—Āsana—
—Swami Lakshamanjoo—
∫Sunday, May 11, 1980∫
Last note I told you that one’s mind must have become perfectly clean. That is possible by conquering the pose (āsanajaya). In that connection I explained the śloka:—
मध्यमं प्राणमाश्रित्य प्राणापानपथान्तरम् ।
आलम्ब्य ज्ञानशक्तिं च तत्स्थं चैवासनं लभेत् ॥
—Netra Tantra VI.1ff.
Meaning:
Resting in the middle path at the junction–point of the inhaling and exhaling breaths with full awareness, constitutes the seat āsana—of the yogi.
That means prāṇāpānapathāṅtaraṁ madhyamaṁ prāṇamāśritya; kathaṁ how? ālaṁḅya jñānaśaktiṁ ca—when one is perfectly aware. In the middle of the exhaling and inhaling breaths you have to experience the central breath. It is the uniformity in the breath when it stops in a very natural way—kuṁbhaka. This is experienced at the junction of the two breaths. At that point one has to remain aware of the superconscious Self. That is termed the real pose or āsana. Āsana does not really mean here the different physical postures such as bhadrāsana, svastikāsana etc. etc.
The internal organs (aṅtaḥkaraṇa-s) can be really clean when one cultivates perfect awareness of the Supreme Consciousness. The state of your mind must be perfectly clean. It is, therefore, that I tell you that you should never speak ill of others. No back-biting. You should never hate or think undesirable about each other. Eradicate the sense of avarice in you. You must treat each other with love and sympathy. Help each other. Think well of each other. That will bring you a perfectly clean mind.
When you are able to maintain awareness in the middle of the in-coming and out-going breaths (prāṇāpāna pathāṅtaraṁ), that verily is called constant assimilation of the Supreme Self (tadevāṅusaṅdhaṇaṁ): That is aṇusaṅdhaṇa. That the real conquest of pose. Practise this well.
Therefore, by āsana is meant gradual dawning of awareness for a spiritual aspirant. It is the constant awareness of the Supreme Self at the centre, the middle point between the inhaling and exhaling breaths. Only those yogis can have this glorious achievement, who have gained purity of mind, who are quite free from ego and who have no prejudice.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
Source:
— The Awareness Of The Supreme Consciousness; Revealed by Īśvarasvarupa Swāmī Lakṣamaṇajū.