Copyright 1981

Bihar School of Yoga

Monghyr 811201, Bihar, India

Reprinted by permission

The Free Dalst Communion

Epitome Reprints

P. O. Box 3680
Clearlake, CA 95422

YOGA

The Yogi is superior to the ascetics; he is deemed superior even to those
versed in sacred lore. The Yogi is superior even those who perform
action with some motive. Therefore, Arjuna, do you become a Yogi.

(Gita VI/46)

Vol. XIX              March 1981               No. 3

(Simultaneously printed in Australia and India)

Editorial:

From time immemorial, man has been trying to under-
stand the role of sexual life in context with his spiritual
evolution. Although it has been said that the sexual
functions are a remnant of animal life, somehow, man
has never been able to accept this. All along he has
been wondering why nature created this special pro-
cess? What is the purpose behind sexual life?

Sexual union between man and woman is part of
the natural law of evolution. In every realm of nature,
union between the two forces is taking place all the
time. Creation of life, energy, matter is not possible
unless the positive and negative forces unite. It is not
the physical body that matters, but the quantum and
nature of energy. One of the most important ways of
creating energy is through sexual interaction between
a man and a woman.

This is the highest concept, but man is still bound
by his instinctive nature. He doesn't understand this
philosophy of energy. He just runs after pleasure. He
does not even know that pleasure is the outcome of
the union between the two energy poles. Man and wo-
man meet together just, to have a child. They don't
know that the creation of a child is nothing more than
the two forces of energy becoming manifest in the

mother's womb. Energy interplay is the cosmic law.
The sun, moon, stars, ocean and earth, all are the inter-
action of energy.

The ultimate source of energy is prakriti. This ho-
mogeneous, omnipresent force pervades the body,
mind and consciousness. Jt never stagnates, it is in con-
slant motion. If you do not know how to direct this
energy upwards, it finds expression in gross, empirical
life. In India, the mahatmas and rishis realized this
through their own experience and thus they devised a
system for directing this great force in man which ex-
presses itself in the form of sexual life. This science
became known as the path of tantra.

Tantra is not a path of sexual life but a way of
channelizing the sexual energy from a gross to a high
level. This process is not brought about by believing
or following any particular line of faith. The sublima-
tion of sexual energy for the purpose of spiritual illu-
mination needs a concrete process of practice. Even in
ancient times there were practices known to the people
and evidence of this can be seen in the archeological
remains from different cultures. In the present culture,
however, these practices have been lost and man has
only experienced the grosser aspects of sexual life. He
has not followed it back to the primal cause. In modern
society there is so much guilt, frustration and psycho-
logical disease for one simple reason; no one has un-
derstood the higher nature of sexual life.

According to lantra, every man and woman should
know the basic fundamental kriyas- vajroli, sahajoli
and amaroli. It should be understood very clearly by
everyone that the ultimate purpose of sexual life is for
awakening the mooladhara chakra. The momentary
pleasure derived from the sexual act is just a window

through which you can see beyond. No doubt there
are many other ways for awakening the spiritual poten-
tial. You can do it through penance, fasting, or prana-
yama, but the easiest and quickest way is through
the proper performance of the sexual act. That is the
real purpose behind sexual life.

The experience of awakening kundalini is unbear-
able. The ordinary orgasm only lasts for a few seconds,
and even that short period is an exploding experience.
Imagine if it continued for ten minutes! No one could
handle it. So sexual life is a preparation for this awak-
ening. It balances the emotions, calms the passions,
and minimizes the excitement of mind, so that day by
day you become more aware of inner life.

When a man and woman live together, they re-
present Shiva and Shakti. Therefore, they must learn to
interact with a spiritual purpose, to give birth to the
manifestation of energy. Love and affection are not
sinful, but there should be clarity and discipline rather
than anarchy. Then the sexual act becomes a powerful
means for awakening the higher consciousness.

May Thou be pleased to accept my prattlings as Japa,
and construe my movements as Mudras.

Let my ramblings be Pradakshina.

and what all I eat and drink be offerings to Thee;

My reclining be prostration to Thee,

and all enjoyments not for me but for Thee.

Thus let all actions of mine go to constitute Thy worship.

Saundarya Lahari, verse 27

Varna Marga

The practice of left hand tantra

Sexual life has always been a problem for mankind.
From the beginning of history, the primal energy has
been misunderstood. Religious teachers and moralists
have denounced it. But still sexual life has continued,
not because man respects it, but because he wants it.
He may give it up, but he cannot remove it from his
mind, for this is one of his most powerful urges.

In the context of yoga and tantra, the common
definition of sexual life has no relevance. It is absolute-
ly unscientific and incorrect. This definition has created
a society and a nation of hypocrites. It has led thou-
sands of young people into mental asylums. When you
want something which you think is bad, all kinds of
guilt complexes arise. This is the beginning of schizo-
phrenia, and all of us are schizophrenic.

Therefore, the yogis have tried to give a correct
direction to the sexual urges. Yoga does not interfere
with sexual life. Normal sexual life is neither spiritual
nor aspiritual. But if you are practising yoga and have
mastered certain techniques, then sexual life becomes
spiritual. Of course, if you are leading a celibate life,
that becomes spiritual too.

Left hand tantra

The science of tantra has two main branches,
which are known as vama marga and dakshina marga.
Varna marga is the left path which combines sexual
life with yoga practices in order to explode the dormant
energy centers. Dakshina marga is the right path of
yoga practices without sexual enactment. Previously,
due to the barriers in sexual life, the path most widely

followed was dakshina marga. Today, however, these
barriers are rapidly being broken, and the path most
sought after by the people everywhere is vama marga,
which utilizes sexual life for spiritual development.

According to tantra, sexual life has a threefold
purpose. Some practise it for procreation, others for
pleasure, but the tantric yogi practises it for samadhi.
He does not hold any negative views about it. He does
it as a part of his sadhana. But, at the same time, he
realizes that for spiritual purposes, the experience must
be maintained. Ordinarily this experience is lost before
one is able to deepen it. By mastering certain tech-
niques, however, this experience can become continu-
ous even in daily life. Then the silent centers of the
brain are awakened and start to function all the time.

The energy principle

The contention of vama marga is that the awaken-
ing of kundalini is possible through the interaction be-
tween man and woman. The concept behind this
follows the same lines as the process of fission and
fusion described in modern physics.

Man and woman represent positive and negative
energy. On a mental level they represent time and
space. Ordinarily, these two forces stand at opposite
poles. During sexual interaction, however, they move
out of their position of polarity, towards the center.
When they come together at the nucleus or central
point, an explosion occurs and matter becomes mani-
fest. This is the basic theme of tantric initiation.

The natural event that takes place between man
and woman is considered as the explosion of the energy
center. In every speck of life, it is the union between
the positive and negative poles that is responsible for

creation. At the same time, union between positive and
negative poles is also responsible for enlightenment,
and the experience which takes place at the time of
union is a glimpse of the higher experience.

This subject has been thoroughly discussed in all
the old scriptures of tantra. Actually, the energy waves
that are created during the mutual union are not as
important as the process of directing that energy to
the higher center. Everybody knows how this energy
is to be created, but nobody knows how to direct it to
the higher centers. In fact, very few people have a full
and positive understanding of this natural event which
almost everybody in this world experiences. If the con-
jugal experience, which is generally very transitory,
could be extended for a period of time, then the experi-
ence of enlightenment would take place.

The elements that are brought together in this pro-
cess of union are known as Shiva and Shakti. Shiva
represents purusha and Shakti represents prakriti or
energy. Shakti, in different forms, is present in all cre-
ation. Both material and spiritual energy are known as
Shakti. When the energy moves outwardly, it is materi-
al energy, and when it is directed upwards it is spiritual
energy. Therefore, when the union between man and
woman is practised in the correct way, it has a very
positive influence on the development of spiritual
awareness.

Retaining the bindu

Bindu means a point or a drop. In tantra, bindu is
considered to be the nucleus, or the abode of matter,
the point from which all creation becomes manifest.
Actually, the source of bindu is in the higher centers
of the brain. But due to the development of emotions

and passions, bindu falls down to the lower region
where it is transformed into sperm and ova. At the
higher level, bindu is a point. At the lower level, it is
a drop of liquid, which drips from the male and female
orgasm.

According to tantra, preservation of the bindu is
absolutely necessary for two reasons. Firstly, the pro-
cess of regeneration can only be carried out with the
help of bindu. Secondly, all the spiritual experiences
take place when there is an explosion of bindu. This
explosion can result in the creation of a thought or of
anything. Therefore, in tantra, certain practices are
recommended by which the male partner can slop ejac-
ulation and retain the bindu.

According to tantra, ejaculation should not take
place. One should learn how to stop it. For this pur-
pose, the male partner should perfect the practices of
vajroli mudra as well as moola bandha and uddiyana
bandha. When these three kriyas are perfected, one is
able to stop ejaculation completely at any point of the
experience.

Ejaculation is not avoided because of loss in terms
of the chemical structure of semen, but because it
brings down the energy level. The sexual act culminates
in a particular experience which is reached only at the
point of explosion of energy. Unless the energy ex-
plodes, the experience cannot take place. But this ex-
perience has to be maintained, so that the energy level
remains high. When the energy level falls, ejaculation
takes place. Therefore, ejaculation is avoided, not so
much to preserve the semen, but because it causes a
depression in the level of energy.

To make this energy travel upwards through the
spine, certain hatha yoga kriyas have to be mastered.

The experience which is concomitant of energy has
to be raised to the higher centers. It is only possible to
do this if you are able to maintain that experience. As
long as the experience continues, you can direct it to
the higher centers. But as soon as the energy level un-
dergoes depression, ejaculation will take place.

Ejaculation brings down the temperature of the
body and at the same time, the nervous system under-
goes depression. When the sympathetic and parasym-
pathetic nervous systems undergo depression, it affects
the brain. That is why many people have mental prob-
lems. When you are able to retain the semen without
ejaculating at all, the energy in the nervous system and
the temperature in the whole body are maintained. At
the same time, you are free from the sense of loss,
depression, frustration and guilt. Retention will also
help to increase the sexual frequency, and that is better
for both partners. The sexual act does not have to cre-
ate weakness or dissipate the energy, on the contrary,
it can become a means of exploding the energy. There-
fore, the value of retaining the bindu should not be
underestimated.

In hatha yoga there are certain practices which
must be perfected for this purpose. You should begin
with asanas such as paschimottanasana, shalabhasana,
vajrasana, supta vajrasana and siddhasana. These are
beneficial as they place an automatic contraction on
the lower centers. Sirshasana is also important because
it ventilates the brain so that all of one's experiences
will be healthy experiences. When these postures have
been mastered, shambhavi mudra is perfected in order
to hold the concentration steadily at bhrumadhya. Then
vajroli mudra has to be practised together with moola
bandha and uddiyana bandha in kumbhaka. Practice

of kumbhaka is necessary while the ejaculation is
being held. Retention of the breath and the bindu go
hand in hand. Loss of kumbhaka is loss of bindu, and
loss of bindu is loss of kumbhaka.

During kumbhaka, when you are maintaining the
experience, you should be able to direct it to the higher
centers. If you are able to create an archetype of this
experience, perhaps in the form of a serpent or a lumi-
nous continuity, then the result will be fantastic. So,
in spiritual life, bindu must be preserved at all costs.

The female experience

In the female body, the point of concentration is at
mooladhara chakra, which is situated at the cervix,
just behind the opening of the uterus. This is the point
where space and time unite and explode in the form of
an experience. That experience is known as orgasm
in ordinary language, but in the language of tantra it
is called an awakening. In order to maintain the con-
tinuity of that experience, it is necessary for a buildup
of energy to take place at that particular bindu or
point. Usually this does not happen, because the explo-
sion of energy dissipates throughout the body through
the sexual medium. In order to avoid this, the woman
must be able to hold her mind in absolute concentra-
tion on that particular point. For this, the practice is
known as sahajoli.

Actually, sahajoli is concentration on the bindu,
but this is very ditiicult. Therefore, the practice of saha-
joli, which is the contraction of the vaginal as well as
the uterine muscles, should be practised over a long
period of time.

If girls are taught uddiyana bandha at an early
age, they will perfect sahajoli quite naturally with time.

Uddiyana bandha is always practised with external
retention. It is important to be able to perform this in
any position. Usually it is practised in siddhasana, but
one should be able to do it in vajrasana or the crow
posture as well. When you practise uddiyana bandha,
the other two bandhas- jalandhara and moola bandha
occur spontaneously.

Years of this practice will create a keen sense of
concentration on the correct point in the body. This
concentration is more mental in nature, but at the same
time, since it is not possible to do it mentally, one has
to start from some physical point. If a woman is able
to concentrate and maintain the continuity of the expe-
rience, she can awaken her energy to a high level.

According to tantra, there are 2 different areas of
orgasm. One is in the nervous zone, which is the com-
mon experience for most women, and the other is in
mooladhara chakra. When sahajoli is practised during
maithuna, mooladhara chakra wakes up and the spiri-
tual or tantric orgasm takes place.

When the female yogi is able to practise sahajoli
for say 5 to 15 minutes, she can retain the tantric or-
gasm for the same period of time. By retaining this
experience, the flow of energy is reversed. Circulation
of blood and sympathetic/parasympathetic forces
move upward. At this point, she transcends normal
consciousness and sees the light. That is how she enters
the deep state of dhyana. Unless the woman is able to
practise sahajoli, she will not be able to retain the im-
pulses necessary for the tantric orgasm, and conse-
quently she will have the nervous orgasm, which is
shortlived and followed by dissatisfaction and exhaus-
tion. This is often the cause of a woman's hysteria and
depression.

I

So, sahajoli is a very important practice for wom-
en In uddiyana, nauli, naukasana, vajrasana and sid-
dha yoni asana, sahajoli comes naturally.

The practice of amaroli is also very important for
married women. The word amaroli means 'immortal'
and by this practice one is freed of many diseases. The
practice of amaroli over a prolonged period also pro-
duces an important hormone known as prostaglandin
which destroys the ova and prevents conception.

Tantric guru

Just as in the scheme of creation, Shakti is the cre-
ator and Shiva the witness of the whole game, in tantra
the woman has the status of guru and the man of dis-
ciple. The tantric tradition is actually passed on from
the woman to the man. In the tantric practice, it is the
woman who initiates.

It is only by her power that the act of maithuna
takes place. All preliminaries are done by her. She puts
the mark on the man's forehead and tells him where
to meditate. In ordinary interaction, the man takes the
aggressive role and the woman participates. But in tan-
tra, the two switch roles. The woman becomes the op-
erator and the man her medium. She has to be able to
arouse him. Then, at the right moment, she must create
the bindu, so that he can practise vajroli. If the man
loses his bindu, it means that the woman has failed to
carry out her functions properly.

In tantra it is said that Shiva is incapable without
Shakti. Shakti is the priestess. Therefore, when vama
marga is practised, the man must have an absolutely
tantric attitude towards the woman. He cannot behave
with her as men generally do with other women. Ordi-
narily, when a man looks at a woman, he becomes

passionate, but during maithuna he should not. He
should see her as the divine mother, Devi. In India, the
appellation of Devi is still attached to the woman's
name after marriage. This denotes that she is to be held
in highest esteem and approached with an attitude of
devotion and surrender, not with lust.

According to the tantric concept, women are more
endowed with spiritual qualities and it would be a wise
thing if they were allowed to assume higher positions
in social affairs. Then there would be greater beauty,
compassion, love and understanding in all spheres of
life. What we are discussing here is not patriarchal
society versus matriarchal society, but tantra, partic-
ularly left hand tantra.

Path of yogis not bhogis

In tantra, the practice of maithuna is said to be the
easiest way to awaken sushumna, because it involves
an act which most people are already accustomed to.
But, frankly speaking, very few are prepared for this
path. Ordinary sexual interaction is not maithuna. The
physical act may be the same, but the background is
totally different.

In the relationship between husband and wife, for
example, there is dependency and ownership. But in
maithuna there is no idea of ownership; each partner
is independent, one unto himself. Another difficult
thing in tantric sadhana is cultivating the attitude of
passionlessness. The man has to virtually become brah-
macharya in order to free the mind and emotions of
sexual thoughts and passion which normally arise in
the presence of a woman.

Both partners must be absolutely purified and con-
trolled internally and externally before they practise

maithuna. This is hard for the ordinary person to com-
prehend because for most people, sexual interaction is
the result of passion and physical or emotional attrac-
tion, either for progeny or pleasure. It is only when you
are purified that these instinctive urges are absent. This
is why, according to tradition, the path of dakshina
marga must be followed for many years before the
path of varna marga can be entered. Then the interac-
tion of maithuna docs not take place for physical grati-
fication. The purpose is very clear- awakening of
sushumna, raising the kundalini energy from moola-
dhara chakra and exploding the unconscious areas of
the brain.

If this is not clear when you practise the kriyas
and sushumna becomes active, you will not be able to
face the awakening. Your head will get hot and you
will not be able to control the passion and excitement,
because you have not tranquilized your brain.

Therefore, in my opinion, only those who are
adepts in yoga qualify for vama marga. This path is
not to be used indiscriminately as a pretext for self-
indulgence. It is meant for mature and serious minded
householder sadhakas, who are evolved, who have been
practising sadhana to awaken the energy potential and
to attain samadhi. They must utilize this path as a ve-
hicle of awakening. Otherwise it becomes a path of
downfall.

PRACTICE OF VAJROLI

In the tantric system, there are two techniques given
for vajroli- one is from hatha yoga and the other from
kriya yoga. The halha yoga vajroli is mainly directed
towards maithuna, and the kriya yoga technique to-

wards chakra awakening. Results are reached much
sooner with the first method (in one or two years), but
results gained with the second method are far more
complete and powerful, even if it takes longer to per-
fect (four to five years).

The traditional hatha yoga technique involves in-
sertion of a flexible silver or gold tube up the urethra.
This method has to be utilized before puberty, when
the walls of the urethra are more elastic, so that dis-
charge of semen (which very often occurs when the
tube reaches the urithroid, immediately after the curve
of the urethra) is avoided. In this practice, it is not the
tube which has to bend at the curve, but the urithroid
which has to be stretched.

In the kriya yoga method, uddiyana bandha must
be practised in siddhasana twice a day in the morning
and evening, for one or two years, until mastery is
achieved. Pranayama must also be continued. The prac-
tice of siddhasana places an automatic lock on moola-
dhara without performing moola bandha, while the
practice of uddiyana bandha strengthens the urithroid.
It is necessary to maintain uddiyana bandha for at least
one and half minutes. Only then will it be possible to
proceed to the next stage. During this first stage, tech-
niques of the following stages are not to be performed.

When perfect control of uddiyana bandha is estab-
lished, it is necessary to eliminate acidity in the body
with a convenient diet. For this purpose, besides diet,
it is necessary to drink a lot of water until the urine
becomes clear and odorless. If diet and water are not
enough to eliminate acidity, seeds of dry coriander are
to be masticated. The most convenient way to check
if acidity has been eliminated, is to hold back the flow
of urine for a moment while urinating. If a burning

sensation is felt, it means that acidity has not yet been
eliminated.

When siddhasana and uddiyana are mastered and
acidity is eliminated, the practice has to be continued,
trying to stop the flow of urination. When a quarter
is left to flow, the flux has to be stopped, then the con-
traction is released and the urine is allowed to flow a
little, then again the flux is stopped, and so on. This is
not performed while standing but in namaskara. It is
necessary to practise interrupted urination for about
six months.

When the flow of urine is perfectly under control
and it is possible to stop and start the flux at will, it is
necessary to practise sucking the urine back up again.
This technique is very difficult and requires one or two
years to perfect. Only a small amount of urine is actu-
ally sucked back up in comparison to that which is
afterwards emitted, but the feeling of sucking is very
clear.

When it is possible to suck the urine back up, the
same thing can be done with semen. The next stage,
therefore, is to suck the discharging semen back up. In
order to master this technique, if; is necessary to length-
en the gap between the moment in which the urge to
discharge semen is felt and the moment in which it is
actually discharged. This gap has to be gradually
lengthened up to one minute, not more. At the begin-
ning, a longer gap would cause one to lose conscious-
ness. The experience is an explosive one. During that
minute, the body must remain immobile, eyes closed,
and breath retained either inside or outside. Concentra-
tion has to remain on the control of the semen only.
Holding back causes a very clear sensation in moola-
dhara chakra like a little ball hitting it.

Finally, when perfect control of this technique is
achieved, concentration is directed to the chakras.

Summing up

The complete technique of vajroli can be summed
up in the following stages:

1.  Sit in siddhasana and practise uddiyana, increasing
gradually until it can be held for one and half
minutes.

2.  Eliminate acidity of urine by means of (i) diet, (ii)
water, and (iii) seeds of dry coriander.

3.  Practise interrupted urination while performing
namaskara. Time needed: six months.

4.  Suck the urine back up. Time needed: one or two
years.

5.  Hold back the ejaculation up to one minute.

6.  Progressively increase the period of holding back
until permanent retention is achieved.

7.  Direct the concentration to the chakras.

SAHAJOLI

Sahajoli is performed in siddha yoni asana, so before
beginning the practice it is necessary to first perfect
this posture. Then the practice should be developed
gradually along the following lines:

Seated in siddha yoni asana, after washing the
legs and feet thoroughly, contract the muscles of the
vagina and then relax them, repeating several times in
succession.

When the vaginal muscles become stronger, con-
tract the inner part of the vagina and hold the contrac-
tion. Gradually increase the contraction of all vaginal
muscles until it becomes more intense and deep.

When deep contraction has been achieved, begin
to contract the vaginal muscles, raising the opening
from the heel. Then bring the heel up close to the
vaginal opening, and relax the muscles so that the heel
enters the vagina. Continue to contract and raise the
vagina, then relax and lower it, until the heel enters
approximately two centimeters into the vagina.

When this stage has been mastered, repeat con-
tractions while silting in bhadrasana and gorakshasana.

Alternate practices

1.  Perform naukasana with the arms and fists clenched
strongly. While holding this position, contract the vagi-
na also. The practice has to be done holding the breath
inside. When this can be performed with ease, contract
the whole body, starting with the contraction of the
vagina.

2.  Assume namaskara with the arms outside the legs
and the hands flat on the floor. Contract all the mus-
cles of the vagina and hold the contraction for as long
as possible, while retaining the breath inside and per-
forming shambhavi mudra.

Note

This concludes the preliminary practices for vaj-
roli and sahajoli. These techniques are to be practised
and perfected gradually, until the aspirant is ready to
utilize them in combination with maithuna for awaken-
ing the spiritual energy.