Sadhguru: I just read somewhere that 20% of American meals are consumed in a car. If 20% of the meals are eaten in cars, maybe another 20% are eaten in bars! I do not know how many people actually sit at the table and eat a meal consciously and with a certain sense of involvement with the food and the people around them. Today, I think there is enough knowledge in the world about the content of the food but people are yet to make the necessary changes. The content of food definitely has a big impact but how you consume it is equally important. There is a whole lot of talk about what to consume, but there is hardly any effort to bring awareness to people about how to consume food. Whether you eat an animal, a vegetable, or whatever else – food is essentially a piece of life. Something that was a life by itself is becoming a part of you. Eating is not just digestion, it is one life fusing into another.
When you should eat, in what posture you should sit, and how you should welcome the food into yourself are things that are completely ignored today.
Eating should not be a routine. You must observe. Today, the body needs this much food, so you eat that much. Tomorrow, it may not need that much. Every animal is aware of this. If you have a dog at home, even he refuses to eat on certain days. These days, they have made him so stupidly disciplined that he eats every day; otherwise it is natural for him not to eat on certain days. He will eat some grass, puke it out and do his own cleansing for himself. All creatures are aware of this, but human beings are using their intellect to decide what they should do.
Because of the education systems that people go through, we have given too much significance to our thought. Our attention is the greatest thing we have, not our thought. Our thought is a product of the little data that we have gathered. That is not going to get us anywhere. It is the keenness and intensity of our attention which can take us from one dimension of living to another.
One must eat, but we must eat relishing the nourishment of what the food offers and with gratitude of what it means to our life. This is not to take away the pleasure of eating. The true joy of eating is that you are conscious of some other life willing to merge with your own life and become you. This is the greatest pleasure that a human being knows, that in some way something that is not you is willing to become a part of you. This is what you call love. This is what you call devotion. This is the ultimate goal of the spiritual process.
Whether it is lust, passion, devotion or ultimate enlightenment, it is all the same, just on a different scale. If it happens between two people, we call it passion. If it happens with a larger group, we call it love. If it happens much more indiscriminately, we call it compassion. If it happens without even a form around you, it is called devotion. If it happens in its ultimate scale, we call it enlightenment.
Eating food is a demonstration of the oneness of the existence. This beautiful process is happening at your mealtime every day. Something that was a plant, a seed, an animal, a fish or a bird, just merging and becoming a human being is a clear demonstration of the oneness of the existence and of the hand of the Creator in everything that is.
In the Yogic culture you are always asked to cross your legs and to not stretch your legs in the direction of an energy form. This is essentially because you can receive anything that comes towards you in many different ways. The Yogic intention is always to receive it from the higher aspects of your life. When there is a consecrated space, that means there is a powerful energy which has the possibility of transforming you. That energy must always come to you from the highest possibility that you can receive. We do not want to enhance our survival processes; we want to enhance other dimensions of life. It is very essential that we survive, but surviving better than someone is not a life goal. It is a waste of time because whatever you do, you are not going to survive forever.
All your survival instincts, self-preservation, are in the lower three chakras – manipuraka, swadhishthana and muladhara. The longing to break away from all this and go beyond is in vishuddhi, agna and sahasrar. Anahata is the meeting point.
So when you sit in any space where you think there is power and energy, you always cross your legs and sit because you want to close the lower part of the body. You do not want to sit with your legs open in front of a consecrated space because that will attract a totally different kind of energy towards you which could be detrimental to you. You want the upper part of your body – above Anahata – to be exposed to this.
Keeping your legs crossed whenever you see a powerful form is very important. Food is also a very powerful thing. If you have not eaten for three days, you understand that. It is important that your legs are crossed when food comes in front of you. If you are very hungry and food is exposed to the entire body, this is not good for you. You never open your legs and sit in front of food, consecrated objects and human beings who are of a certain power within themselves because that will bring a wrong kind of energy into your system.
When you do not touch the food, you do not know what it is. If food is not good enugh to be touched, I do not know how it is good enough to be eaten! Also, the cleanliness of your hands is entirely in your hands, whereas the cleanliness of a spoon or fork is not necessarily in your hands. No one else but you has used these hands, so you can be sure how clean they are right now. With the fork, you do not know who has used it, how they have used it, and for what. All they have to do is wipe it with a tissue and it looks clean.
Above all, when you use a fork, you do not feel the food. When food appears in front of you, hold your hands upon the food for a few moments to feel how the food is. If something appears on my plate and I just feel it, I know what to eat and what not to eat without having to taste it. My hands are the first level of knowing the food.
In Yoga we say, “If you take a morsel of food, you must chew it twenty-four times.” There is a lot of science behind this, but essentially, your food gets pre-digested in your mouth and will not cause dullness in your system. If you chew twenty-four times, the information of that food gets established in your system and every cell in your body will be able to start judging as to what is right and not right for you – not in terms of the tongue but about what is appropriate for the whole system. If you do this for some time, every cell in the body will have the education as to what it likes and does not like.
Only when I came to United States for the first time, I saw that everywhere in public places – particularly in schools and those summer camps where we used to do programs – there were notices instructing what to do if somebody chokes on food. I cannot understand why anyone will choke on food. I can understand if someone drowns in the pool, because we are not made like fish – we have to learn to swim. Someone who does not know how to swim well enough may drown but why would people choke on food? The main reason why they are choking is because they are talking so much when they are eating. We do not realize such a simple thing. All we have to do is just enjoy the food and eat quietly.
When children want to eat and talk at the same time, the first thing we teach them is, "Shh, no talking when you are eating." Because this speech has to come out, food has to go in – how can you do both at the same time? When I have to speak, something has to come out of my mouth. If I have to eat, something has to go in. Obviously I cannot do these two things at the same time. If I do these two things at the same time, things can go wrong.
If You Are Unable To Meditate, Your Mind Is Chattering Too Much And Nothing Works, Just Feel That You Are A little stupid. Then you will be able to sink deep.
Your intellect is a small portion of your total consciousness. If you are stuck in the intellect, you miss a lot. Happiness is when you transcend the intellect. Also, in awe or in feeling stupid, you transcend the intellect. Have you noticed mentally retarded people are more happy?
Question: How do you go beyond the intellect?
Answer: By acting stupid!
Everyone avoids being stupid, no one wants to look dumb. That is really stupid.
Stupidity should be followed by meditation, otherwise depression may follow.
Being with this truth kindles the energy in you and brings up the consciousness. When you sing bhajans, the Sound Energy Vibration Gets Absorbed Into Every Particle Of Your Body.
Just like a microphone absorbs sound and converts it into electricity, the body absorbs the vibrations and converts it into consciousness.
When you sit in bhajans your entire body gets soaked in energy and transformation happens. If your are sitting and listening to gossip or violent music, then that gets absorbed by your body and does not give a nice feeling.
When you hear the Knowledge, or chant with all your heart, that elevates your consciousness.
There is an ancient proverb in Sanskrit which says that the words of rishis and enlightened ones are translated into experience immediately.
Bawa says: We have read and heard from so many people, but when Guruji speaks the same knowledge it straight-away hits home.
Are you aware you are saying "Yes?" This something that is beyond your yes or no answers, beyond your thoughts, your concepts, your feelings and ideas.
That something that is so delicate, yet so concrete, and yet so vague and again, tangible, that is pragya, awareness.
This comes up when you are calm, when you are in samadhi, when you have equanimity. Right mindfulness can root out the misery in our lives.
This can break the patterns that we live with. Silence breaks the pattern, like nothing else. It is in-built in our nature, in our system.
The human body is made that way. See, anything that is too much for the mind to take, it becomes silent.
When something shocks you, what does it do to you? It takes you to silence. Something stunning takes you to silence.
When something is very wonderful, words disappear, you become silent. At the height of every emotion, at the peak of every happening, there is silence.
Recognizing it, manifesting it in your life, you cross over the ocean of samsara, the ocean of misery.
Otherwise when you feel happy or miserable, you link that feeling to something outside yourself.
Then the wheel starts rolling, the reaction, the chain of reaction starts happening. You hold something else responsible for your misery or your happiness, someone else is responsible.
Buddha said, "No," just observe the sensations. I think it should be mandatory for every psychologist to study Buddha.
A psychologist can never be
complete if he does not study Buddha. Buddha has given all the knowledge about the mind and its functions in such a methodical manner.
In traditional psychotherapy people are told, "Deep inside you there is sorrow, deep inside you there is fear, your mother did something to you, your father did something to you."
This is such ignorance. I have known several people who had very good relationships with their parents. After going to the psychologist, it all fell apart, because the psychologist attributed their misery to their childhood by just asking them questions.
The psychologists do not know one simple thing - that every emotion has a sensation in the physiology. A specific part of the body resonates with definite emotions.
When you observe the sensations, the emotions disappear and dissolve. When you observe the sensations, you see that the body and
consciousness are separate.
As you move on with the observation, you see you are simply linking the sensation with an event outside.
Wisdom is delinking the event with the emotion, and de-linking the emotion with the sensation. Ignorance is linking any sensation, sadness, or other feeling to some event.
That makes you more miserable, and it sets the cycle going on and on. Many people go to psychotherapy for many years, and nothing happens.
Maybe a little relief is felt for a couple of days because somebody was there to talk to you about all your problems.
You paid someone to listen to you. There may be some value in traditional psychotherapy, I don't completely rule that out.
There are some values, but I'm
saying there are serious flaws, and it is high time that they recognize it.
I think some are already doing it, adding the value of meditation, the value of silence, the value of observation.
Unfortunately, none of the psychologists who furthered the profession came in contact with a Buddha or another enlightened one at any time in the past.
They wrote volumes and volumes of books without even
encountering the depth, without knowing what is meditation, the true source of the mind.
The mind is noise, the source of the mind is silence. That is why Buddha said, "No mind." That doesn't mean that Buddha was not talking.
How can you talk, how can you interact with people if there is no mind? When Buddha said "No mind," he meant not the chain of thoughts that simply wander around in your mind all the time.
Buddha kept silent for many questions. Every answer only pushes the question a little further.
Every answer brings forth many more questions. There is no end to a question/answer session. It can go on forever.
If you answer one question, it will bring forth another 10 questions. Questions and answers are the pair, the couple, and they have no family planning.
Buddha said go beyond the questions, be answerless, for your being has the solution to all the questions.
Turn every question into wonder. What is the difference between a question and wonder? A question creates violence, wonder creates silence.
A question is looking for an answer, wonder is like a question which is not looking for an answer.
Do you wonder what I am saying? The astonishment of wonder does not seek for an answer. Wonder brings you home to silence.
Question creates violence. Someone asks you a question, "Where are you going?" Just smile at them, don't answer them. A second time they will ask you, "Where are you going?"
Again, smile at them. The third time their voice will be rising, "Where are you going, I am asking you? Come on, answer"
When you are asking a question you are demanding. In the mind of every criminal, there is a big question, "Why this?"
Every misery is associated with the question, "Why me?" Joy is associated with wonder. The practices we do, the sadhana, is to make our questions turn into wonder.
As Buddha said, there is a possibility to get rid of the misery. There is a way, come, sit, meditate.
During his time when there was so much prosperity in India, there was nothing much to be done.
Everybody had plenty. At that time, Buddha gave a begging bowl to all his main teachers, "Come on, go and beg."
Gurudev: Tolerance itself is a negative word. You tolerate that which you don’t like. I think we need to move from tolerance to love. When you are unfamiliar with something, you don’t love it; you may even dislike it. You need to see it in a different light. Harmony and diversity should be our education; you should learn about every culture and tradition in the world, respect and honour all of them.
The day we educate ourselves in this sense, we will have far fewer problems and we would not have to tolerate anything.
We see the Guru through our own eyes. Often, we see him as a separate individual like everyone else. He just happens to be totally happy and serene. This is because of our own egoistic perspective.
From the Guru's viewpoint, everyone is one continuum of the self. He does not see a separation. You are as precious to him as he is to himself.
He does not see a person or devotee becoming free, but his own self waking up to himself, like when your arm or leg falls asleep and then regains its sense again.
Living life fully is like a roller coaster ride. There is whirling, spinning, fast-paced perceptions, and adventure. If you are tense and holding on tight, resisting each turn, you will feel exhausted and sick at the end.
But if you can relax and have faith that the builder of the ride made it for your fun and safety, then you feel thrilled, energized, and joyful.
In science you have knowledge first, and then faith follows.
In spirituality, faith comes first, and then Knowledge follows.
For example, the knowledge that pesticides and chemical fertilizers are good for plants came through science, and people had faith in it, and all over the world they were used. And then another knowledge came that they were not good and the faith shifted to organic farming. The same with antibiotics.
The knowledge brought faith, the knowledge changed, and then faith changed. The knowledge and faith of science is of "happening." In spirituality, faith is first and Knowledge comes later. Like Kriya, Yoga, and meditation -- first you have faith and then Knowledge follows. For example, if you do pranayama faithfully then you get the Knowledge of the prana; if your do your meditation faithfully, the Knowledge of consciousness follows. Even an illiterate, through faith, attains deep Knowledge.
Vinod: Human is the best composite material. (Laughter -- this is the NASA scientist mind.)
Punditji: Science considers even human as matter, and spirituality considers even earth as mother, even rivers and mountains as living beings.
Science regards life as matter and spirituality regards even matter as life.
"To offer no resistance to life is to be in a state of grace, ease, and lightness. This state is then no longer dependent upon things being in a certain way, good or bad. It seems almost paradoxical, yet when your inner dependency on form is gone, the general conditions of your life, the outer forms, tend to improve greatly. Things, people, or conditions that you thought you needed for your happiness now come to you with no struggle or effort on your part, and you are free to enjoy and appreciate them - while they last. All those things, of course, will still pass away, cycles will come and go, but with dependency gone there is no fear of loss anymore. Life flows with ease.
The happiness that is derived from some secondary source is never very deep. It is only a pale reflection of the joy of Being, the vibrant peace that you find within as you enter the state of nonresistance. Being takes you beyond the polar opposites of the mind and frees you from dependency on form. Even if everything were to collapse and crumble all around you, you would still feel a deep inner core of peace. You may not be happy, but you will be at peace."
- Eckhart Tolle,
The Power of Now
Chapter 9
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“I don’t mind what happens. That is the essence of inner freedom. It is a timeless spiritual truth: release attachment to outcomes, deep inside yourself, you’ll feel good no matter what.”
— Jiddu Krishnamurti
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"Surrender is a purely inner phenomenon. It does not mean that on the outer level you cannot take action and change the situation. In fact, it is not the overall situation that you need to accept when you surrender, but just the tiny segment called the Now.
For example, if you were stuck in the mud somewhere, you wouldn't say: "Okay, I resign myself to being stuck in the mud." Resignation is not surrender. You don't need to accept an undesirable or unpleasant life situation. Nor do you need to deceive yourself and say that there is nothing wrong with being stuck in the mud. No. You recognize fully that you want to get out of it. You then narrow your attention down to the present moment without mentally labeling it in any way. This means that there is no judgment of the Now. Therefore, there is no resistance, no emotional negativity. You accept the "isness" of this moment. Then you take action and do all that you can to get out of the mud. Such action I call positive action. It is far more effective than negative action, which arises out of anger, despair, or frustration. Until you achieve the desired result, you continue to practice surrender by refraining from labeling the Now."
There is a place you can come where everything is beautiful. Tourists go from place to place looking for beauty. They try to take beauty from that place. They only get tired and tanned. Yet the most beautiful spot anywhere is right here. When you come here, you find that wherever you are, everything is so beautiful.
Where is this place? Don't look here and there. Where do you go? Within you. When you come here, then any place is beautiful. Then wherever you go, you add beauty there.
If you are unhappy, even the moon is irritating to you. Sweet things are nauseating, music is disturbing. When you are calm and centered inside, noise is musical, clouds are magical, rain is liquid sunshine.
Book yourself on a trip to this most beautiful place in the universe. Then you find that every day is a vacation and a celebration.
When we are joyful, we do not look for perfection. If you are looking
for perfection then you are not at the source of joy. Joy is the
realization that there is no vacation from wisdom. The world appears
imperfect on the surface but underneath, all is perfect. Perfection
hides, imperfection shows off. The wise will not dwell on the surface
but will probe into the depths. The things you see are not blurred, it is
your vision that is blurred. Infinite actions exist in the wholeness of
consciousness, and yet consciousness remains perfect, untouched.
Realize this now and be at home.
Legendary is the love that withstands rejection. It will be free of anger
and ego. Legendary is the commitment that withstands humiliation. It
will be one-pointed and will reach the goal. Legendary is the wisdom
that withstands turbulence. It will be integrated into life. Legendary is
the faith that withstands a million chances of doubt. It will bring
perfection - siddhis. Legendary are the events that withstand time.
They will become morals for millions.
Q. I find it difficult to believe that all real world day to day problems will get resolved by love or compassion alone. How would you deal with this perspective?
Gurudev: I get your point. Think from your personal experience, what type of boss would you prefer, someone who always has a frown on their face, who puts pressure on you? It does not mean that as a leader, you should keep smiling in all situations. It only means that you should use anger sparingly. Sometimes, just a little expression of anger on your face gets a lot of work done much faster.
You should rather make people feel comfortable around you and inspire them by smiling with them and being with them; understanding their point of view, creating a sense of belongingness in them, rather than run the business operating on fear psychosis.
There are three things: the Self, the senses, and the object, or the world. And there are three words: sukha, pleasure; dukha, sorrow; and sakha, companion. These have one thing in common: "kha," which means "senses."
The Self through the senses experiences the world. When the senses are with the Self, that is pleasure (sukha), because the Self is the source of all joy or pleasure. When the senses are away from the Self (dukha) -- in the mud, lost in the object -- that is misery. Mud, misery, mind -- they are very close.
Self --- Senses ("Kha") --- World
--- Joy (Sukha) Sorrow (Dukha) ---
Self is the nature of joy. In any pleasant experience, you close your eyes; you smell a nice flower, or you taste or touch something. So sukha is that which takes you to the Self. Dukha is that which takes you away from the Self. Sorrow simply means that you are caught up in the object, which goes on changing, instead of focussing on the Self.
All the sense objects are just a diving board to take you back to the Self.
Sa-kha, companion, means: "He is the senses." Sakha is one who has become your senses, who is your senses. If you are my senses, it means I get Knowledge through you; you are my sixth sense. As I trust my mind, so I trust you. A friend could be just an object of the senses, but a sakha has become the very senses.
The sakha is the companion who is there in both the experiences of the dukha and of sukha. It means one who leads you back to the Self. If you are stuck in an object, that wisdom which pulls you back to the Self is sakha.
Knowledge is your companion and your companion is Knowledge. And the Master is nothing but the embodiment of Knowledge. So sakha means, "He is my senses, I see the world through that wisdom, through Him."
If your sense is the Divine, then you see the whole world through the Divinity.
Your head will be in the mud in a few years;
Don't put mud in your head while you are still alive.
In Sanskrit the word “Shalabh” stands for Locust or grasshopper which is a one type of insect, basically found in grass. While doing Shalabhasana the complete body shape seems like a locust or grasshopper structure thus this posture is additionally known as Locust pose. Shalabhasana advantages to strengthen back muscles and curing ailments like sciatica and back ache. This Asana is simple to do and suitable for everybody. This is the special Asana for the spine.
Steps of Shalabhasana
Lie down on your Stomach; place both hands underneath the thighs.
Breath in (inhale) and lift your right leg up, (your leg should not bend at the knee).
Your chin should rest on the ground.
Hold this position about ten to twenty seconds.
After that exhale and take down your leg in the initial position.
Similarly do it with your left leg.
Repeat this for five to seven times.
After doing it with the left leg, inhale and lift your both legs up (Your legs should not bend at the knees; lift your legs as much as you can).
With both legs repeat the process for two to four times.
Benefits of Shalabhasana
It is beneficial in all the disorders at the lower end of the spine.
Most helpful for backache and sciatica pain.
Useful for removing unwanted fats around abdomen, waist, hips and thighs.
Daily practice of this Asana can cures cervical spondylitis and spinal cord ailments.
Strengthening your wrists, hips, thighs, legs, buttocks, lower abdomen and diaphragm.
Toughens back muscles.
Precautions
Don’t practice this asana in case if any surgery has done. First of all practice Ardha Shalabhasana then practice entire Shalabhasana posture. Control your breathing while doing this pose.
Inhale and slowly raise the arms, keeping them straight.
Now, exhale and bend forwards.
The arms, trunk, and head should remain in one line.
The forehead and arms should rest on the floor in front of the knees.
Relax the whole body.
Inhale and exhale slowly.
Inhale and raise your arms up and slowly bring it down.
Shashankasana breathing
Inhale while raising the arms.
Exhale bends forwards.
Breathing should be deep and slow in the final position.
Now, inhale and raise your arms and come to the original position.
Top 10 benefits of Shashankasana
Shashankasana is a very simple asana with so many important benefits.
Stress: This asana acts like as a panacea for stress. It acts as a stress buster. Therefore, it is recommended that the pose should be performed religiously who has the problems of stress, anxiety, anger, tension, etc.
Back muscles: The practicing of this asana provides suitable stretch to the back muscles thereby releases pressure on the disc and good for the heath of backache.
Sciatica: Stretching, ensures separation among the individual vertebrae and makes supple to the back thus good for sciatica.
Back blood circulation: This yoga pose gives stretching to the back muscles, removes sluggish and depleted blood thereby increases the fresh flow of blood in the region.
Massage to abdominal organs: It provides suitable massage to the abdominal organs and helps to prevent constipation and indigestion.
Memory: Practicing of rabbit pose properly, ensures the smooth flow of blood in the skull region and effective in memory and concentration.
Sexual disorders: Those who are suffering from sexual disorders, should perform it regularly. It strengthens the pelvic region, good for women, and alleviates sexual disorders.
Relaxation: This is one of the few yoga poses, which brings quick relaxation and induces calmness and tranquility by regulating the adrenal glands.
Kidney: It helps to improve the function of the kidney, liver, and visceral organs.
Strengthens pelvic: It is good for the health of the pelvic region.
Shashankasana precautions and contradictions
Backache
Knee pain
Migraine
Abdominal injury
Shashankasana preparatory pose
Dandasana
Vajrasana
Stretching yoga
Shashankasana follow up pose
Supt Vajrasana
Shavasana
Stick asana
Important facts about Shashankasana
Level: Basic
Duration: 10 seconds to 3 minutes
Stretches: Back, pelvis, arms, thighs, abdomen
Strength: Back, Legs, pelvis, digestive system, sexual organs
Setu Bandhasana (Bridge Pose) The word Setu Bandha comes from the Sanskrit word “Setu” which means Bridge; and the meaning of Bandha, is Lock or bind, and Asana means Posture, pose or seat.
Pronunciation of Setubandhasana is SAY-tuh-bun-DHAHS-ana. This Pose called Setu Bandha because in this Asana when we try the pose of this Asana, our body looks like a bridge. Setu – Bridge; Bandha – Bind, Lock; Asana – Pose, Posture or seat. This yoga pose is pronounced as SAY-tuh-bun-DHAHS-ana.
English Name: – Bridge Pose.
Sanskrit Name: – Setu Bandha. (Spinal lift pose).
Other languages : เคธेเคคुเคฌंเคงाเคธเคจ, เจธੇเจคੁเจฌੰเจงਾเจธเจจ, เชธેเชคુเชฌંเชงાเชธเชจ
After that bend or Fold your knees and keep your feet and hip distance apart on the floor.
Distance should be10-12 inches from your pelvis. Along with knees and ankles in a straight line.
Take your arms beside your body, and your palms should facing down.
Now inhaling, slowly lift your lower back, middle back and upper back off the floor.
Now gently roll in the shoulders; touch the chest to the chin without bringing the chin down, supporting your weight with your shoulders, arms, and feet.
Now feel your bottom firm up in this pose. Keep your Both thighs are parallel to each other and to the floor. You may interlace the fingers and push the hands on the floor to lift the torso a little more up, or you could support your back with your palms. Keep breathing normally and slowly. Remember to hold the posture for 30 seconds or one minute, and exhale as you gently release the pose.
Benefits of the Bridge Pose
Bridge Pose gives Strength to your back muscles.
It relieves the tired back instantly.
Stretches chest, neck, and spine.
Gives calmness to brain, reduce the level of anxiety, stress, and depression
Setu Bandhasana Opens up your lungs and reduces thyroid problems.
Improves digestion.
Good for women in menopause and menstrual pain.
Helpful in asthma, osteoporosis, and sinusitis high blood pressure.
This Yoga Pose calms the brain and rejuvenates your tired legs.
Cautions of the Bridge Pose
Do not try or avoid doing this pose if you are suffering from neck and back injuries.
At first be perfect in basic Asanas, once you perfect then try this Asana. If you are beginner than the master in basic Asanas after that try this Yoga Pose.
Do all the Asanas in under the supervision of yoga instructor.