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There is a GREAT talk of Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev about an important yoga practice: Bhuta Shuddhi, and I want to know more about this practice.

  1. Is it ok to do this process alone (if no, why not)?
  2. Who started it?
  3. Where is the origin of this practice?
  4. The best process steps to do it.
  5. The best book about Bhuta Shuddhi (for a more detailed reading).
  6. And most importantly how to understand the steps in this process, so one would not do it blindly without knowing why he is doing it the way he is.
Sarvabhouma
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2 Answers2

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He teaches hatha yoga. He is a hatha yoga teacher. Hatha yoga is not Vedanta. It is a physical exercise. Krishna condemns hatha practices in the Uddhava Gita (XXIII. 41-42.) as placing to much emphasis on the material body. Sankara recommends in his Aparoksanubhuti (143.) only for beginners and only in conjunction with raja yoga as a means to help teach the body to sit for long periods of time for meditation, but not as a practice in itself or to be done for years and years.

He also gives in the video a somewhat muddled account of the 5 elements. the annamayakosa, the physical body, is made up of the gross physical elements, not the 5 subtle elements per se as explained by him. The gross physical elements are made up of combinations of the subtle elements, but the physical body is not composed of the 5 subtle elements in the simplistic way he is explaining it. For example, the gross element we call water does not directly equate to the subtle element called water.

Swami Vishwananda
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    If you're familiar with Hatha Yoga, can you take a look at my question here: http://hinduism.stackexchange.com/q/7562/36 It's about the origin of one of the most popular forms of modern Hatha Yoga, called Iyengar Yoga. – Keshav Srinivasan Jun 21 '15 at 05:16
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    Hath Yoga is not vedanta...so what? It is indeed a very important part of the 'idea of Hinduism'. – Hindu Jun 21 '15 at 06:40
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    Patanjali yoga sutras clearly say that asanas are only a small part of Yama, niyama, pranayama, asana, prtyahara, dhyana etc. Does Patanjali refer to any specific physical asanas in his work? Now adays as the world is filled with all kind of diseases, more emphasis is being laid on asanas. Although, the Yoga school is considered thestic, but it is not accepted fully by any of the Bhasyakaras viz. Shankara, Ramanuja, Madhva and even by the actual author of brahma sutras, Sage Badarayana. –  Jun 21 '15 at 10:03
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    @Krishna asana is literally seat, and refers to your seat for meditation, not exercise postures. No specific asana is specified but only to what is comfortable for the individual for meditation. Patanjali says only that it is "steady and pleasant"; Krishna says in the Uddhava Gita "an even seat at ease" – Swami Vishwananda Jun 21 '15 at 13:57
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    @Krishna also see Svetasvatara Upanishad (II. 8.) "The wise man should hold his body steady, with the three [upper] parts erect, turn his senses, with the help of the mind, toward the heart, and by means of the raft of Brahman cross the fearful torrents of the world." – Swami Vishwananda Jun 21 '15 at 14:55
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    @Swami Vishwananda- I agree with you. I read somewhere that Pantanjali yoga sutras doesnt mention any of the so called Hatha Yoga asanas, which are more of physical activity. But, i am no way questioning its value. Hatha Yoga postures might help in keeping the physical body healthy, there by help in maintaing some kind of semblance in modern life style. But, none of vedantins accept Yoga school in toto. Similaly samkhya school is not accepted by vedantins, though there are good things taught in it. –  Jun 21 '15 at 15:19
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The practice of Bhutha Shuddhi as thought by Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is perfectly safe and effective.

It can be done alone, meaning you can do it alone by yourself, if that is what you mean. You can do it as a practice by itself in case you are unable to do other forms of yoga like Hatha Yoga or Pranayam due to limitations with your body, etc.

Replying to Swamy Vishwananda, By the way, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev is not just a Hatha Yoga teacher, it is just a part of the offered teachings of Isha Foundation.

Aby
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Lakshmi Anand K
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