THE HATHA YOGA PRADIPIKA INTRODUCTION

INTRODUCTION

There exists at present a good deal of misconception

with regard to the practices of the Hatha Yoga. People

easily believe in the stories told by those who

themselves heard them second hand, and no attempt is

made to find out the truth by a direct reference to any

good treatise. It is generally believed that the six

practices, (Shatkarma) in Hatha Yoga are compulsory

on the student and that besides being dirty, they are

fraught with danger to the practiser. This is not true, for

these practices are necessary only in the existence of

impurities in the Nâdis, and not otherwise.

There is the same amount of misunderstanding with

regard to the Prânâyâma. People put their faith

implicitly in the stories told them about the dangers

attending the practice, without ever taking the trouble of

ascertaining the fact themselves. We have been inspiring

and expiring air from our birth, and will continue to do

so till death; and this is done without the help of any

teacher. Prânâyâma is nothing but a properly regulated

form of the otherwise irregular and hurried flow of air,

without using much force or undue restraint; and if this

is accomplished by patiently keeping the flow slow and

steady, there can be no danger. It is the impatience for

the Siddhis which cause undue pressure on the organs

and thereby causes pains in the ears, the eyes, the chest,

etc. If the three bandhas (Bandha) be carefully

performed while practising the Prânâyâma, there is no

possibility of any danger.

There are two classes of students of Yoga: (1) those who

study it theoretically; (2) those who combine the theory

with practice.