--- In [email protected], "Rick Archer" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > From: [email protected] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] > On Behalf Of Bhairitu > Sent: Monday, March 10, 2008 8:18 PM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] Your replies to my inquiries about TM technique > and experience
> What's your take on MMY's contention that OM makes you a recluse, and his > claim that Guru Dev said the same thing? Bhairitu as usual makes a good point. Millions of people chant om everyday without repercussions. But there is something more important at stake here. Thinking for one's self. This is the heart of yoga. Much of what MMY said is entrenched in dogma and superstition. The only way to test it is to use common sense and see if its really a problem. I find the same thing in Iyengar Style yoga. Iyengar too, makes wild pronouncements cautioning women inverting during her period, or practicing pranayama without special support and students take these claims like they passed double blind studies around the globe. Most of this silliness is just repeated superstition reinforced through generations of ignorance. The best test: Give the practice a shot. Try using Om for a week. Meditate in the sun or with a pet. Let the mantra follow the breath. Tell someone your mantra. Note if these have ill effects. Its not like any of these rules is going to lead to brain cancer. In my experience the worst case scenario when experimenting with TM is a slight headache or a distracted 20 minutes. On the other hand, generally these rules are senseless twaddle. We need to learn how to play with our practice. Make it our own. Let it evolve. Yoga without growth is not yoga its bhoga. s.
