Rohit Pillai Yoga

The word Sushumna in Yoga is a really dynamic word. In Hatha yoga It means the naadi ranging from the mooladhara to Sahasrara. Though , quite possibly, the word Sushumna itself is a Sandhya bhasha terminology in Sanskrit. In the word Sushumna itself lies codified the secrets of Samadhi. Let us break the word Sushumna into three parts - 'Su' , 'Shu', 'Mna'. The 'Su' in Sushumna stands for that which is pleasant or indicative of Bliss. 'Shu' is the root word for  Shuchi or Shuddh indicating purity , wholeness (poornata) and clarity of perception. 'Mna' in its root means to intently Fix your mind upon something or anchor or mind to something...eg: breath, mantra. etc. So quite possibly, the word Sushumna here is indicative of the state of Laya / dissolution  of mind as a result of its fixation on the state of bliss arising internally and also the clarity of perception and sensitivity in the presence of which the ordinary limited mind is diss...

[9/1, 20:20] pillairohit1991: One good way to remember this: Take a deep breath in upto your maximum capacity. Now there is approximately 6 litres of air in your lungs. That is your Total lung capacity.  Now breathe out as deep as you can. You just breathed out 4800 mls of air. That is your vital Capacity.  But even after breathing out completely, 1200 mls of air is still reserve in your lungs. That is your residual volume.  Now breathe normally. In your normal breathing, approximately 500 mls of air is going in and out. That is your tidal volume.  Now breathe normally like in tidal Volume. Now after a normal tidal volume inhalation happens breathe in effortfully to your maximum capacity. You just breathed in 3200 mls of air over your tidal volume. That is your Inspiratory Reserve Volume.  So basically your Tidal Volume was already 500 mls. On the top of that you further breathed in 3200 mls. So that becomes a total of 3700 mls which is your actual Inspiratory c...

Commentary on the pranayama mantra , Prashnopanishad, ch. 2, vs.13. प्राणस्येदं वशे सर्वं त्रिदिवे यत्प्रतिष्ठितम् । मातेव पुत्रान्रक्शस्व श्रीश्च प्रज्ञां च विधेहि न इति ॥ १३ ॥ prāṇasyedaṃ vaśe sarvaṃ tridive yatpratiṣṭhitam | māteva putrānrakśasva śrīśca prajñāṃ ca vidhehi na iti || 13 || Commentary on the pranayama mantra: Between the metaphysical Consciousness (Shuddha Chaitanya) and the Gross physical material world, it is the prana that acts as a link between the 2 dimensions being both the catalyst and sutradhar facilitating the process of expression of life and evolution. The stability and functioning of our mind , the organs of perception and the organs of action is dependent on the level , intensity & stability of the prana within us. When enhanced by the practice of pranayama it protects us from chitta vikshepas & shat-ripus like a mother protects her children. On prana is dependent the sensitivity of our system, and on the sensitivity of our system is dependent our ...

The Above shloka is an excerpt from Mahabharata, Vana Parva . It is a conversation between Narada & Yudhishthir, wherein Narada tells Yudhishthir of a conversation that happened between Bhishma & Pulatsya Rishi in the past, where Pulatsya Rishi mentioned to Bheeshma about the several Teerthasthals in Bharat. Of the several Teerthasthals that Pulatsya Rishi mentions , one particularly caught my attention. It's a place called Shwavillomapah.  In essence while describing the importance of this place , Pulatsya muni says , that many expert  yogis who perform intense pranayama at this place, shed their body hair and achieve purification of their chitta.  Now to a lay person, shedding of body hair by the performance of pranayama might sound weird & non-sensical. But, there actually might be some factual basis for the same. You see, HathaYoga pradipika states that 'a practitioner must train himself/herself to hold kumbhaka until the prana can permeate to ...

Kathopanishad Shloka 14 commentary.  The word fire over here has multiple connotations & meanings. And here fire is one of the metaphors used to denote Awareness. One of the main qualities of fire is the light that it provides thus Bringing clarity amidst darkness. So too. Awareness / Consciousness is the fire which brings about the clarity of perception beyond the veil of Maya. Dhyana in its core is the ability to see things as they are. Awareness is the key to realising the true nature of the Self (Eternal Heaven). And this very Consciousness/Awareness is Life itself (Support & Strength of the Universe). As one sits in silence & observes the Self as a witness, one finds the life manifesting in the body via Prana in the form of electrical impulses of the heart beat (Cardiac Conduction System). Observing the heartbeat , having made His/Her awareness subtle, the yogi eventually enters the state of Samadhi. *-----An article by Rohit Pillai---*  (The above...

 One of the most peculiar things which I am seeing currently in the yoga community is certain individuals who are themselves in the field of yoga denigrating the asanas aspect of yoga calling them trivial or limiting their usage & benefits simply to physical level. And this includes certain older schools of Yoga too.  Now , i understand not everyone might have an interest in the cultural asanas aspect of yoga. And that is absolutely understandable. But just because one isn't interested in something doesn't mean that it doesn't hold potential and value for others.  Asanas , both meditative & cultural are vehicles for pranayama. Yes. Even cultural asanas can be infused with prana by the means of kumbhakas and bandhas. These sahita kumbhakas become the foundations for Kevala kumbhaka, a state which is equated to samadhi. When one learns to effectively use the dynamic & Isometric aspects of a cultural asana efficiently in combination with  kumbhakas & ban...