Microsoft Word - Taimni - The Science of Yoga.doc

undertaken until and unless one of the Asanas has been mastered. The practice of As-
ana definitely but slowly prepares the body for Pranayama. It is the common experi-
ence of practical students of Yoga that the body begins naturally to assume more and
more the condition necessary for the practice of Pranayama as perfection in the prac-
tice of Asana is gained. The breath begins to move slowly and rhythmically and even
Kumbhaka occurs for short periods in a natural way.
In fact, it is not only necessary to master Asana but also to acquire some profi-
ciency in the practice of Yama-Niyama before beginning the practice of Pranayama.
The advanced practice of Pranayama arouses the Kundalini sooner or later. This can
be done safely only after the desire for sex gratification has been completely mastered
and eliminated. Unless, therefore, the Sadhaka has practised Brahmacarya and other
elements of Yama-Niyama for a long time and has acquired conscious and real mastery
over his desires and propensities it would be disastrous for him to engage in the prac-
tice of Pranayama. It must be clearly understood that these things are not meant for
people who are leading the ordinary life of the world with all its desires and indul-
gences and who naively want the peace and bliss of the inner life as an addition to
their multitudinous enjoyments in the outer world. The door on the enjoyments and
comforts of the lower life has to be shut completely and once for all before one can
hope to make any real progress on the path of Yoga.
The different elements of Astanga Yoga are not merely eight essential but quite
independent parts of Yoga which can be practised irrespective of one another. They
should be taken in the light of progressive stages, each stage preparing for the suc-
ceeding ones and requiring an adequate degree of perfection in the preceding ones. The
whole treatment of Astanga Yoga by Patanjali and the experience of Sadhakas lends
support to this view.
It is also necessary to note the difference in the words used in I-34 and II-49 in
relation to breathing. In the former Sutra the words used are ‘expiration and retention’
while in the latter the words are ‘cessation of inspiration and expiration’. It is not due
to any looseness of expression that different words are used to describe the regulation
of breathing at different places. Not a word in the Yoga-Sutras is without its signifi-
cance and necessity although we may not be able to see these clearly. The obvious in-
tention of the author is to indicate that the practice of Pranayama which comes after
Yama-Niyama and Asana and which prepares the mind for the further stages of Dha-
rana, Dhyana and Samadhi is essentially the practice of Kumbhaka even though this