# The Breath Simply Stops **1) Can our old bad seeds be destroyed, before they ripen? If so, briefly describe how.** We can use the Four Forces of purification to destroy old bad seeds. The first force is to quietly review all that we understand about seeds, thinking about our destiny, to save the world ourselves. The second force is to feel some intelligent regret—not guilt—about how our past action and its weed will delay our destiny. The third and most important force is to strictly avoid repeating the same mistake—for a specific period of time if we feel that we cannot permanently commit to not repeating it. The fourth force is taking some specific, positive action to counteract the negative one; for example, volunteering some time in a hospital, if we have done something to hurt another person physically. Simply setting aside some time to think about how the seeds work to create our world is the single most powerful counteraction possible. **2) Do we have to know the specific action that we committed in the past, in order to remove its negative seed?** Oftentimes we are experiencing the painful result of an action that we did in the past and no longer remember. In cases like this, we can logically deduce what it was we must have done to experience our current pain—consulting authoritative texts about seeds and consequences where needed. And then we apply the Four Forces accordingly. **3)  What, according to Master Patanjali, is the only way to stop violence in the world?** Everything in the world, including ourselves, is being projected by the seeds within our own minds. And there is always a similarity between what a seed produces and what planted it. Therefore the only way to stop violence in the world is to stop planting seeds of violence within our own mind. And the only way to do this is to stop being violent towards others. **4) Some of the most important words in the Yoga Sutra say that in your presence, all conflict will come to an end. Explain why these are so crucial.** The point is that mental seeds can only be planted and experienced by people as individuals: I cannot collect seeds for you, and you cannot give or transfer your seeds to me. And a ripening or experience that comes from the seed can only be experienced by the person who did the deed to plant the seed. Refusing to participate in violence is the only way never to have violence occur; but this will be true only of the person who refuses violence: only in their presence will violence never occur. **5) If seeds are collected individually, then why is it that groups of people can experience an event collectively—such as terrorist attack which affects many people together, or a class where many people gathered together can enjoy the wisdom of perfection?** When groups of people act together to do something, then they experience the result of that group action together. People affected by a terrorist attack have performed some violent act together in the past—for example, deciding as a nation to go to war against another nation. People sitting together in a class on the Yoga Sutra have in the past together provided the opportunity for others to enjoy such a class. **6) State and give examples for the four stages in which we will experience the gradual purification of our world, as the rewards of the yogic path ripen upon us.** Suppose you are careful never to return violence with violence, or anger with anger. The first stage of such rewards is “surprising”: a person who’s a problem at work greets you warmly. Then the obvious: almost everybody at work starts to smile at you. Next, the amazing: wars around the world suddenly stop. Finally, the miraculous: the process of your body aging clearly stops, and begins to reverse itself. **7) Name two of the original purposes for the asanas, or physical poses of yoga (do not include reduction of waistline).** One of the original purposes of the yoga poses was to give the yogi the physical strength and flexibility to sit in deep meditation for extended periods of time without moving. Another purpose is to place the body in positions that will help open the various inner channels, and facilitate the movement of prana and wisdom within them—eventually triggering the transformation into the rainbow body. **8) What are three kinds of lasting well-being that come from practicing the yoga poses?** If we practice the yoga poses properly, and steadily, then we get lasting well-being of our physical body (both inner and outer bodies); mental peace of mind since wind is flowing properly in the channels; and ultimately the withdrawal of the side channels into the central channel, which causes the body to turn into light. **9) Master Patanjali says that practicing the yoga poses properly can help us avoid polarity, or the false impression of differences. Discuss how this works physically, and then describe a few examples of false differences.** The two side channels—the channel of the sun and the channel of the moon—carry within them thoughts of false differences. If we have large quantities of inner wind or prana traveling through these channels, then we tend to perceive things in unhealthy dualities: subjects versus objects, both not coming from me; “you” and “me” that are not from me; responding to violence with violence to a person who is not coming from me, or responding to violence by negotiating with someone who is not coming from me. When we move inner wind rather into the central channel—in part by practicing the yoga poses—then we begin to see “third options” that really work. **10) Explain both how and why the breath might stop for periods of time during deep practice.** How the breath stops is that our mind focuses so sharply on a single point that the thoughts are stilled, which stills the inner winds or prana, which in turn stills the breath—because of the resonance between the gross physical breath and the inner winds. (We see this begin to happen when we are concentrating deeply, for example on a good book, or listening hard for a faint sound.) When this process goes deeper, the breath stops because the winds are moving from the side channels to the central channel, which also triggers the direct perception of ultimate reality. Why the breath stops is that we have been so kind to others, for so long, that we have very pure seeds to see ourselves no longer need to breathe. We are then coming close to the direct perception of ultimate reality, and to the transformation of the body into light. **11) What is the highest form of pratyahara, or withdrawal of the senses?** When you reach a high degree of withdrawal of the senses, then the mind can be focused easily. This then leads to the “highest controls of the senses,” the direct communion with ultimate reality.