Suprotim Choudhury

Don't just aim at blind targets and stationary objects...

The mind is wandering; steady it,
The emotions fluctuating; still them -
Consciousness that waxes and wanes,
Turn it into the light of the Sun.

Fix your aim well at the soul,
Shoot and don't miss your mark -
This is how perfect meditation must be.

2 years ago | [YT] | 6

Suprotim Choudhury

Never give up. The one thing you will learn well during your yoga practices is to develop inner will. It does not matter what never giving up means to you, to some it may mean getting to a goal that involves spirituality and yoga, to others it could be getting to the Moon or Mars; failure is another word for under-developed.

As your practice progresses day-by-day, a light of consciousness dawns in upon your progress as your journey towards the mid-day sun continues with unceasing fervour or a calm relentlessness. Either of these two approaches will take you where you need to/want to go.

Victory belongs to the most persevering - Napoleon Bonaparte

3 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 12

Suprotim Choudhury

Beyond the final frontier is not a physical place; it is a state of mind, a state of consciousness.


I AM neither the mind, the intellect, nor the silent voice within;
Neither the eyes, the ears, the nose, nor the mouth.
I am not water, fire, earth, nor ether
I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

I am not the life-force nor the vital airs;
Not the seven components nor the five sheaths.
I am not the tongue, hands, feet, nor organ of procreation
I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

Neither attachment nor aversion can touch me;
Neither greed, delusion, pride, nor jealousy are mine at all.
I am not duty, nor wealth, nor happiness
I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

I am not virtue nor vice; not pain nor pleasure;
I am neither temple nor holy word; not sacred fire nor the Vedas
I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

I have neither death, nor doubt, nor class distinction;
Neither father nor mother, nor any birth at all.
I am not the brother, the friend, the Master, nor the disciple
I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

I am not detachment nor salvation, nor anything reached by the senses;
I am beyond all thought and form.
I am everywhere, and nowhere at all
I am Consciousness and Bliss. I am Shiva! I am Shiva!

- Sri Adi Shankaracharya

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3 years ago | [YT] | 13

Suprotim Choudhury

A lot about practicing yoga is to achieve a balance of the various parts of our being. This integrates the various disintegrated parts that aren't working in harmony. For example, anger is not always a bad thing; it can work for you when transmuted into something known as determination.

Determination has a subtle tinge of the quality of nature known as sattva which reduces the harsher qualities of rajasic anger. As I mentioned before, yoga and even asana practice is a deep subject and balancing these qualities in nature is what we knowingly (when aware of the theory) or unknowingly do when performing asanas, bandhas and mudras and other practices. This depth of performance is what separates yoga from other practices. Trust me. During my weekly schedule I have an array of physical practices fit into my schedule, such as boxing, cycling and military calisthenics and I never quite experience the same depth and quality such as those of the integrative practices of yoga. However, I cannot do without the others since each has its strengths and weaknesses.

I believe that the other practices mentioned above are splendid for developing the body and to some extent the mind, but I have always sensed a retardation of other areas of our being and this is why my yoga practice acts as a powerful "supplement" developing the other areas of my being.

#yoga #asana #practice #theory #depth

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3 years ago | [YT] | 8

Suprotim Choudhury

In the month of June there is going to be a yoga festival, an annual event named 'Yamm' that will feature the practice of yoga within the serenity of nature. Held in Italy where nature is abundant and green, it makes for the perfect environment in which to celebrate and practice yoga.

For more details you may visit the website or the Instagram page (given below).

As a guest teacher representing traditional Indian Hatha yoga, I will also be conducting a session at the event.

Furthermore, I have attached a link that avails a 22% discount off the main price for participation in the event. This is a limited time offer (expires May 13).

Instagram: instagram.com/yammfestival?ig...

Website: yammfestival.it/en/yamm-festi...

Discount link: www.eventbrite.com/e/yamm-fes...

3 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 8

Suprotim Choudhury

Breathing in Ashtanga Viniyasa yoga is always done by way of Ujjayi pranayama; deep breathing through the glottis. This is supremely more important than the posture itself.

Focus on breath will create the correct alignment in the posture. In Iyengar yoga instead, focus begins with alignment first and breathing comes of its own accord.

Engagement of bandhas in Ashtanga viniyasa is dynamic and goes with the flow, while in Iyengar style, it is intrinsic to the practice, intensive and tends to occur in a meditative and gentle (though not always) way.

Ujjayi breathing is developed and occurs naturally in Iyengar style of asana performance while it is voluntarily practiced in the Ashtanga Viniyasa style.

3 years ago | [YT] | 13

Suprotim Choudhury

Kundalini awakening happens three ways:

1) Self effort.

2) Karmas facilitating the awakening due to previous efforts (including work done in past incarnations).

3) The grace of a guru.


The awakening is the first stage; there are then several ascensions that the have to be made and this is termed as 'Kundalini rising'.

Flashes of intuition, unexplained feelings of lightness and heaviness, euphoria, bliss, exhaustion, tension, desire, dispassion and a general sense of wanting to break free of something - these are some of the (and not limited to) signs of an awaked Kundalini Shakti.

Most of what we know and experience of Kundalini is an esoteric science; it is rare to have a complete ascension and descent of the power without the guidance of someone who knows the actual process.

There is no real difference between Kundalini, Raja and Hatha yoga in terms of the results being achieved. They're all talking about and experiencing the same thing but attributing different terminologies; one is more technical, the other more ritualistic and another is more esoteric.

The one thing that is common to all these yogas is the use of breathing techniques and/or restraint of breath (prana: breath, ayama: to stop - 'a' denotes a negative, while 'yama' a thing to be followed, to be for and not against).

So it means to go against the natural flow/current and to gain conscious control over breath, then the mind and nerves (the workings of breath and mind are interactive, interdependent and in constant communion) and then eventually, one gains control over the movements of the mind, attention and consciousness and then bring their energies under control or harmonize their workings for a better sense of well being.

Beyond this, there is something even more esoteric and profound, and this is where we encounter this topic of 'Kundalini'.

3 years ago | [YT] | 16

Suprotim Choudhury

Today is the birthday of a great warrior, fighter and ruler, Shivaji.

Reading stories and legends of these warriors goes to show how important the qualities of forbearance, courage, tenacity and determination are; I have always been inspired by them and in your own yoga practice, these qualities will benefit you immensely. It also happens to be my birthday and I'm proud of my warrior roots.

It is a misconception to think that when we talk of warriors it is a manly thing - the saying that there is a woman behind a successful man is apt when speaking about Shivaji for example.
His mother was his biggest source of inspiration and guidance. So too, many men are inspired by their girlfriends, wives and daughters to go out there and perform. They (women) give the passive Shiv 'Shakti' (power) the impetus required to achieve certain endeavours, whether they are the feminine aspect within or represented an external being. Think of your teachers, gurus and mentors, they are forms of Shakti regardless of their actual gender.

Jhansi ki Rani, Joan of Arc and others, they are warriors as well and even if the word (warrior) connotes a sense of being masculine, you need to understand that all power and force, masculine potency even, is a form of Shakti.

Shiva and Shakti form the perfect union and hence the depiction of the Phallus within the womb - the absolute state of union and equilibrium, the absolute optimisation. One mustn't look down on the feminine nor the masculine and one must seek to explore that which lies within in the form of these two principles.

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3 years ago | [YT] | 15

Suprotim Choudhury

This whole idea of God is a great discovery. Humans have been discovering all kinds of wonderful things like gravity, electricity, kundalini, powers of consciousness, thermal energy, space exploration, medicinal chemistry and of course, the idea of a consciousness that is all knowing, provident, that of a creator, God I suppose.

This idea is not to be denied as most sceptics do. It is of great interest and fascination. Personal experiences and supernatural abilities are attributed either to the wonders of the latent (hidden and undiscovered) parts of ourselves or nature. The explanation of siddhis (or supernormal abilities) includes this search for 'God' - a heightened sense of knowing that brings one into direct communion with this being.

The problem I suppose is not just of diversity of opinion as to what this actually is (God) and blind faith leaving no room for healthy scepticism, but is also a question of morality and justice. Many are left disillusioned with the idea of God as an almighty purveyor of justice and peace, as something that comes after great struggles and sacrifices and yet endears no tangible experiences in the concrete - I suppose this expressly tends to garner a narrative often held by the atheist that God cannot exist.

Some cannot be bothered at all until a pressingly dire situation calls upon the need to believe in the existence of such a being and some just meet death head on, face-to-face and I would have more faith in this type of an atheist. However, it still does not prove if God exists or not, not even deep samadhi states.

The problem is the lack of receptivity of human consciousness to the idea of a God created society and the inability to follow certain regulations of behaviour (as administered by religions) in order to sustain those behaviours that brings about a communion with this eternal bliss and ananda that many holy scriptures talk about.

Crimes and war committed in the name of God and atheism are masks to give justification to the animal in us and this delays our progressive evolution and causes unnecessary pain and suffering, resistance even.

The true evil is ignorance; a society based on lower than acceptable standards for raising human consciousness. I'm sure that if an Indian rishi was reincarnated into this present age, the process of enlightenment would speed up in him/her as a disdain born of the mundane background of what society at large is based on would produce a great dispassion. This is the neti, neti method of the vedanta. But tantra supposes that life is to be enjoyed regardless of status and the predictates of classism - they seem to have a workable solution to get past the dark aspects of society and existence and embrace the black Goddess's dual nature.

Just a thought.

3 years ago (edited) | [YT] | 15

Suprotim Choudhury

You sit in ecstacy, the knots pierced,
The moon risen,
Sun in your soul,
Light in thy eyes.
The heart sleeps,
Joy seeps,
Eternally, eternally...
Seems there's no end,
Seems like forever.

Open thy eyes,
Some kind of divine,
Some kind of ecstacy,
Some kind of eternity -

Thus this world unrelatable.

Slowly I wake,
Footsteps shake,
I see all as a fable -
A dream, a state between here and there,
I have already crossed over.

The wine intoxicates me not,
Nor the women,
Nor the world and its charm or its fantasies.

The sun has set,
The night is still,
The deeper the silence...

Oh God!
And I awake,
For the body is alive,
Still of this world -
Too soon to leave,
But a taste of ecstacy,
A taste of bliss,
The harmony of the cosmos,
The vacancy of illumination,
The calming of the chaos,
The ordering of the disorded,

Well, there is much work on the earthly plane - sceptics in denial, holy knots,
And yet,
You sit there, on your mountain throne,
The symbol of the ultimate experience -

I can but bow to you,

Callous it is for a mortal to claim that he is you - you are you - we are you.

Om Namah Shivaya

Thou art that

4 years ago | [YT] | 22