back up, counting seven breaths, feeling one seventh more awake and more
alert with each breath, until you open your eyes and return to the room,
starting now. To order audio tapes of lectures by Dr. Siegel and meditation tapes, see
“Exceptional Cancer Patients”. READING LIST
Achterber g, Jeanne, and G. Frank Lawlis. Imagery of Disease. Institute for
Personality and Ability Testing, Champaign, Ill 61820, 1978. Ader, Robert, ed. Psychoneur oimmunology. Academic Press, New York,
1981.Alexander, Franz. Psychosomatic Medicine. Norton, New York, 1965. Bennett, Hal, and Mike Samuels. The W ell Body Book. Random House,
New York, 1973. Benson, Herbert. The Mind-Body Effect. Simon & Schuster, New York,
1979; Berkley, New York, 1980. Bresler, David E. and Richard Trubo. Free Yourself fr om Pain. Simon &
Schuster, New York, 1979. Breznitz, Shlomo, ed. The Denial of Str ess. International Universities Press,
New York, 1984. Bry, Adelaide and Marjorie Blair. Directing the Movies of Y our Mind. Harper & Row, New York, 1978. Buscaglia, Leo. Love. Charles B. Slack, 6900 Grove Road, Thorofare, N.J.
08086, 1972; Fawcett Crest/Ballantine, New York, 1982. ——-. Living, Loving & Learning. Charles B. Slack, 1982. Capra, Fritjof. The T ao of Physics. Shambhala, Boulder, 1975; Bantam,
New York, 1977. Cousins, Norman. Anatomy of an Illness as Per ceived by the Patient. Norton, New York, 1979; Bantam, New York, 1981. Dowling, Colette. The Cinder ella Complex: W omen’ s Hidden Fear of
Independence. Summit Books, New York, 1981; Pocket Books, New
York, 1981. Evans, Elida. A Psychological Study of Cancer. Dodd, Mead, New York,
1926. Faraday, Ann. Dream Power. Berkley, New York, 1973. Fosshage, James L., and Paul Olsen. Healing: Implications for
Psychotherapy. Human Sciences Press, New York, 1978. Fox, Emmet. The Sermon on the Mount. Harper & Row, New York, 1938. Frankl, Viktor. Man’ s Sear ch for Meaning. Pocket Books, New York, 1959,
1980. Garfield, Charles, ed. Psychosocial Car e of the Dying Patient. McGraw-
Hill, New York, 1978. Garfield, Patricia. Creative Dr eaming. Simon & Schuster, New York, 1974;
Ballantine, New York, 1976. Glassman, Judith. The Cancer Survivors: And How They Did It. Doubleday,
New York, 1983. Green, Elmer, and Alyce Green. Beyond Biofeedback. Delacorte Press, New
York, 1977.Harris, Thomas A. I’m OK—Y ou’re OK: A Practical Guide to T ransactional
Analysis. Harper & Row, New York, 1969; Avon Books, New York,
1982. Hutschnecker, Arnold. The W ill to Live. Cornerstone Library, New York,
1951. James, Muriel, and Dorothy Jongeward. Born to W in. Addison-W esley,
1971; New American Library, New York, 1978. Jampolsky, Gerald. Love Is Letting Go of Fear. Celestial Arts, 231 Adrian
Road, Millbrae, Ca. 94030, 1979. ——-, Teach Only Love: The Seven Principles of Attitudinal Healing. Bantam, New York, 1983. ——-. There Is a Rainbow Behind Every Dark Cloud. Celestial Arts,
Berkeley, CA, 1978. Johnson, Robert A. He: Understanding Masculine Psychology. Harper &
Row, New York, 1977. ——-. She: Understanding Feminine Psychology. Harper & Row, New
York, 1977. Jung, Carl G. Man and His Symbols. Dell, New York, 1968. ——-. Memories, Dr eams, Reflections. Pantheon, New York, 1963;
Vintage, New York, 1965. ——-. Modern Man in Sear ch of a Soul. Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, New
York, 1955. Kaufman, Barry N. To Love Is to Be Happy W ith. Fawcett, Greenwich,
Conn., 1978. Keleman, Stanley. Living Y our Dying. Random House, New York, 1976. Koller, Alice. An Unknown W oman: A Journey to Self-Discovery. Holt,
Rinehart & Winston, New York, 1982. Kruger, Helen. Other Healers, Other Cur es. Bobbs-Merrill, Indianapolis,
1974. Kübler -Ross, Elisabeth. On Death and Dying. Macmillan, New York, 1969. ——-. Death: The Final Stage of Gr owth. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Clif fs,
N.J., 1975. ——-. To Live Until W e Say Goodbye. Prentice-Hall, Englewood Clif fs,
N.J., 1978. Kushner, Harold S. When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Schocken,
New York, 1981; Avon, New York, 1983.Lair, Jess. I Ain’t Much, Baby, But I’m All I’ve Got. Fawcett, Greenwich,
Conn., 1978. Landorf, Joyce. Irregular People. Word Books, Waco, TX, 1982. Lappé, Frances Moore. Diet for a Small Planet. Random House, New York,
1971; Ballantine, New York, 1975. Leonard, Jonathan N., J. L. Hofer, and Nathan Pritikin. Live Longer Now:
The First One Hundr ed Years of Y our Life. Grosset & Dunlap, New
York, 1974. LeShan, Lawrence L. You Can Fight for Y our Life: Emotional Factors in
the Causation of Cancer. Evans, New York, 1977. ——-. How to Meditate. Little, Brown, Boston, 1974; Bantam, New York,
1975. Lewis, Howard, and Martha E. Lewis. Psychosomatics: How Y our
Emotions Can Damage Y our Health. Viking, New York, 1972. Lingerman, Hal. The Healing Ener gies of Music. Theosophical Publishing
House, Wheaton, Ill., 1983. Locke, Steven, and Mady Hornig-Rohan. Mind and Immunity. Institute for
the Advancement of Health, New York, 1983. Matarazzo, J. D., et al. (eds.). Behavioral Health. John Wiley, New York,
1984. Monroe, Robert. Journeys Out of the Body. Anchor/Doubleday, Garden
City, N.Y., 1971. Moody, Raymond A., Jr. Life After Life. Mockingbird Books, Box 1 10,
Covington, Ga. 30209, 1975; Bantam, New York, 1976. Müller, Robert. Most of All, They T aught Me Happiness. Doubleday, New
York, 1978. Nouwen, Henri. Out of Solitude. Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Ind., 1974. ——-. The W ounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society. Doubleday, New York, 1979. ——-. Genesee Diary: Report fr om a T rappist Monastery. Doubleday, New
York, 1981. Ornstein, Robert E. The Psychology of Consciousness. First edition, W. H.
Freeman, San Francisco, 1972; second edition, Harcourt Brace
Jovanovich, New York, 1977. Oyle, Irving. The Healing Mind. Pocket Books, New York, 1975. ——-. Time, Space & the Mind. Celestial Arts, Berkeley, 1976.Pelletier, Kenneth R. Mind as Healer, Mind as Slayer. Delacorte, New York,
1977; Delta, 1978. ——-. Towar d a Science of Consciousness. Delacorte Press, New York,
1978. Progof f, Ira. The W ell and the Cathedral, 2nd ed. Dialogue House Library,
80 E. 1 1th St., New York, N.Y. 10003, 1981. ——-. At a Journal W orkshop: The Basic T ext and Guide for Using the
Intensive Journal. Dialogue House Library, 80 E. 1 1th St., New York,
N.Y. 10003


 occurrence. 5. How often do you eat fast food (burgers, tacos, deep- fried chicken,
pizza, french fries)? It should be a rare to never occurrence. 6. How many home-cooked dinners do you eat in a week? It shoul d be
a ﬁve- to seven-days-a-week occur rence. 7. How many fruits and vegetables do you eat in a day? Studies show
that eating seven and ideally ten or more servings of fruits and veget ables(with vegetables being ﬁve or more of those servings) lowers the risk of
many modern diseases. If your diet is falling short of a healthy, preventive, whole foods  way of
eating, changes are in order. Remember: Substituting fresh fruit or vegetable juices or smoothies for
high-calorie, high-fat snacks and drinks is one of the easiest ways to
improve your diet. If you’re already having fresh fruit for snack s, great! Try
fresh vegetable drinks, and expand your choi ces. Only you can determine
what, when, and how you’ll eat and drink.Chapter 3
Buying and Caring for Your
Equipment
In This Chapter
 Choosing a juicer that’s right for you
 Knowing what to look for in a blender
 Maintaining your machines to get the most from them
It wasn’t until the 1930s when the perfection of the small
electric motor led to the invention of juicers and blenders. At
ﬁrst, these machines were used only by restaurants or other
industrial establishments. The practice of using a juicer or
blender in the home kitchen hasn’t been around for much more
than three generations. Many people own or are familiar with using a blender, but juice
machines aren’t as widely used in home kitchens yet. If you’ve
decided that juicing is important to your health and you want to
include juicing in a health regime, this chapter is worth reading
because it explains everything you need to know about the
kinds of machines available today and what features to look for
when buying a juicer. If you’re in the market for a blender, this chapter doesn’t leave
you empty-handed. I give you the tips you need to ﬁnd the right
one for you. Finally, I end the chapter by telling you how to care for and
maintain your juicer and blender, so they’ll serve up delicious,
healthy drinks for years to come.Choosing a Juicer
If you want to buy a juicing machine, this is the place to start. In
this section, I explain the main types of juicers and help you
decide which one is right for you. T y p e s  o f  j u i c e r s
In this section, I cover the three main types of juicers. Knowing your level of engagement in the process of juicing is
critical to matching the type of juicers available to your
lifestyle, your health needs, and your expectations about
convenience, so ask yourself the following questions and keep
your answers in mind as you read about the types of machines
available and their advantages or disadvantages. How much time do I want to spend making juice? Will my juice be a once-a-day quick snack or a health ritual
that I want to put time and effort into? Am I fanatical about extracting the most juice from my
fruits and vegetables and obtaining the highest quality
nutrients, or does convenience trump any slight increase
in nutrients? You can get started on fresh raw juices by dropping in on
a juice bar in a whole-food or health food store, gym, or spa
and sampling the fruit- and vegetable-only juices fresh from
a juicing machine. This will give you a good idea as to
whether you even like the taste (although that isn’t usually
an issue — juices are so good!). You also can see ﬁrsthand
how the machine works and talk to someone who knows
about the types of machines available. Centrifugal for ce juicers
This type of juicer takes fruits and vegetables through a feed
tube and directly in contact with a blade that shreds them. The
juice that comes out of the fruits and vegetables is thrown by
centrifugal force of the spinning basket toward the sides of the
basket and pushed through it into a jug (or glass if you’re only
doing a single serving). If you have a continuously ejecting juicer, the pulp is forced out
of the machine and into a pulp container. If the pulp isn’t
automatically removed from the spinning basket, the basket
becomes full and you have to stop the machine, remove the
pulp, and empty the basket before continuing to juice. Here are the advantages of centrifugal force juicers:
 They have the fewest number of parts of all the juicers,
which makes them fast and easy to assemble and clean. They’re the fastest at extracting juice from fruits and
vegetables, especially if the feed tube is wide enough to
take a whole apple, cucumber, or orange and if the pulp is
automatically ejected. They’re the most popular types of juicers, so you have
many options to choose from. They stand upright and take up less space on the counter. And here are the disadvantages of centrifugal force juicers:
 More oxidation of nutrients takes place in this type of
juicer. (The nutritional quality is still excellent, though,
especially if the juice is taken immediately and not stored.) In general, less juice is extracted from centrifugal juicers. (Some really good brands are available that produce a
fairly dry pulp with not much juice waste.) They won’t juice wheatgrass and other ﬁne grasses. Bottom line: These machines are for people who want to
juice for the nutritional beneﬁts but want to do it with as
little effort and time as possible. Masticating juicers
Making use of a single auger (gear) that’s spiral in shape,
masticating juicers press and chew, or masticate, the fruits and
vegetables as they’re fed into the tube. Juice is extracted and
collected in a container that ﬁts under the gear shaft, and the
pulp is continuously ejected at the end of the gear shaft into a
pulp container. Here are the advantages of masticating juicers:
 They work at a low rpm so they extract more juice from
the fruits and vegetables and excel at juicing leafy greens,
wheatgrass, and other grasses. The slower speed preserves slightly more nutrients than
are preserved by centrifugal force juicers. They can function as grain mills and make nut butters and
baby food. They can masticate frozen fruits, such as bananas and
strawberries, for instant frozen treats. Here are the disadvantages of masticating juicers:
 They have more parts that must be assembled and
cleaned. They have very small feed tubes in order to accommodate
the size of the auger, which means that the food has to be
cut into small pieces and fed one by one through the tube. As a result, juicing with a masticating juicer takes longer
from assembly and cleaning, to preparing the fruit and
vegetables to waiting as each small piece or leaf is fed
through the tube and into the auger. Bottom line: If you want the very most nutrients possible
and you’re willing to spend more time juicing, this is the
machine for you, especially if you plan to juice grasses and
you don’t have a Vitamix machine to make sorbets and nut
butters. T riturating juicers
Similar to a masticating, single-gear juicer, the triturating juicer
has two augers, and it separates the juice in two stages: First, it
crushes fruits and vegetables; then it presses the juice out of
them. This method of extracting juice releases more ﬁber,
enzymes, vitamins, and trace minerals from the pulp, makingthe juice extremely nutrient-rich. Some of these juicers actually
have technology to slow down the oxidation process, which is
important if you want to juice a day’s worth of juice at one time
and store for consumption later. Here are the advantages of triturating juicers:
 Of all the types of juicers, they extract the most nutrients
from fruits and vegetables. The twin augers of triturating juicers turn at a lower rpm
than masticating juicers and extract more juice from a
wide range of leafy greens, grasses, herbs, and hard and
soft fruits and vegetables. They homogenize food to make baby foods, nut butters,
fruit sorbets, and pasta. And here are the disadvantages of triturating juicers:
 They’re the most expensive. They’re slow and have the disadvantages of masticating
juicers in that the food must be cut up. They’re large and imposing machines that take up more
space on a counter. Bottom line: This machine is for you if you already own a
juicer and want to move to the next level or if you know
you’re dedicated to a juicing regime and don’t mind the
extra cost to get the very best nutrients from leafy greens,
herbs, and a wide variety of vegetables and fruits. Wheatgrass juicersThese limited-function machines may be manual (hand-
cranked) or electric. They’re designed to juice wheatgrass and
other grasses, herbs, sprouts, and leafy greens. They can handle
very soft fruit like berries, grapes, and kiwifruit as well. Here are the advantages of wheatgrass juicers:
 They’re simple to use. They’re one-purpose machines that are good


.20 1.25 5000 76.38.36 1.72
Lettuce-Romaine 426 7 19 1.80 10000 115.38.52 2.30
Mustard Green 423 9.50 17.80 1.60 22220 308.34.70 2.70
Okra 410 10 32 1.30 3000 200.96 1.12 5.30
Onions 404 7.20 42 1.20 300 89.18.23 1.25
Parsley 387 16 70 37 3 40000 550.60 1.20 5.50
Parsnips 378 7.80 64 3.50 200 95.45.53 1.20
Peas 378 18 50 7 3850 165 1.62.78.05
Bell Peppers 422 5.40 22.60 500 600 38.38 2.30
Potatoes-White 359 9.50 84.60 15 132.63.26 8.15
Potatoes-Sweet 321 8 122 2.20 39000 200.62.43 3.96
Radish 426 5.40 22 45 75 176.21.20 1.65
Spinach 408 15 20 1050 48000 280.68 1.15 3.26
Turnips 414 15 65.50 40 200.29.42 2.95
Watercress 423 9.60 12.90 1.20 29000 471.51 1.09 4.60
S2 MINERALS
GRAMS
Figures based
on one pound
per category E
o
to
agnesium E
CO
2 o in
o
XI
CL c/> o
-C
ulphur B
o
ilicon
hlorine
odium
xygen
ydrogen
itrogen
O Q- Q. CO CO o co o I z
Alfalfa 7.945 1.497 9.08 1.135 1.316 1.589.0007 1.271.681 131 262 2.50
Artichokes.14.12 1.95 57.20.16.01.16.44 121 242 1.60
Asparagus.056.051.706.157.053.0025.008.004.005 142 286 1
Beans-Kidney.21.12 1.70.41.52.01 01.09.13 126 66 252.34 3
Beans-Lima.20.50 4.75.92.43.02.02.07.66 103.34 206.66 6
Beans-String.54.45 2.30.47.92.01.01.51.13 133.34 266.66 1.68
Beets.32.18 1.94.62.32.05.40.46.46 133.10 266.20 1.22
Broccoli.46.11 1 75 73.68.05.10.25.43 135 270 2.63
Brussels Sprouts.13.13 1 70 1.10 1.93.03.01 •5 02 129.50 259 3.60
Cabbage 80.18 1 92 1.50 1.12.03.04.36.44 139 278 1.45
Cabbage-Savoy.21.63 2.65 1.45.81.17.47.78.99 139 278 2
Carrots.48 '8 1.56.54.27.04.10.20 91 131 262.85
Cauliflower.24 •5 1.75.80.50.04.15.14.23 138 276 2.05
Celery.64.22 1.54.47.21.05.14.57 2.10 143 286.90
Chard.367.271 2.295.163.058.0134.0312.063.613 139 278 1.80
Chives.95.24 1.50.68.56.07.01.19.19 136 34 272.66 2
Corn.08.41 1.25 1.29.58.01.08.16.50 114 228 2.50
Cucumbers •5.08.80.40.14.03.16.13.20 145 290 1
Dandelion Greens 1.70.70 3 30.67.17.07.61.23.80 129.40 259.6 2.12
Eggplant.10.14 1.30.32.15.03.02.22.10 141 282.91
Garlic.43.55 2.40 1.20 1.40.02.10.25.40 98.34 196.66 5.15
Horseradish.66.23 2.30.42 2.48.16 1.02 1.02.04 116 232 2.40
Kale.80.20 2.30 1 2.41.04 0'.29.15 •36 63 273.30 1.50
Kohlrabi.80.57 1.90.40.48.16.14.27.50 136 272 3.60
Leeks 1.08.02 2.75.34.30.44.30.35 133.34 266.66 1.90
Lettuce.70.30 1.80.45.18.25.39.37.36 144 288 1.05
Lettuce-Romaine.70.25 1.50.65.23.08.18.25 2.09 142 284 1.15
Mustard Green.581.086 1.197.159.62.0095.01.016.102 141 282 1.60
Okra.75.15 1.10.41.33.01.10 05.45 137 273 1.66
Onions.59.14 1.40.15.12.45.08.09 135 270 1.20
Parsley 1.65 40 3.50.75.90.03.17.19.40 129 258 2.80
Parsnips.40.20 2.70.82.63.02.76.84.08 126 252 1.30
Peas.17.30 1.60 1.20.58.01.01.15.12 126 252 3
Bell Peppers.30.54 2.10.75.30.07.15.14.17 141 282 1
Potatoes-White.13 25 2.90.85.32.05.10 17.15 120 239 1.60
Potatoes-Sweet.73.36 1.45 1.10.57.03 09.35.18 107 214 160
Radish.68.14 1.45.50.30.12.04.40.96 142 284.95
Spinach 2.15 1.15 3 1.81 1.25.11.82 1.14 640 136 272 2.50
Turnips.65.21 2.70.84.55.03.05.38.33 138 276 2.50
Watercress 1.25.31 1.60.80 1.92 02.01.28.61 141 282 1.60
83 FRUIT VALUE CHART
COMPOUNDS VITAMINS
Figures based GRAMS INTER. MILLIGRAMS
on one pound CO UNITS
per category
istillec
fater £ o it CO
itamin
A
itamin E ro
-£= "o 1
Li_ > > F ix 2
Acerolas 441 1.80 21.80 1.40 2500 7258.11.29 1.90
Apples 387 1.85 73 2.20 500 43.16.13.60
Apricots 384 6.35 60.20 15000 68.18.25 3.31
Avocado 336 9.55 25 85 1500 100.50.95 7.50
Bananas 342 5.85 103 2 1000 60.23.29.30
Blackberries 390


 contains zero fiber,
120 calories, and 23 grams of sugar (giving you a huge glucose spike
immediately followed by a bigger insulin rush). And it does little to satiate
your appetite. Two oranges, on the other hand, give you 7 grams of fiber,
124 calories, don’ t cause the sugar and insulin spikes, and make you feel
full. Ya! Consuming a vast variety of fruits, vegetables, and legumes, as well as
whole grain breads, cereals, and pastas, is the best way to reach your E2
Diet fiber goals. Most Americans consume between 10 and 15 grams of
fiber per day. On the E2 Diet, we want you to get 40 to 50 grams. THESE GUIDELINES ARE a lot to take in, I know. But now all that’ s keeping
you from becoming a full-fledged, Cool Hand Luke, E2 label-reading pro is
hands-on experience among the supermarket shelves. However, I have faith
that the dangers lurking inside deceptive foods are now abundantly clear to
you as you walk up and down the aisles looking for labels that pass the
Engine 2 inspection test. You no longer believe any of the claims on the outside of a package. You
look for the number of servings per container and the amount of fat per
serving. You are on the alert for added junk, such as sodium, sugar, and fats,
and buy only high-fiber and 100 percent whole grain products. You are a label-reading star. BREAD
Here is a quick lesson on the dif ference between whole grain breads
and the kind that have been pillaged. The anatomy of the wonderful whole grain:Bran:  The outer layer containing most of the fiber as well as
healthy amounts of protein and B vitamins. Germ:  The nutrient-rich embryo containing vitamins E and B and
protein. Endosperm:  The fluf fy inside, which is 83 percent starch. This is
all that remains after the bran and germ are removed—and this is
what white bread is made of. What does this mean? It means 100 percent whole grain has 97
percent more vitamin E, 78 percent more fiber, 78 percent more
magnesium, 82 percent more vitamin B6, 80 percent more selenium,
58 percent more copper, and 37 percent more folacin than white
bread! OceanofPDF.com4
MAKING IT  WORK FOR LIFE! When I developed the Engine 2 Diet, my mission statement was:
Educate and motivate people to eat a plant-strong diet so they can enhance
their lives and avoid the common killer diseases. I am now inviting you to become part of this mission. Start just by
putting one foot in front of the other. One meal at a time, one day at a time;
string them together, several days in a row, and soon enough your first week
will be over. Before long you’ll have your sights set on the finish line. Although the plan outlined in this book is a twenty-eight-day diet, it is
my hope that this is just the beginning of your plant-strong journey. And as
on any journey, you may stumble and fall. That’ s okay. It’s even expected. No one gets it right the first time—or the second. I’ve been tweaking and
adjusting this plan for more than two decades myself. The goal is to keep working on it. Continue to expand your knowledge
base, cooking skills, and recipes, and watch your confidence grow until
there’ s no stopping you. Soon enough, the E2 lifestyle will be second
nature, you’ll be firing on all cylinders, and you’ll wonder how you ever
used to eat all that other stuf f you once called food. In fact, you will be living the dream—feeling great, looking terrific, and
free of the common modern ailments that compromise and debilitate so
many lives. This dream is easily within your reach. While you’re living it, I want you to learn to love the plants that are
giving you back your life. I want you to see the brilliance of apples,
oranges, blueberries, broccoli, black beans, yams, whole grains, kale, and
all of nature’ s other wonders. When it comes to food, these are the winners,the unsung heroes that deserve all the credit, the foods that have your best
interests at heart. Don’ t let anyone tell you otherwise. I want to tell you one last thing. You are a champion. Just by reading this
book, you’re moving from second-class to first-class foods, from nutritional
excess to nutritional excellence. You now know more about nutrition than
99 percent of the world. You are on your way to a plant-blessed life. I am rooting for your success and want the very best for you. I also look
forward to hearing about your progress at www.theengine2diet.com. Write
me! Maybe your story will be featured in my next book. Now get out there and earn your health! OceanofPDF.comPart III
RECIPES AND MEAL  PLANS
OceanofPDF.comINTRODUCTION
This part of the book will allow you to bring the E2 way of living and
eating into your home. Get ready to spoil yourself silly with dynamic plant-
based foods, and by the end of the twenty-eight days, the Engine 2 plant-
strong way of life will be second nature to you. You’ll start with the most basic of tasks, which means going to the
grocery store to buy all the wonderful healthy E2 foods that will soon be
bursting out of every crack, cupboard, and pantry of your home. Next, I want you to pay close attention to all the E2-recommended
kitchen tools and cooking ware. The degree to which you have the proper
equipment will make your life in the kitchen as streamlined as possible. Over a weekend, take the time to transform the tools and the foods in your
kitchen, and over the next twenty-eight days your body will reward you
with a transformation of its own. You’ll also be reading time-saving tips; suggestions on easy, delicious,
and nutritious snacks; and some simple yet ef fective storage ideas that will
help you maximize the life of your new-bought foods. Then, for those of you who love to cook, this next section should make
you very happy: dozens of recipes for eating the E2 way. These wholesome,
healthy foods will soon make you wonder how you ever got along without
them! For those of you who don’ t love to cook, have no fear. You can thrive the
E2 way simply by eating out intelligently, snacking wisely, and buying
prepared foods sensibly. Several of the E2 Pilot Study participants barely
know what a kitchen is, and they did just as well as the cooking-loving
plant-eaters. For more information on how to do this, please check out the
E2 Web site, www.theengine2diet.com. So get psyched for fun and adventure as you prepare, cook, and best of
all, eat a whole new array of exciting plant-tasty foods. Throw yourself with
reckless abandon into the kitchen and watch as everything within your
circle of influence—except your waistline—starts to expand: your health,
your food, your confidence, your awareness, and your spirits.TRA VELING AND EA TING OUT
It’s always easier to eat well on your home turf. That’ s why when
you’re not home, I want you to pay special attention to staying on top
of your E2 Diet game plan. PLAN AHEAD
Spend a few minutes packing a separate carry-on bag of foods that
travel well: healthy sandwiches, oranges, apples, plums, grapefruits,
carrots, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, raisins, whole grain bagels,
walnuts and almonds, and a few ener gy bars, such as Lärabars. This
will keep you away from airline snacks and convenience store junk. PACK WHA T YOU CAN
Whenever I travel, tucked securely in my suitcase is a Tupperware
container filled with my Rip’ s Big Bowl cereal (see page150); some
healthy store-bought dried soups that simply require hot water; fruits;
vegetables; healthy baked chips; salt-free whole grain pretzels; and
healthy fruit newtons such as Barbara’ s Wheat-free Fig Bars. ADAPT AND OVERCOME
If you didn’ t have a chance to plan ahead, don’ t rationalize your
way into eating poorly. Go for the healthiest option available. Search
out healthy options such as fruit, nuts, seeds, healthy juice drinks
such as Odwalla, ener gy bars, and trail mixes (but be careful to check
for added garbage). Also consider fruit newtons, whole grain bagels,
subs, veggie pizza, veggie bur gers, and salad bars. EATING OUT WISEL Y
Be courageous and ask for what you want—even if it’ s not on the
menu. I don’ t care if it’ s a five-star restaurant or a taco stand, make a
smart substitution—beans and/or potatoes for meat, extra vegetables
for cheese, tofu for chicken. Ask politely and the server will move
mountains for you: “Make mine a burrito supreme but hold the steak,
cheese, and sour cream, and double up on the beans, veggies, and
potatoes. Thank you very much.”
Some cuisine-specific tips:Italian:  Order bread and ask for roasted garlic or a side of
marinara sauce for dipping. Chinese, Japanese, Thai


ism. Perhaps you
are f amiliar with the stories in C hristian scriptures in which the rabbis and
religious elite challenge Jesus o n his knowledge of the Hebrew Bible and
Jewish doctrine. They try ever ything they can to stump him. That is a
display o f spiritual elitism, when people accumulate so much knowledge on
spirituality or religion that they deem themselves superior to everyone else. In fact, people who possess th is false sense of superiority often act as a
replacement for God. Unfortunately, this seems to happen a lot  in religious
or ganizations. In reality, spiritual awareness and connection are much les s about
knowledge than actual experien ce. When you experience God, no one can
take that away from you. Y our knowingness and reality are real. Y ou can be
illiterate and still have a seventh chakra awakening. Please d on’ t tak e these words as  an opportunity to bash religion. I have
nothing against or ganized religio n. On the contrary, religion provides a path
to highe r states of consciousness and spiritual connection. It becomes
dangerous only when it claims to take the place of God. Accepting Seventh Chakra Gifts
Gifts of the seve nth chakra are m any, and most of us spend our entire lives
trying to attain them. Imagine living your life in total peace and bliss. In
this space, you are free from worry, anxiety, and sadness. Y ou go through
life in total acc eptance of the present moment without conc ern for the
future. Y ou live in constant grat itude, awe, and wonder. Y ou are  a vessel of
unconditional love. Spiritual literatu re gives us a road map to acquiring these gifts. In the
Christian scriptu res, for example, the book of Matthew, chapte rs 5 through
7, and the book of John, chapte rs 14 through 16, tell of all th ese spiritual
gifts and  how to attain them. Th e Y oga Sutras of Patanjali and the wisdom
of the Bhagavad Gita can also l ead you to a place of peace and surrender. The T ao  T e Ching of T aoism and the sacred texts of Buddhism  are among
others th at pave  the way towar d enlightenment. All these texts give us a
step-by-step formula to freely attain seventh chakra gifts. Oh, how foolish
we are, those of us who don’ t take these gifts to heart. Consider worry, for example. How much time do you waste worrying
each day. Y ou worry perhaps about things you can’ t control such as the
weather, the state of the world, or the way people around you are acting. Then you probably spend time worrying about things you can  control but
for w hich you c an’ t control the outcome. For example, I know people who
worry co nstantly about losing their job. Y ou can control getting  to work on
time, doing extraordinary work, and being a good team player. But you
can’ t control the potential outcome of your company needing to downsize. When things are not going ac cording to your expectations, you worry. When th ings are going well, you  worry that they might turn bad. All in all,
worry steals you from your life and your bliss. Y et all the spiritual masters and all the spiritual literature tell yo u not to
worry. J esus him self spent three years in his ministry, and we only have a
limited amount of direct teach ing in his words, through th e Christian
Gospels. So you know that if Je sus taught something and said i t more than
once, it must be  pretty important. In the book of Matthew, chapter 6, Jesus
spends no less than ten verses talking about how we shouldn’ t worry. In
verse 25 he says, “That is why I tell you not to worry  about everyday life,”
and he concludes with verse 34: “So don’ t worry about tomorrow, for
tomorrow will bring its own worries. T oday’ s trouble is enough for today. ”
Other sp iritual masters speak about living in the present moment. Y oga
and med itation teach us present-moment awareness. W orry is living in the
past or in the future but not in the present. W orry is a thief who comes to
steal your joy and peace. Just as you would never welcome a robber into
your home to take your things, why welcome worry into your mind. By the time you have awakened to the seventh chakra, your
understanding of oneness with universal consciousness doesn’ t even allow
you to entertain  emotions such as worry. For if you are one with the
universe, there is no lack and therefore no worry. But I hope my example
has provided you with a vision  of where you are today in comparison to
where you would like to be. And whenever you need a reminder, spiritual
literature is there to point the way to the peace of the seventh chakra. Healing Sahaswara
DAIL Y AFFIRMA TION
I am one with the Divine. Healing the Physical Body
Besides the practice of meditation, which we discussed in relation to the
sixth chakra, getting into the se venth chakra zone is best achie ved throughthe practices of silence, reading spiritual and inspirational literature, and
spending time in nature. Some times we spontaneously connect with the
Divine i n mome nts when we don’ t expect it, but most of the time it happens
because we make a conscious ef fort to create an environment in which
connection can happen. That is why people often feel connected to the
Divine w hen the y go to a church or synagogue but then feel d isconnected
for the rest of the week. As you  have seen, the road to spirituality requires
ef fort. What y ou move toward expands, and what you move away from
diminishes. For example, if you r focus is on your work, often your home
life suf fers. When your focus is on your relationships, your work may
suf fer. T he sam e goes for your  spiritual life: when you place  your focus
there, your connection to the D ivine will grow, while other, les s-important
areas will fade into the background. The othe r day I was in the car w ith my twenty-two-year -old, w ho after
fifteen minutes or so turned on the radio and said, “I hate it that you drive
around in silence. What’ s wrong with you. It’ s very disturbin g. ” I hadn’ t
even not iced. I love silence. I’ve been practicing silence in everything I do
for years. On m ost occasions I keep the radio and TV of f. While I love
music, I  rarely listen to it now. I just love silence. I love listening to the
noises in the environment: the birds, the crickets, and even the cars passing
by. Silence is a  profound gift, and I believe it’ s God’ s one and only true
voice. W hen you reach the seventh chakra level of consciousnes s, you’re no
longer afraid of your mind and your thoughts. I have noticed that fear of
silence is fear of one’ s own mind. Y our mind is your frien d, not your
enemy. The more you believe that, the more you can sit in silence and not
only be comfortable in it but even crave more of it. Spend ti me read ing spiritual literature, whether it’ s poetry or s cripture. Immerse yourself in nature whenever you can to enjoy everything that
connects you to the heartbeat of the universe. Y OGA  A SANAS AND  P RANA Y AMA  E XERCISES T O  H EAL THE
S EVENTH  C HAKRAT ry these breathing techniques and poses to help open and align the
Sahaswara chakra.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>
Q: What is the best way to relieve blockages or imbalances in the sixth chakra?,
A: To relieve blockages or imbalances in the sixth chakra, it's important to choose life-affirming foods, drink clean water, and maintain a healthy, toxin-free living environment.<|eot_id|><|begin_of_text|>The Heart Chakra
Page 91, In the United States, heart disease is : Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “Health,
United States 2016: W ith Chartbook on Long-T erm T rends in Health,” May 2017,
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/hus16.pdf#019. Also, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention, “Leading Causes of Death,” March 17, 2017,
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm. Page 92, “Father, for give them, for they know not what they do” : Luke 23:34, English Standard
V ersion. Page 92, Hurricane Harvey damaged 203,000 homes : Kimberly Amadeo, “Hurricane Harvey Facts,
Damage, and Costs,” The Balance, September 30, 2017, https://www.thebalance.com/hurricane-
harvey-facts-damage-costs-4150087. Page 92, American companies pledged over $157 million : Kaya Y urief f, “Businesses Donate Over
$157 Million to Harvey Relief Ef forts,” CNN


 moon
◼ pingala (right or solar nadi), representing the heating energy of the
sun; and
◼ sushumna, which is closely associated with the spine and spinal
cord at the subtle level. Sushumna runs through the centre of the
energetic spine and corresponds to the spinal canal; chakras are
strung upon it like lotuses. Sushumna, considered to be the most important of all of the nadis, starts
at the muladhara (base root) chakra and culminates at the sahasrara (crown)
chakra. From a numerological perspective 7 + 2 + 0 + 0 + 0 adds up to 9, which
in a spiritual sense is considered to be the number of completion. This is why
mala or prayer beads have 108 or 54 beads, both of which add up to 9. Our
physical body has nine openings or doorways through which we experience
the world, and the pranas can enter or leave the physical body from these
doorways. The nine body openings are associated with our sense organs: two
eyes, two nostrils, two ears, the mouth, the anus and the genitals. Most of the
nadis begin or ter minate at these openings. Control of the nadis enables us in turn to control the ego, the mind and
the senses, as the pranas moving with the breath kindle the body’s fire and
are carried to the mind. Nadis move in the body through each and every part, being the subtle
counterpart of the physical flow of nervous energy and blood. They are not
described in terms of structures but rather as conduits or channels. Ida
represents conscious energy and knowing, while pingala is vital and life-
giving; they are roughly translated as mind and body. As we discuss the
polarisation of the individual, mind and body themselves are polarised but
complementar y to each other. Ida represents the moon’s energy and pingala
the energy of the sun. Sushumna, representing the spirit or consciousness, is
supreme and is the c hannel for kundalini shakti. The ancient discipline of swar yoga (the yoga of breath) states that our
temperament and nature change according to the dominance of our
breathing nostrils. At any given time our breath does not come in equal
volume through both nostrils, except for a brief period. Most of the time one
nostril is more active and dominant than other one, and this dominance
alternates between left and right nostrils in a r egular pattern. The left nostril is associated with the ida nadi, which connects with the
right hemispher e of the brain, while the right nostril is associated withpingala nadi, which connects to the left hemispher e of the brain. The
movement of energy through these nadis, from one hemispher e to the other,
happens simultaneously with the change of breath from one nostril to the
other. Therefore, when the right nostril dominates pingala is active and the
left hemisphere dominates. When the left nostril dominates ida is active and
the right hemispher e dominates. When both nostrils operate evenly both
hemispher es operate in unison. When energy concentra tes in the left hemispher e, solar energy is drawn
by the right nostril and a person becomes more active, verbal, intellectual,
extroverted, ambitious, creative and masculine. Conversely, when the right
hemispher e dominates it draws on lunar energy through the left nostril, and
a person is characterised by femininity, passivity, introversion, emotional
responses and orienta tion to sight and sound. The three nadis — ida, pingala and sushumna — start from the
muladhara chakra at the pelvic floor. From here sushumna flows directly
upwards within the central canal to the sahasrara chakra, while ida passes to
the left and pingala to the right, crisscrossing each other at each higher
chakra. Sushumna flows inside the central canal of the spinal cord, while ida and
pingala flow simultaneously on the outer surface of the spinal cord but still
within the bony vertebral column. In human physiology, these two nadis
roughly correspond with the two halves of the autonomous nervous system:
the sympathetic and the parasympa thetic. Pingala coincides with the
sympathetic nerves, which are responsible for stimulation and the
acceleration of activities; it tends to utilise a lot of internal energy. The
sympathetic nerves speed up the heart, dilate the blood vessels, increase the
respiration rate and intensify the ef ficiency of the e yes and ear s and so on. The parasympa thetic nerves directly oppose the sympathetic nerves as
they reduce the heartbeat, constrict the blood vessels and slow the breathing
rate so that a person becomes an introvert. The flow of prana in ida and
pingala is completely involuntary. Basically, the pingala nadi represents the
components of action and controls all of the vital processes, while the ida
nadi represents reception and contr ols all of the mental pr ocesses. Ida can be viewed as the energy within the personality, which is passive,
receptive, feminine, negative and yin. At the physical level, it is dark, cold,
lunar, energy-dissipating, entropic, expansive (centrifugal) and relaxing. It is
emotional, feeling, intuitive and non-discrimina tive, which is also the soma-
psychic aspect of a person where energy is inwardly directed and the body
acts on the mind. Ida controls the feeling centres and sense organs
(gyanendriyas), thereby giving us awareness and knowledge of the world in
which we live. Pingala can be defined as masculine, dynamic, active, positive, yang
energy within our personalities. It has a physical and mental side,
representing light, heat, solar energy, creativity, organisation, focus
(centripetal) and contractiv e. It is psychosomatic energy, and directs the
organs of action (kar mendriyas) outwar ds. It is the basic life-giving ener gy. Our body chemistry, which is reflected in our feelings and temperament,
can be altered easily by changing the breath pattern. One of our gurus used
to say that the entire world population could be divided into two categories
of people: one dominant in the left nostril and the other dominant in the
right nostril. Where the left nostril is dominant the ida nadi is overactive and
draws in more lunar energy, which in turn makes people more emotional by
nature. These people are creative, moody and prone to depression; they are
also prone to having a low body tempera ture and low blood pressure. When the right nostril is dominant the pingala nadi is overactive, which
affects the manipura (solar plexus) chakra. These people draw in more solar
energy and are driven, making them very ambitious in life. They push
themselves and others around them to fulfil their life ambitions, chasing
money, power or authority. They tend to be multi-tasker s, as their minds are
always busy planning too many things at one time. These people are
sometimes not grounded and lose focus on the activity at hand. They tend to
have a high body temperature, may have a heated liver and are prone to
hypertension, high b lood pressure, high blood sugar/diabetes, headaches and
migraines. Yoga and tantra have gone hand in hand to devise exercises to restore the
balance of energies to promote wellness. The imbalance of the ida and
pingala nadis can be restored by practising breathing through alternate
nostrils (anulom vilom). The practices of kundalini yoga are focused on the
awakening of sushumna; once sushumna comes to life a means of
communication between the higher and lower centres of consciousness is
established, which leads to the a wakening of kundalini. Granthis
Tantric scriptures talk about three granthis or psychic knots in the physical
body. These granthis represent the three fundamental principles of energy:
creation, sustenance and dissolution. As mentioned previously, ida, pingala
and sushumna rise from muladhara at the pelvic floor; sushumna flows
directly upwards within the central canal, while ida passes to the left and
pingala passes to the right, crisscrossing at each of the higher chakras. Located at the points of cr ossing over are the three granthis. The granthis, which are basically levels of awareness, are named after the
three Hindu deities forming the trinity: Brahma (the energy of creation),
Vishnu (the energy of sustenance) and Rudra (or Shiva, the energy of
dissolution). Granthis pose as obstacles or barriers, and on the path of raising
the consciousness each aspirant has to cross the barriers. During the process
of kundalini movement and spiritual progress our consciousness moves
through the g ranthis. The brahma granthi is located in the region of muladhara, exactly at
the T junction of the muladhara (base root) and swadhisthana (sacral)
chakras. It is the first


 outside our heads as well. Nietzsche
oered a remark that challen ges Western logic to the core when hesaid, “All philo sophy is based upon the premise that we think, but it
is equally possible that we are being thought.”
Because our conventional system of logic holds that thinking is
always interna l, we do not see the natural processes takin g place all
around us as a kind of thinking, but that is just a cultura l bias. We
could see Chit Akasha everyw here, and if we did, we would realize
that everything in nature is a transformation of mind space from
one guise to another. The rocks, mountains, oceans, and galaxies are
constantly being thought, just as much as we. To give a concrete example, there is the phenom enon of
rewalking, which caught the popular imagination as a fad several
years ago, but which has persisted in various traditional cultures as
a main stay of spiritual experience for centuries. Anthropologist
Loring Danforth’s Firewalking and Religious Healing  is a fascinating
account of one of these rewalking cults, the Anastenaria in
northern Greece. No one knows how the cult began. One legend holds that a raging
re broke out in the village church at Kosti in eastern Thrace untold
centuries ago. Bystanders heard loud cries coming from inside the
empty building. Amazed, they realized that it was the painted icons
of Saint Constantine and his mother, Saint Helen, who were calling
to be rescued. A few courage ous villagers recklessly rushed into the
re, and when they emerged with the icons in their arms, neither
they nor the saints had been harmed. In memory of this miracle, the devotees of Saint Constantine
celebrate his name day, May 21, by walking into a pit of burning
coals, and not just walking: they perform a stomping dance on the
red-hot cinders, holding aloft icons of the two saints. Perhaps a
hundred devout rewalkers, called Anastenarides, are scattered
throughout a few villages in northern Greece; almost all of them
trace their roots back to Kosti. To show  their unshakable faith and their contempt for the re,
the Anastenaria dancers pick up glowing embers, smashing them
into a shower of sparks with their bare hands. One devotee named
Stephanos spent ve months mesmerized before his home re,
putting out the live coals with his hands hour after hour until hismother begged him to stop, for fear that she would not have any re
left for baking her family’s bread. Without their religious faith, the Greek rewalkers are certain
that they would be burned. They each “belong to the saints,” having
surrendered themselves to divine authority in exchange for their
extraordinary powers. Walking into the re sets a person aside from
normal society  for the rest of his life; he is said to have an open
road, which means that the saints can guide him anywhere they
choose. One of the rewalkers is a peasant farmer named Mihalis. He
recounted how he feels durin g his ery dance: “If you have an open
road, then you don’t feel the re as if it were your enemy. You feel
as if it were your husband or your wife. You feel love for the re;
you have courage. What you see isn’t a mountain; it’s nothing. That
way you go in freely. But if you go in of your own will, then you
have fear and doubt. It seem s like an enemy, like a mountain. If
your courage is from the Saint, then you really want to go into the
re. The power comes from outside. You’re a dierent person.”
At the outset of this book I mentioned that some paranoiacs can
no longer draw the line between their own mind and God’s. In their
madness, these people take personal responsibility for averting wars
and natural disasters. Mihalis and his cohorts are caught in a similar
confusion, but from the opposite pole. They cannot accept that their
power to walk on re is personal, or even specically human. They
insist that it must come from God, through the saints’ intercession. It
would be inexplicable to them if someone walked on the coals
without being devout. In fact such a person appeared in their midst. In 1985 a tall,
smiling, handsome American arrived on Saint Constantine’s feast
day in the village of Langadas, where the Anastenaria rite is
performed. At a restaurant he showed around a photograph of
himself rewal king in Oregon, and he was immediately permitted to
join the local ceremony. The year before, an Italian spectator had
attempted to enter the re and had been severely burned. The Greek
rewalkers took this as conrmation that one cannot defy the re
without the saints.But this year’s visitor was something no one had ever seen, a
rewalk instructor. Outside the conned world of the Anastenaria
cult, rewalking had become a star turn in the human potential
movement, with rewalk “seminars” being held every  weekend
throughout the West Coast. In its New Age guise, walking into the
re was a form of psychotherapy. It was considered a liberating
experience, perhaps endow ed with spiritual overtones but not
narrowly religious. Therefore, when the visitor, named Ken Cadigan,
entered the Anastenaria re, two worlds collided. At rst there was no open conict. “Ken managed to make his
way through the crowd to the site of the rewalk togethe r with the
Anastenarides,” Danforth writes. “He danced around the re with
them for a few minutes. Then, after [their leader] Stamatis crossed
the re, Ken went across too. He was dressed in white and held his
hands high over his head. ‘I didn’t have the dance down  right,’ he
said. ‘I just went boogying across.’ ”
We do not know what went through the minds of the Greek
rewalkers, but a sinister gesture ensued. “After Ken crossed the re
two or three times,” Danfor th writes, “he saw Stamatis motion to
another Anast enaris to take Ken through the re with him. The
Anastenaris grabbed him by the arm, but Ken broke free. He went
back into the re again, and this time he stayed in for a long time;
he really danced  in the coals. Just then the Anastenaris grabbed his
arm a second time, held him in the re, and stepped on his foot.…
Ken broke free again and left the re.”
The local crowd had been cheering for the tall stranger, and
several reporte rs now besieged him with questions. How did he
walk on re without being a devotee? Had he been burned at the
end? Cadigan joked about the incident and refused to attribute any
malice to the man who had accosted him. Privately, however, he
was sure that the Anastenaris had pushed him into the coals hoping
he would be burned. In fact, he had been. One of the peculiarities of rewalking is that belief plays such a
critical part in it. A skeptic can enter the re one step behind a
believer, and only the skeptic will be burned. An experienced
rewalker can be distracted by someone shouting at him from thesidelines and suddenly get burned also. Since the re is the same
temperature for all (hot enough to sear esh in a matter of seconds),
one is convinced that awareness must be playing a crucial role. There are reports of people who have been severely burned when
they rashly stepped onto the coals despite an inner voice that tried
to halt them with a sharp warning of “Don’t do this!” At the same
sessions, other s have walked in without harm. There is no scientic
explanation for what causes these variances, or for that matter, for
how the feat of rewalking is accomplished. In this instance, when
Cadigan was drawn into the ugly mood of his assailant, he lost his
power to remain unharmed. Danforth notes that even though
Cadigan’s burns went deep enough to expose the nerves in his foot,
he felt no pain either on the re or afterward. As he gathered his data, Danforth moved among the
Anastenarides, who buzzed with talk after the American left. Quickly and reexively the Greek rewalkers retreated into
rationalization: they claimed that their visitor had walked too
quickly across the coals, that he had not really danced, that he had
left the ceremony early because he had been burned. In this way the
cultists retained their ties to the saints and their exclusive right to
an open road. Yet the main theme of their spiritual life—acquiring power and
freedom in the re—is the same espoused by New Age practitioners. “You are burne d by fear, not