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Yoga also stresses the importance of rhythm and proportion. Creative energy or cosmic breath, the vibration that led to the primordial word, AUM, set everything in motion and initiated creationthe presence of all that exists and all that will come into existence. This creative energy is also called prana (energy or life force). Prana energizes our physical and mental activities, serving as a link between the body and mind. |
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Yoga teaches us the importance of our prana through the practice of asanas and pranayama, which lead to the rhythmic control of our inhalation and exhalation of the breath. Through proper inhalation and exhalation, we take full advantage of the cosmic energy and prana, which leads to spiritual, physical, and mental well-being. B. K. S. Iyengar offers this explanation: |
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When you inhale, the self comes into contact with the body. Hence, inhalation is the evolution of the soul towards the body and the spiritual cosmic breath coming into contact with the individual breath. Exhalation, from the point of view of physical health, is removal of toxins from the system. From the psychological point of view, it quiets the mind. From the spiritual point of view, it is the individual breath in the person coming into contact with external cosmic breath so that they are one.21 |
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Asanas and pranayama slowly subjugate the ego, mind, and intelligence. This allows us to turn inward and stay focused on the spiritual part of ourselves, which leads us slowly forward on the path of the goal in yoga. The yogi, who has gone through a lifetime of unwavering dedication to develop perfect attention and attentiveness, finds that sublime moment when the body's vibration pulsates to the rhythm of the cosmic energy. This is what vastu brings into the construction of the Kandariya Mahadeva. The rhythms of the vibrations in the sacred womb chamber reflect the rhythm of the |
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21 B. K. S. Iyengar, The Tree of Yoga, ed. Daniel Rivers-Moore, (New Delhi: HarperCollins Publishers India, 1998). |
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