Vibrational Breath Therapy is an experiential discipline

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"Sri Bala" sribala Heal Thy Self WITH Pranava AUM During my early forties I was at the cross roads of my life. After sixteen years of married life, all of a sudden I found the skies caving in on me. I was in the midst of a severe trauma and the turmoil of a marriage breakdown. I ended up as a single parent with four children and found it most difficult to

cope with the changed circumstances. About this time a good friend of mine got my horoscope read and informed me that my life was only just starting, and that I was born for a purpose which I would fulfill. It meant no sense to me then, but now it is pretty clear. The purpose it would appear to me was to unravel through my own personal experience 1. the soul-redeeming power of chanting (Manta Yoga) 2 .the life-giving power of breathing (Pranayama) and 3. The healing-thy- self power of breathing, chanting and meditation (Pranava AUM and Meditation). 1. The soul-redeeming power of Mantra Yoga The Shiva Mantra was introduced to me by my deceased g/mother in 1965 through a spiritual medium, when I was deep in distress trying to cope with my new status quo. The chanting of the mantra helped me to

rise above my immediate problem, get a grip on myself and move on with my life. Four years later I witnessed rain being brought down to parched Colombo by the chanting of the Kriya Babaji Mantra for twenty four hours, over an auspicious fire inaugurated by Yogi Ramiah, I spent the next ten years from 1970 - 80, chanting the Shiva Mantra 108 x 108 = 11,664 times a day to verify its veracity. I had proof of its validity when in 1978 I was able to save my infant grandson from death with an undiagnosed condition by the sheer power of the Mantra directed in the same fashion to our Holy Trinity. 2. The life-giving power of Pranayama Re: From Sri Bala Ratnam, Founder, Vibrational Breath Therapy Fri 6/22/2007 Dr. Tushar K. Rayji’s reply to Mukund Bholeji refers. From 1969, when I attended my first Yoga Retreat conducted by Yogi Ramiah in Sri Lanka, I learnt breathing techniques (inappropriately called Pranayama) at several prestigious Schools of Yoga. The breathing techniques were taking in air at the physical level using chiefly the diaphragm, the intercostal muscles, and the neck muscles. This naturally took in all the oxygen needed by the body. In most Schools of Yoga the breathing-in was into the lower, mid and upper lungs, and breathing-out was upper, mid and lower lungs and pulling the abdominal muscles in to exhale the air completely. I had followed the above sequence close upon twenty years without being sufficiently energized or able to satisfactorily rehabilitate from any serious ailment. But it would be wrong on my part to dismiss altogether the usefulness of some of the practices, as when I learnt a few basic breathing techniques from Dr H R Nagendra in 1980 at a Yoga Shibir at Kannyakumari, India, incorporated them into my sadhana and enjoyed doing them with an abbreviated chanting of the Shiva Mantra. In 1983 I most mysteriously fell ill with three life threatening ailments – pleurisy, hepatitis and a virus infection of the muscular system. I was 61 years old, and was out for the count for three days, but recuperated fast enough to leave the Nursing Home in

ten days time. But what amazed me most was that when a CT scan was taken a month later the Doctor cleared me as completely fit. It immediately occurred to me that the breathing and chanting may have contributed to my speedy recovery. With it began my voyage of discovery of Pranayama , the science of breathing. It ended with my first session with Maharishi Dr Swami Gitanada Giri Gurumahraj (Swamiji) spiritual,head of the Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga tradition and an authority on Pranayama, at the International Centre for Yoga Education and Research, Pondicherry, India in 1988. Herein I’m trying to recollect

partly from memory (and partly extensive notes) what happened during the inaugural session. Swamiji’s opening words were mind boggling. It startled me. It also aroused great curiosity in what he was saying, because he spoke with such authenticity and authority. · Generally we breathe-in to only one fifth of our lung capacity. Therefore we can be only 20% healthy, functionally efficient, and mentally active. · Equally the out-breath is shallow, causing respiratory acidosis (acidity of blood due to increase in carbon dioxide). This results in lung and other respiratory conditions, and with its neglect circulatory acidosis, heart and other cardio-vascular conditions. · Toxic and metabolic wastes are expelled from four vital organs as follows: lungs 60%, skin 20%, bladder and bowels 10% each, reinforcing the need to breathe-out deeply and consciously. · We are more toxic than sick. But what took my breath away was when he said: · 99.56% of all energy content (prana) was obtained only by breathing in Mahat Yoga Pranayama, the classical and scientific complete yogic breath, and only the balance from food. Then he expanded on Pranayama. Pra meant prior and Anu cellular life. So pra+anu = prior to cellular life = prior to creation. Now what existed before creation ? It was Prana in a dormant state. Ayama was the regulation of Prana within the Pranamaya Kosha – the electromagnetic field. The Pranamaya Kosha like the other four Koshas are manifestations of Prana , energy bodies vibrating at the cosmic vibratory energy of the primal sound Pranava AUM, and needing daily sustenance of Prana. Pranayama is the absorption of prana into the electromagnetic field (Pranamaya Kosha) and regulating its flow in different techniques, ratios, rhythms

(or along psychic passages as in Kriya yoga). It is certainly not breathing with awareness air into the lungs and absorbing oxygen into the physical body. The high frequency of Prana was brought down by step down transformers by the Chakras at the Anandamaya Kosha, the Mandalas at the Vijnanamaya Kosha, the Bindus at the Manomaya Kosha and into the Nadis in the Pranamaya Kosha . It finally filters into the nerve plexuses and endocrine glands of the physical body. Only breathing over 70% of the lung intake in Mahat Yoga Pranayama enabled one to absorb prana into the lobes of the electromagnetic field, which underlies the lungs. Just like the subtle energy

system of the Nadis lie underneath the nervous system of the physical body, so do the lobes under the lungs. As mentioned in my previous article when Mahat Yoga Pranayama is done in different ratios it generates healthy blood and glandular cells and bodily fluids, and when incorporated into an 81 day (or three month) program in progressively deeper rhythms, it renews, repairs and rehabilitates. Then Swamiji inquired from us whether we had heard about breatharians and informed us that

breatharians sustained their lives with only the breath. The air breathed in gave them all the nourishment they needed. (Chapter 39 on Therese Neumann, the Catholic Stigmatist, in the “Autobiography of a Yogi’ by Paramahansa Yogananda refers). And when he stated that out of the 3764 internally caused diseases recorded in ancient India all except 18 were considered due to faulty breathing (absorbing insufficient prana) he aroused in me a greater interest in Pranayama and in particular Mahat Yoga Pranayama. I reflected on his ‘stranger than fiction’ statements and took into consideration the fact that we breathe 25,920 breaths per day at an average of 18 breaths per minute and also that 1. man’s life span was measured by the number of breaths and not the number of years etc as derived from astrology. (It is claimed that a number of breaths was allotted to an individual at time of birth and if the breathing was done deep, slow and rhythmic, one not only lived healthily but also a longer life) and 2.

the ancient secret to good heath and longevity was breathing deeply, slowly, and rhythmically I made a solemn resolve that I would learn all that Swamiji had to offer most intently, make myself a guinea pig and test them on myself and satisfy myself to the veracity of his unbelievable claims. And I’ve done just that. I have been doing Mahat Yoga

Pranayama for the last eighteen years and know now most of its nuances and hidden truths. It is my conviction that if a sadhak does the same practice, day after day, for a decade or more the hidden truths will be revealed. It may be remembered In this context that even our rishis did one practice for ages to know its truth. Just as I discovered the power of Mantra, so I can boldly state that Mahat Yoga Pranayama, if done to an 81 day programme, develops one physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. 3. The ‘heal-thy-self’ power of breathing, chanting and meditation (Pranava AUM and Meditation). I was the first to qualify as a Yoga Therapist from the Vivekananda Yoga Research Foundation, Bangalore, India in 1984. In order to qualify I had to conduct an Asthma Therapy camp of 21 days duration and submit a dissertation showing progress in 21 clinical parameters. The fifty student-patients did Kriya, breathing and limb loosening exercises, asanas, pranayama, devotional sessions, instructional and motivational talks, over forty practices in all. Having qualified from the Bihar School of Yoga, Monghyr, India, in 1985 I migrated to Australia and commenced my Yoga Therapy practice in Melbourne in 1986. Within two years it dawned on me that Yoga Therapy was not treating the symptoms, but healing the root cause at the core of the self, by helping a student-patient to rise above the body and conscious mind, negate ego consciousness and attune to a higher state of consciousness (the state of causal silence within, where peace and happiness reign). Though the concept made sense to me, I started seriously wondering whether it was humanly possible. So I proceeded to the land of my inspiration, India, based myself in Bangalore, and proceeded on a North Indian pilgrimage. I’ve mentioned in my previous article of how I was blest by a Yogini to become a competent Yoga Therapist, and how she helped me to heal a lady, bedridden for three years with lumbar spondylitis, to walk again by the chanting of Om and allowing it to vibrate and resonate at her lower back, She gave me a practice and a program to effect it. With that experience, when I went to Pondicherry to study under Swamji it appeared to me a continuation of my work in Bangalore. I had come to Swamiji primarily to learn that Pranava AUM was the therapeutic usage of Om, and while Pranava AUM gave the vibratory resonant frequency of the primal sound (associated with the three planes of

existence) needed by the cells, it had to be chanted while breathing in Mahat Yoga Pranayama for the cells to also get the energy needed and how the breathing and chanting combined together to create a state of wellbeing or the optimum conditions for healing to take place After eighteen years of dedicated study, practice, research etc I can vouchsafe that Pranava AUM (incorporating Mahat Yoga Pranayama) leading to deep meditation at the Heart Centre (Anahata Chakra – the seat of the soul) positively renews, repairs and heals, within the constraints of one’s karma. Asthma is a reversible airway obstruction disease. Though I got the student-patients to do some forty odd practices in 1984 as mentioned earlier, I now treat asthma with only one main practice, Pranava AUM and meditation, and two other complementary practices Rhythmic Breath (Savitri Pranayama) and Psychic Sleep (Yoga Nidra) to create a stare of wellbeing during the day and at time of going to sleep. In proof thereof let me cite the feedback of a student who healed himself of asthma completely. “For ten years I had suffered from severe bronchial asthma and at times I had been hospitalized in intensive care….. From a medical viewpoint my situation was considered to be permanent and various doctors (including

respiratory specialists) speculated that at the very best, medical drugs could only maintain the condition and hopefully prevent things from getting worse. I came across Sri Bala Ratnam’s Breath Therapy Intensive and enrolled in the course. Throughout the course Sri Bala introduced me to methods and techniques of breathing which he claimed helped to cleanse the body and calm the mind.. I found myself committed to practising these methods daily as he advised and in October 1992, to my great delight, I discovered that Sri Bala’s claims were correct as my condition had left me and there was no need for me to be dependent upon any more medication. (He has had no relapse during the last fifteen years) Brief feedback from two leading medical practitioners from Melbourne, who have attended my 81 day (3 month) programme. These may help you to appreciate the effectiveness and unique “heal thy self” quality of my discipline better. “This is undoubtedly the best programme of instruction that I have been through in my area of health and self-development. The

reasons: · Unflagging encouragement & positive reinforcement. · Instruction by a teacher who has clearly mastered that which he is teaching (rare in this age). · A very systematic & cleverly laid out programme & excellent manual” Dr Paul Holman, Psychologist & Psychiatrist, Victoria, Australia “Remember, you are doing this for the good Lord, not for mankind…..if you know my meaning… and the few you have shown the way will open the floodgates when the Divine time is at hand…. People like me do it day in, day out. I see the face of the Lord again and again. Fear and despondence is not

what I encounter now, but rather an understanding of the workings of the Divine and man’s choice to veer or follow God”. Dr Kuan Chin, Physician Consultant , Victoria, Australia Vibrational Breath Therapy is an experiential discipline. An 81 day programme must be done to appreciate its effectiveness in reversing the process of ageing, rehabilitating from a serious condition and even evolving spiritually. At the moment, among several others, respected Dr Madanmohan, Director-Professor & Head, Department of Physiology, JIPMER, Pondicherry, INDIA is following an 81 day programmme with me, with a view to research into it early next year. I may advise you to do likewise if

you really want to know its truth. Sri Bala Ratnam, Yoga Therapist Founder, Vibrational Breath Therapy (based on Rishiculture Ashtanga Yoga) Breath Therapy Clinic, Postal Address: P O Box 5128 Clayton VIC 3168 Australia Phone; +61 3 9543 2875; 0410 594 018 Email address: sribala,au; Website: www.vbt.com.au (being reconstructed) Yogacharya Dr.Ananda Balayogi Bhavanani Chairman : Yoganjali Natyalayam and

ICYER Hon General Secretary, Pondicherry Yogasana Association 25, 2nd Cross,Iyyanar Nagar, Pondicherry, South India-605 013 Tel: +91-413 - 2622902 / +91-413 -3203314/+91-413 -2241561 Website: www.icyer.com www.geocities.com/yognat2001/ananda

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