These yogis, through these highly refined and powerful practices developed their mind and bodies to overcome the normal ravages of time & environment; they lived & many continue to live, long, healthy lives. For the uninitiated their longevity and perfect health would border on myth & fiction. George Weston Briggs claims to have met two yogis of advanced ages – one was 120 years old and enjoying perfect health; whereas the other was so old that the reader might not be able to rationalise it, as we are all conditioned to believe that death, old age, disease and senility await us the moment we reach our 60’s.

Yet for those who have lived with these remarkable people; studied & practiced with them, it is a reality, albeit baffling. We just have to read modern scientific research which points out that much of the powers of the mind remain unexplored, herewith I present documented feats of yogis under laboratory conditions:

• A study by Prof K.N. Udupa et al showed that, after training of 6 months of some asanas (yogic postures), the average basal breath rate of 12 subjects had dropped to 6.8 from 13.4 per minute.

• K.S. Gopal et al compared a group who had practiced hatha yoga for 6 months with a group who had no yoga experience but engaged regularly in other forms of light exercise, and found the basal breath rate of the former group to be 10 breaths per minute as opposed to 23 per minute in the latter.

• A study by Dr. M.L. Gharote also measure such factors as ‘explosive strength, dynamic strength, trunk strength, coordination, equilibrium and stamina,’ and found that overall fitness was improved after only a three-week training programme comprising asanas, ujjayi-pranayama, agnisara-dhauti, kapalabhati and nauli.

• In a particularly interesting study by P.V. Karambelkar et al, it was found that regular practice of asanas reduces the amount of strain endured by muscles as they are being stretched. EMG (electromyographic) reading supported the idea that a strong link exists between mental focus and the degree of tension experienced in the body.

• S.K. Ganguli & M.L. Gharote studied 11 men before and after an 8 months training programme comprising cleansing techniques, asanas, pranayama & meditation and found increased cardiovascular efficiency i.e. “the capacity of an individual to maintain strenuous activity of the whole body for a prolonged period”.

• Change in blood composition. Among the components of the blood which chemical analysis has shown to increase as a result of following a yogic training programme are: red blood cells, haemoglobin, lymphocyctes and thyroxin. Those which have been shown to decrease include leukocytes and cholesterol - Funderburk 1977.

• Das & Gastaut after studying 7 Indian yogis, concluded that ‘supreme concentration of attention’ is likely to be ‘responsible for the perfect withdrawal state of the yogi during samadhi (superconscious state),’ which state is shown by the EEG results to be profoundly different to sleep, lethargy, anesthesia or coma.

• Psychologists Bagchi and Wenger’s conclusion on an experiment on yogis is summed up by Michael Murphy as, ‘that for these yogis meditation was as active rather than a passive process’.

And much more remains undocumented and would be too difficult for the human mind to comprehend and believe, as the realities that we see are restricted by our untrained and limited senses.

Now when we talk about yoga, we are referring to the complete package and not the ones you see in TV and ads where asanas are done under various names and modifications. I have written comprehensively on this in the MYS newsletter.

Yoga is here to stay and we would prefer it to be the authentic traditional yoga; though we do not claim to know everything about yoga, but what little we know out of the massive yogic philosophy, we claim to know precisely. This life is too short to be wasted on argumentations & trivial discussions, it is wiser to follow a beaten path, an ancient path, still existing, thriving and without any petty principles - a path older than all the current philosophies and beliefs. We have knowledge of this path, a safe path, a path that Casteneda says, “…when choosing a path, choose a path that has… a heart.”

The Malaysian Yoga Society has been set up to specifically help the underprivileged members of our society to make use of the many tools that yoga has to offer to improve and evolve their lives and consciousness. There are many NGOs and organisations which are currently catering to some of the needs of this segment of our society but we would like to fill in the vacuum that exist in the holistic well being of this group, where the mental well being has to be addressed first.

I believe that with everything that one does, one should give one’s best. In that tradition we should set out to contribute to our society. My indebtness to Swami Sivananda, Paramahamsa Satyananda, the rishis, yogis and seers whose contributions transcend all petty boundaries and encompass the whole of humanity without fear or favour and flavoured with unconditional love.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Manisekaran