Volume 1 : Issue 1 : September 1st - 15th

NORMALISING THE BREATH OF MANKIND

HARA
INAUGURAL ISSUE

A Fortnightly Spiritual E-Magazine

The Advaita, the Zen, the Tao and the Intent happen at the centre of your consciousness Where all the pluralities and dualities get dissolved. This centre is known as the Hara. Dr. Yugandhar

Foreword by Editor
A Tribute to Dr. Yugandhar on Teachers Day! Normalising the breath, which sounds simple enough but is the single most effective method of bring about a state of oneness on this planet. Imagine running a race, how would be breathing at the end of it? How do you breathe when you are normal? Is your breath ragged or at a slow pace as you sit? If humanity were to breathe in a synchronised manner then one can only imagine where the world would be. This inaugural issue of the Hara fortnightly is launched on the auspicious day in tribute to our teacher Dr. Yugandhar. We thank you Doctor for enabling us to find our true selves, to have found more peace and the prosperity that is following true peace. As Doctor always says I am not chasing the vision, the vision is chasing me! This movement was begun on a small note with Doctor first coming to Bangalore after his session in Hyderabad and then on to Mumbai and Pune and thus it started. One will see in the coverage map for the exponential growth that has been achieved and it continues yet! Expecting to add two new states in October. Doctor is a very simple man for his stature and accomplishment. He will manage with things that one can say are much below the bare minimum for the average person. He requires little or no sleep, has little food of which he prefers raw food. He makes no asking of anything, if anything is provided he is surprised to receive! Such is the humility and the open heart of Dr. Yugandhar. He is compelled to realise this vision of humanity which is to normalise their breath. He does not ascribe in any technique or any religion. He just says normalise your breath as you sit.

Shriram Chakravarti Editor This piece is as a collective reflection of The Hara Team

On Meditation
Meditation is not. Meditation is not Prayer/Worship Meditation is not Concentrationnot Meditation requires Concentration Meditation is not Contemplation Meditation is not a Method Meditation is not Doing Meditation a state of being which comes with emptying oneself Meditation is choiceless awareness born out of the awakening of energy of understanding While there is no singular method which can be called as superior or ultimate, still many meditation methods advocate the importance of Breath Here is a way, Just Enjoy ...! Sit Straight ( Sitting Straight makes the alignment of energy properly) Nose and Navel should be in straight line Close of your eyes with your hands on the lap Watch the rise and fall of abdomen with each breath ( abdomen raises with every inhalation and goes within with every exhalation) Keep the minds eye in the lower abdomen Let the breath be smooth, soft, pause less/jerk less like the flow of oil Allow the letting-go phenomenon happen Let there be no expectation or craving for an experience Slowly the meditative process starts blossoming With continuous passive attention on Breath, slowly the mind gets emptied and gets focussed on the inner eternal silence and the consciousness slowly gets internalized. This internalized consciousness has to be maintained thru out the day and night The Mastery over Breath is said to happen when the breath always happen in the abdomen even during normal daily activities of life.When the breath patterns are changed, mind also changes

What is Hara?
Hara is the Centre of Personal Will, Intent, Sexual Energy and is the Core Consciousness of the Whole Being. Working on Hara is the process of Self-Becoming which erases the opinions, prejudices and beliefs. Learning the art and science of Hara certainly unleashes the hidden energies lying dormantly within each one of us ! All the truly Enlightened masters live eternally in Hara Consciousness. The Wisdom and Practice of Hara Consciousness is seen under various names in Zen Schools, Taoistic, Tibetan, Shamanistic & Himalayan Practices, Taichi, Aikido and other martial concentration methods, Sufi, Buddhist, Hebrew and Mayan Healing Methods etc. Many People who are in Confusion, Pain and Agony have their energies stuck at the upper chakras due to mal-alignment of Hara-Line and the Energy Pathways. Visceral Awareness of the Core Consciousness results in major Transformation in life. Union of Head & Heart, Thought & Feeling, Intuition & Intellect is called as Yoga or Spirituality and all this union happens at the Centre of Your Being otherwise called as the HARA. .. Dr.Yugandhar. Hara in Japanese means Centre of your being. It is a point 2 below the navel and when you are deeply aware, You find yourself here. Hara in Sanskrit means Shiva, the one who eliminates ignorance. Shiva Consciousness is said to be lying in ones Bellly ( the Atma Linga). Hara in Hebrew means Preganant (full) Being. One becomes wholesome when reaches ones nucleus from the periphery. Hara in Greek means Joy. Hara is the true centre of Joy which is not dependent on any person or reason

By Dr. Yugandhar

More on Hara
In Japan the concept of Hara is much larger than the simple idea of abdomen and belly. Hara refers to the lower back and abdomen. The Japanese consider that the vital spirit resides in the Hara, more specifically at a point a hairs breath below the navel, known as the Tan-Den. The Hara describes the quality of a persons energy - one may have a good hara or a bad hara. All movements and power in Japanese Martial Arts originate from the Hara. The Oriental thought and medicine health is the first principle without which disease itself may not be defined. Disease is an outof-balance state and an aberration of the harmony of life. Health is the normal and natural functioning of the body and the goal of ideal treatment. To help to restore harmonious function is to bring about the state where healing may optimally occur. Jackson Morisawa the Kyudo instructor at Chozen-ji in Hawaii writes: Hara is the seat of Life, the centre of intrinsic energy. It is also referred to as a state of mind in the development of ones character. One who controls the hara is not likely to loose his balance or composure. Who has hara does not consume himself or spend himself completely. He learns to anchor himself in the hara, and can shake off disturbances of the body and mind and alternately release himself from the ego and return to the deeper power of the original being, the will is silent, the heart is quiet; and one accomplishes his work naturally without effort. In Budo, physical strength alone cannot contain the vigorous procedures of training. Setting the hara, to center oneself by concentrating on the vital spiritual energy, ki, alleviates ones difficulty in maintaining vigorous discipline The faculties of hara are also used in other Japanese arts where to put a flower, when to make the final brush stroke in calligraphy. Using the hara encompasses within the idea of seeking perfection, or even enlightenment, through disciplined practice. There is no competition element, for this is an inner, spiritual way. Developing the use of hara can be accomplished through many different media, meditation, exercise, martial arts, and of course Shiatsu. The hara is a very sensitive and personal area which most of us are not used to having touched. The hara should be soft, relaxed above the navel, and full and firm below it. Sedentary Living, poor eating and drinking, lack of attention to breathing and posture contribute to universally weak conditions in the lower hara, which at the same time mental/emotional strain may lead to diaphragm tension and a tight upper hara.

The energy that maintains our vital Life force flows through twelve meridians, they are a crisscross network of interconnected path ways which link organs, skin, flesh, muscle and bones in a unified body. Each of the meridians is classified as Yin or Yang depending on which Yin or Yang organ it is connected with. The flow of energy throughout the meridinal system follows a specific sequence. Meridians have a protecting role in stopping harmful energies entering (viruses etc.). Hara diagnosis is performed by touch diagnosis of the abdominal area. Pulse diagnosis is a natural method that originated in China, whereas Hara diagnosis was developed in Japan. In Shiatsu the practitioner is required to have a sound understanding of his patients mind and spirit. He diagnoses the kuyo-jitsu pattern in a pair of meridians opposed to acupuncture when the diagnosis is based on one meridian only. In a hara diagnosis of the meridians in that area the practitioner finds points that are Kyo and points that are Jitsu. Kyo points have usually a penetrating stiffness are very sensitive to abrupt manipulation. When Kyo points are attacked the patients body will contract in order to defend itself. Jitsu points are very easy to find because they are obviously distorted areas. With tonification we can strengthen the kyo points and dissipate stagnation or stiffness in the joints Sedation is obtained with an anti-clockwise pressure to a Tsubo point.

Toudou, the master of oriental medicine once said that the hara always comes first. Applied to Shiatsu one can diagnose the total body condition and treat it with tonification and sedation. To train the hara one will strengthen the whole body. All body movement originate from here. The strength or weakness of this area is the mirror of the bodys health.

Contributed by Heers Patel

The Origins of this Movement

I do not remember clearly when i really started thinking about life and nature of consciousness, but as far i remember, when i was introduced to some prayer books related to Lord Hanuman and Shiva and Sun God , by my mother when was 8 year old in the year 1978...the story began.I became a big fan of Hanuman and he was my real hero. I truly believed that he comes to help whenever i needed him. I understood that whenever, i chant the name of Hanuman , i should do so with much reverence and the voice literally must emerge from inside of the lower abdomen...and this became a habit...whenever i want to think, contemplate, meditate, read a book i go to my lower abdomen. I met Hanuman several times and used to feel that he was my divine friend. My first conscious outof-body experiences started during this period. Whenever i get the feel of subtle body, i used to be in it...sometimes even when the eyes were open.

My most favorite experiences were watching the clouds from the verandah of my house in a supine position, when really what used to happen was watching my body from the clouds ...me sitting there. Oneday, in my sleep i fell down in a big well and was under water...when i started thinking in my subtle body about the absence of breath and and clearly came to conclusion that i was dead under water...then immediately hanuman came to my rescue...i could see him from below, only his knee caps...so huge was he on that occasion and he pulled me out and i found myself in my physical body all of a sudden...i havent forgotten the knee caps and thinking that happened in my astral form, till date. Going through this marvellous period of this part of life in the 1982...major breakthru happened by way of my first experiments with Ouija board, which was introduced by my school teacher. Our first experiment went in the afternoon time during a break given in tution hour next door, when all the stu-

dents around 20 in number assembled in my house when we invited the spirit to enter the coin, shutting down all the doors and windows closed ... thinking that the spirit which came cannot go out of the house without our permission. We had a detailed chat with that entity on that day and i was in total awe and surprise. And the experiments continued with many experiences with many masters, elementals ... more than 2000 sessions were either done, supervised or moderated by me.

likh raha hoo...from Nagarjunasagar to my parents before i received the letter of admission there. When i joined the college i wrote my first letter to my parents in hindi and i used same words which i was daydreaming.This 2 year period between 1985-87 i lived with some of the brilliant students who represented different districts of the state and my conviction of altered consciousness that happens spontaneously while reading books, while watching movies sometimes just by sitting alone grew My first past life experince happened in this more. I understood the importance of staypart of life.I happened to read a story related ing focussed. to appearance of crystals in the beaches of florida, i went into altered state of conscious- The fourth turning point was in the year 1990 ness for alomost 24 hrs during which period i ,when i was a medical student in kurnool had continuous visions of my life a s a mayan medical college, when i met Subash Patriji, when i was priest and a crystal technology the founder of pyramid spiritual societies, expert many centuries back. Though , initial- who gave wonderful exposure to meditation, ly i didnt believe that it was my pastlife... the spiritual literature and wise counsel for every series of the recurrent dream type of experi- spiritual query. I thoroughly was convinced ences, more than 100 in number, made me with all my experiences i had since my childunderstand almost a decade latter that it was hood and a new set of experiences began my past life. The funny thing was ... when i which included kundalini flow, many past understood that it was my past life, the re- lives, third eye visions, premonitions currence of this series suddenly stopped. The inspiring bent was given by MahavaWith Simultaneous experiments and experi- tar babaji in the year 1998 who narrated to ences related to Astral Travel, Past Lives and me my immediate past life as a kriya yogi. Ouija sessions...about which i was not thor- It was a 2hr conversation with him which i oughly convinced then and infact thought at can never forget.I never understood the feelthe inception that they were only day dream- ings of jealousy, hatred and many other so ing or hallucinations. But as the time was called ill feelings till i entered my private surpassing by, i slowly realised the validity and gical practice in the year 2000. Thanks to all veracity of these experiences.Then started the people and experiences which made me my third phase of transformation i the year maintain my inherent childs attitude. 1985 when i secured a seat in APRJC Nagarjunasagar, then most prestigious and the top It was followed by My sixth phase of transmost junior college in AP state. One inter- formation in the year 2004 when Babaji told esting thing happened here. I was daydream- me to work on the concept of THE WORLD ing and infact told one of my friends that i UNITED to interact with all the enlightwas getting vision that i was writing a letter ened/transformed beings of the world.It was in hindi ...mai ye kath jan bujhkar hindi me started on 30 Nov 2007.

Latter i came to know that Babajis birthday is celebrated on this day. What a coincidence ! It was also authenticated by the Himalayan Masters whom i met in Dec 2007 and Jan 2008 in the uttarakhand part, where i was fortunate to meet Mouni Swami who has not been talking and sitting in absolute silence for more than 50 years.( he was a prince of kashmir , an educated person who was initiated by Deorah Baba , ? a physical immortal, this baba was the person who named Babu Rajendra prasad, the first president of free India when he was still in his mothers womb. ...and the saga continued with me reducing my surgical practice to spend 3 wks a month for the activities of THE WORLD UNITED I take this as an oppurtunity thank my parents, all my friends, teachers and mentors who has influenced me in a positive way to become what i am right now. An article by Dr. Yugandhar

Coverage Map- June

Coverage Map - July

Coverage Map - Aug Sept

Cities Covered
A n d h r a P r a d e s h
Hyderabad Bangalore

l
Indore Ujjain Bhopal Nagda

r m e

n i

k d l

a u a

M a d h y a P r a d e s h

T a K

Chennai

N a a

Trivandrum Mumbai Pune Aurangabad Ahmednagar Sangli Miraj Panjim Ahmedabad Gandhinagar Baroda Chandigarh

U t t a r P r a d e s h
Lucknow Varanasi Kanpur

M a h a r a s h t r a

Ranchi Jamshedpur Raipur

C h h a t t i s g a r h a W e s t B e n g a l a t
Kolkata Siliguri

G G u j

Testimonials
I am a financial professional. I have been in spiritual path for the past 15 years. After many healing and meditation modalities, I have stumbled upon Hara centeredness. I have deeply experienced and understood that Hara centeredness gives all spiritual qualities like acceptance, forgiveness, connectedness with every thing, strength, rootedness in oneself and unity of consciousness as explained in Advaita philosophy. As it happens to many spiritual sadhakas, it slipped out of my activities. I have met Dr.Yugandhar in our Taichi class. Once we connected, I have understood what he has been talking about Hara and its experiences. He is very simple, down to earth and unassuming. I have been inspired by his vision to contribute to a world united and mission to spread Hara awareness as widely as possible. This is a rare opportunity as Hara awareness in general public is very rare, especially in India. Once one establishes oneself in Hara awareness, they can experientially understand that it is a short cut to higher end of spirituality and profound culmination of what many spiritual paths attempt to achieve in a long route and consuming a lot of time and efforts. Hara awareness is not against any religion or any spiritual practice. In fact, it furthers and deepens experience and understanding of any religion and spiritual path. Jai Gurudev V.K.R.Prassad Hyderabad Hara consciousness is a very useful method of breathing which energizes the whole body. It emphasizes the need and benefit of abdominal breathing instead of using the lungs for breathing. Expansion of belly while inhaling and contraction while exhaling is a method producing healthy, happy and beneficial results for the human being. It gives immunity from diseases and ensures good health. Focusing attention on the point below the naval is a yogic phenomenon linking mind with God and establishing union with universal consciousness. It a fine tested, proven method of relaxation, ensuring calmness of mind. It definitely helps to prevent illness and reduce /eliminate medical expenses. This method is simple to practice with immense benefits for man. Humanity will be much healthier and happier if everyone practices it with all earnestness. T. Ramaswamy Trivandrum

Hara Consciousness meditation is a doable method to bring awareness to the breathing process as felt by raising and lowering the abdomen.

This aspect becomes even more sharp and everything will start emanating from within automatically and will clearly set you apart as an extraordinary performing artist away from the ordinary. Please be in touch with Just behind and below navel is the Hara, Hara Conscious movement and enjoy the which is a natural balancing point of human pinnacle of your success!. consciousness, which indeed is the center of ones being. Rajaram k Iyer. Chennai It is a bridge where body and consciousness merge and meditation happens. By meditating on Hara consciousness our thinking becomes calm and we can relax in the expanded world of being. By becoming aware of Hara, inner conflicts gradually disappear on their own without any struggle. I sit quietly and focus on my abdomen as it keeps moving in and out as I breathe. With daily practice, the Hara point, becomes easily noticeable. Whenever I get a gut reaction or a gut feeling I now understand that it is the feeling of the Hara Consciousness . It is subtle and happens without much effort. It is beyond all chakras. The first step is to correct the wrong breathing. By normalizing human breathing like a baby or for that matter like a dog, we will stay very healthy as we will not catch disease. All music friends will agree with me - how effortlessly the rhythm flows with ease and in speed though the mins remains calm and peaceful.

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Format of the Hara Program

Setting up and arrangement of the session Introduction of Doctor to the session Session begun by Doctor A minimum of six photos taken through the session Two testimonials minimum Notes taken on topics covered by Doctor outside the topic of Hara Closing by Doctor Closing by facilitator to collect testimonials, group photographs, announcement of next programs and answering of questions

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The teaching should dominate the teacher. All these years the teacher has dominated the teachings. Now with the coming of the aquraian age the consciousness has to be centered for the mankind by way of transforming into a peoples movement where, the internalisation of ones consciousness leads to internalisation of mankinds consciousness. The carry forward activity of this movement is kept in your golden hands so that you take up the role of being a part of the evolution of planetary consciousness. - Dr. Yugandhar