Real Yoga

This page features some random tips along with random information, in no particular order, about all things Yoga.

When you are centering your attention on the Ajna Center, that point in the middle of the forehead, just above the bridge of the nose, make sure you don't go cross eyed. Nothing worse then a cross eyed Yogi.

The richest man in the world can be completely unattached to everything they own. Meanwhile the poorest person in the world could be completely and totally attached to their poverty. All attachments are an attachment to a thought.

Your expectations can only create your disappointments. Expectations are a hope, a desire, a goal. Expectations pull you away from being focussed on what you are doing now. When you focus on the doing and not the results (expectations), you can never be disappointed as you are too busy doing that which you are doing. The joy is in the doing, not the results. The results or expectations pull you away from being in the moment, from being in the now.

When practicing keeping still in your postures, hold them steady without flinching at all. Remember, like a good Zen Teacher, I will be right there with you to club you if you move :)

In any of the Yoga practises stillness is the name of the game. Start out trying to be still in everything you do, because when you finally try to still the mind, you will find it a Herculean task if you haven't been practising along the way. Patanjali, Abhyasa of the Chitti Vritti which means restraint of all mental fluctuations.

Stilling the mind is a tough one as it doesn't mean going in to a trance. Think of jumping into the Space between thoughts. Then stay in that space. Again Patanjali says, Chitta Vritti Nirodha, meaning complete and total annihilation of all mental fluctuation.

Remain totally conscious at all times. Do not trance. Do not sleep.

Are you interested in Self Realization, or are you interested in phenomena? Ask yourself that. Yoga is pratised for Self–Realization.

According to the wise Yogis, lettuce contains the most amount of Pranic energy.

According to Yantra Yoga, October 18 is the most powerful day of the year as it begins the transition to the following years cycle.

While doing Hatha Yoga, concentrate and visualize light on the areas where the tension is the greatest.

The word Yogi refers to anyone who studies and practices Yoga.

Swami literally means Title of respect for a Hindu Teacher.

Don't let the legs go to sleep in the Lotus posture. It means you are forcing. When legs are relaxed you can sit there all day and the blood still circulates.

The relaxation pose is only stayed in until you either fall asleep while in the relaxation pose or until you feel like it is time to get up and move.

If you are going through a stressful period in your life, and even if you are not, get a picture of a Great Master such as The Buddha, Jesus, Swami Vivekananda, Ramana Maharshi, Yogananda — or — it could even be a beautiful picture of a lotus flower. Place at the foot of your bed on the wall. Then, while sleeping, if your Astral Body decides to sit up and move, it will see the calm picture of the Great Master or beautiful picture of a lotus flower. This will remind your Astral Body that it is time to rest so it lays back down and continues to rest.

When the Swami and I were making his first website circa 1996, we didn't know what color scheme to use. So I asked the Swami: What are the colours of Yogis or Yoga? and he replied by saying Blue, Silver and Yellow. And then that became the colour scheme for the Real Yoga. The Swami never explained why these were the colours nor do I know where or how he learned this, but the Swami was 100% gung–ho for all things Yoga and he met many people who taught him many things.

A Master can put a curse on someone. But it's not really a curse. Instead, they speed up their Karma so they get their punishment sooner rather than later. However, by doing this, the Master will also suffer some form of karmic punishment.

I once asked the Swami what would be the perfect colour of our aura. He said black, void of all attributes.

Past lives are like a compost. You know there's a banana peel in the compost somewhere. But it's so decomposed it is now part of the soil. So while we can guess we are looking at a decomposed banana peel, we can't be sure. Whether or not past lives are accurate or not is unimportant. Even if accurate, we must live here and in the now. To look elsewhere becomes a distraction from the SELF.

In Yantra Yoga, it is said that a name with no vowels creates a person with no soul.

Sanskrit was a language created by the Mudra Yogis and was designed to utilize every sound that a human could or can make. Sanskrit was designed to be the perfect spiritual language to help further improve one's ability to obtain enlightenment.

Articles by Swami Harinanda and Yogi Karmananda are © 2026 and are licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Most images do not qualify for use under this license. The 9 Planes of Reality image is, however our own image and thus qualifies.

Some images are used under a Creative Commons License and can also be used as long as you follow their license agreement.

Music has been used with permission and may be used if you qualify and abide by the licensing requirements.

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