When we think and speak about hygiene, what do we mean? Hygiene is physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and pranic cleansing of the body. This cleansing is possible if we disinfect our thoughts. Our thoughts are the influencers of our health in every aspect. And that is why we must learn the gentle sadhana of Sanyam.

I will quote from Swami Sivananda:

Now is the perfect time to sow a thought,
reap an action,
reap a habit, reap a character,
sow a character and reap a destiny.

Swami Niranjananda wrote, live a normal life with a daily routine, focusing on:

Acquiring a good physical health to boost the immune system
good mental and emotional balance to maintain clarity
happiness, harmony, contentment, positivity and creativity
developing a spiritual culture in life.

Dear ones, let us examine these precious pearls of wisdom.

Sanyam has to be practiced. What does it mean? It means to restrain oneself and this leads to a balance in one’s life. A yogic lifestyle enables one to restore harmony and equanimity. Self-acceptance and self-compassion are very essential, one needs to accept one’s faults and recognize one’s virtues. One’s objective is to improve one’s physical, emotional, mental, spiritual and pranic health. The key is Sanyam and one is locked in with multitude of issues.

These issues are being nurtured by one’s thoughts which are breeding in the fertile soil of one’s mind. They need no water, no heat, no oxygen, these issues grow like untended weeds. It is as if one’s mind has succumbed to the green-house effect. They are hardy and toxic and one cannot pull them out, because the roots are widespread and deep.

How to learn Sanyam?

With a daily sadhana of breath awareness. What is breath awareness and how is it connected to Sanyam? Our respiration is the only function of our system that we can control. The rest are automatic and are influenced by our process of respiration.

Close your eyes. Sit still in a comfortable pose. Become aware of your breath flowing in and out of your nostrils. Cool breath goes in and warm breath comes out. Become aware of the breath flowing through both nostrils, with the prana, going to the lungs. This is inhalation. Become aware of the process of exhalation, when you are exhaling warm breath through the nostrils. This is the first part of the process of respiration. It is described as external respiration. Count your breath backwards from 27 to 0.

The second part is when you visualize the oxygenated blood with prana, going to the lungs and from there to each and every cell in your system, during the process of inhalation. When you exhale, you visualize the Carbon dioxide and toxins being expelled from each and every cell and then being expelled through the nostrils. This is internal respiration. Now count backwards from 27 to 0, visualizing the process of the cells getting the oxygenated blood with prana. Take a pause and visualize the complete process of respiration.

Now practice respiration with external and internal respiration 54 times, counting backwards. If you make a mistake in the counting, you have to start again.

What has happened here?

Could you think about anything else? Were there any distractions and intrusions, when you were engaged in the process. Remember, you were aware of your breath, you were visualizing the process and you were concentrating on the counting. No opportunity for diversions.

Congratulations, you have understood the meaning of Sanyam. This simple sadhana will guide you and restore your equilibrium. You will be able to apply it to every aspect of your life.

Aim Hrim Klim