Yogi Ashwini

I have been teaching yoga to people across the globe for almost two decades now. Every single person who pursues yoga — faith, beliefs, religion, background and ideology notwithstanding — experiences for themselves the power of Yog. People have had divine visions and experiences that talk for themselves. Despite such a direct and experiential nature of Yog, as irony would have it, I still find myself giving lectures and taking questions from the media (both in India and abroad) on the true essence of yoga. The answer is simple — Yoga is Guru and nothing beyond it. All the experiences and gyan of the subtler dimensions flow through the guru to the shishya.
During one with some noted names of the British media, a journalist on hearing this explanation jumped up and said, “We can’t publish this! Firstly, we don’t believe in the concept of a ‘Guru’ and secondly it’s not the yoga we know!”
Frankly, it does not matter whether you believe in the factuality (and not concept) of a Guru or not, because the truth won’t change. Sadly, it is for this very reason that the Western audience, even the genuine seekers, have been sold an image/notion of yoga which is as distant from the truth as can be. Two things must be understood — one, that whether you like it or not, yoga is not possible without a Guru, and two, there are a 110 million Indians and growing, who can sell you as many forms of yoga if not more. So unless you stop importing it as an exotic commodity, your appetite for “yoga” will be limited only by how much you can import and not the other way round.
Our ancient rishis were the real masters. The yoga they fo­rmulated is not only timeless in its appeal but also its ef­ficacy, with zero margin for ambiguity. Having forese­en the challenges the modern man will face and out of th­eir immense kindness, they endowed yoga with such flexibility and ease that even in the busy lives of today, Sa­natan Kriya (an assimilation of the eight limbs of As­h­tanga Yoga) fits like “lock and key” with any lifestyle, un­locking the full potential of the practitioner in all sp­h­e­res of life — material, emotional, physical and spiritual.
Yoga is a perfect result-oriented science with 100 per cent tangible results. There is nothing that a yogi cannot do or achieve, though it’s a different matter that he will not do anything for selfish reasons. Everything he does is for a higher purpose and for other’s benefit, just like our rishis who, out of selfless love and concern for the future generations, gave such an enormous wealth of knowledge to benefit from.
A case in point is the art of Mallakhamb which is but just one of so many gifts for the modern man. Taught under the guru-shishya parampara (a common thread across all yogic practices), “Mallakhamb” is made up of two words, “Malla” meaning “person” and “Khamb” meaning “pole”. Mallakhamb is not a physical routine as is often perceived. It is a complete sadhana, a means of tapa which is one of the five niyam of yoga. The practice of Mallakhamb finds its roots in the yogic principles of prakriti (nature) and santulan (balance) and bestows the practitioner with physical strength, stamina and not to mention a great physique.
Balance is key to advancing on the path of Yog. Another fundamental tenet is the underlining need of having a strong spine. For it is but a simple fact that a person is only as young as straight his/her spine is. A person with a straight spine will always command strength and virility, defying all commonly perceived markers of age. No wonder then that it is imperative for any Mallakhamb enthusiast to develop a strong spine. The spinal column is a reflection of the sushumna nadi in the etheric body. A strong spine facilitates free flow of prana in the sushumna. For this, certain elementary level purifications need to be carried out through practices such as the Sanatan Kriya.
The thing to remember is that the practice of yoga must not be undertaken with a pre-disposition towards fitness, well-being or as an alternative medicine therapy only. Yoga should be be undertaken with the desire to evolve. The rest — physical, emotional, and other changes — are merely by-products of Yog and will be taken care of automatically.

— Yogi Ashwini is an authority on yoga, tantra and the Vedic sciences. He is the guiding light of Dhyan Foundation. He has recently written a book, Sanatan Kriya: 51 Miracles... And a Haunting.
Contact him at dhyan@dhyanfoundation.com