MASTERS OF THE MIND, (continued):

The steps Master Johari recommends for yantra practice parallel those in other yogic procedures. In Yantra Yoga, one begins with the Ganesh yantra. In Microchakra Psychology™, one begins with the first chakra deity; that is, Ganesh. In Mantra Yoga, one begins with a Ganesh mantra.

"In worship, we start with Ganesh first. Then other deities are worshipped afterward," he said. "Follow the chakras in order ... or (he said with just a hint of sarcasm) be free and follow your own path." in other words, Johari believes if one does not methodically follow the chakra system, one will waste a valuable incarnation going his or her own way. In addition to following well-known mandalas in design, Master Johari encourages students to take color into consideration when practicing Yantra Yoga.

"Sit down and play-don't talk," he gently cautions a student on the verge of worrying about a design. "Many people come to these workshops, play with the colors and like it. But it's good to start the day with the right color. The color for Monday is silver or light blue. So on Monday morning, sit down and use that color in making a drawing, a yantra, anything that comes to your mind, or write the name of the Lord -- any name of the Lord you like, just repeat it like a japa -- do that only. Afterwards, do anything. That brings the energy to a very different place. By repeating the same name, time and again, you don't go into a mental trip: you just become calmer. All these practices have been affirmed by centuries of experience." Colors of the days are: Sunday, gold or orange; Monday, light blue; Tuesday, red; Wednesday, green; Thursday, yellow; Friday, white; and Saturday, black.

Master Johari said yantra may be influenced positively by the positions of the stars and planets, as well as color. "Those who are interested in real yoga have to be interested in all aspects of consciousness," he said. "Those interested in only body or mind yoga are caught in their own traps. Yoga is trying to bring your lower mind to a point where it does not disturb you in what you do. So much of the time, we are directed by our instincts and desires, our primitive, reptile brain.

In yoga, we transcend this state and come to a higher consciousness, which gives us energy not only to satisfy our desires, but also to think in terms of the cosmos, the universe as one unit -- finding or seeing oneness in all that exists. This brings us full-circle to the influence of the planets, the sun and moon on our lives. There's no yoga that does not depend on the sun and moon -- what is samadhi but the fusion of the right and left currents as represented by these two? Or 'ha' and 'tha,' as in 'hatha yoga?' Hatha yoga is also the sun and moon. People interested in yoga become interested in the environment, the cosmos, and the planet earth.

"Yoga and astrology are two branches of knowledge which deal with the same consciousness. Astrology tries to determine the factors which govern the psychic phenomena in men's lives. Yoga attempts to enhance faculties man has in the dormant state and to bring him into a state in which he has complete control over his inner nature and the environment outside him. So, by thinking, a yogi can create changes in his own aura, his own vibrational field, and in that way influence the whole world. Astrology teaches us to use our intuition and not trust only our eyes, our ears, our nose, our mouth, our skin. The foundation stone of trust is thus built into you, and yet the mathematical calculations of astrology appeal to the logical hemisphere, don't they? You jump from the right into the left side: such a fantastic shift and switch is only possible in astrology."

Just as color, day and astrological changes contribute to a yantra, Johari said, mantra reflects the subtleties of time and atmospheric conditions -- even for animals. "Listen to the songs and sounds of birds and insects," he said. "They are different at different times of the day. Listen to a sparrow in the morning, and then the evening. It's the same bird ... without any education, without any seminar. And yet, it sang two different ragas. This shows that in the morning and evening, birds chant at different frequencies because of the change in the energy level of the planet."

A resident of Bareilly, United Provinces, in India, Master Johari is the author of The Chakra Coloring Book and Dhanwantari (a text on practical living habits). He has also written commentaries on the ancient Indian game, Leela, upon which the modern board game "Snakes and Ladders,' is based.

The personality of Shyam Bhatnagar, director of the SRI Center International, complements that of Harish Johari as surely as the right hemisphere of the brain completes and fulfills the left. While Master Johari's teaching is filled with visual color, puckish humor and delightful stream-of-consciousness discussions about astrology and the arts, Shyam Bhatnagar brings a more intellectual tone and refined wit to his teaching of yoga."

"Our message is not to leave your home and not to change your name or clothes," Shyam Bhatnagar told me recently, "but to learn what we have to offer and to take it home and practice there." Foremost among the yogic techniques which 8hatnagar and his assistants teach at the SRI Center's base of operations just north of Princeton, N.J., is the system of InnerTuning®, a contemporary approach combining psychotherapy, Microchakra Psychology™ and sound therapy, but rooted in the time tested practices of yoga.

InnerTuning® is what Bhatnagar calls his unique and comprehensive system of holistic health care. It emphasizes stimulation of the nerve system and the two hemispheres through sound (produced through mantra and/or sustained tones of a tamboura), practices for using the different functions of the two hemispheres, and an interpretation of the state of one's chakra openings and blocks.

"One of the major emphases of InnerTuning® is the stimulation of the two hemispheres of the brain," Bhatnagar said, "which is accomplished with mantra."
While Master Johari's approach is based on the exploration of yantra, or visual symbols, Shyam Bhatnagar places great emphasis on mantra, the aural or verbal patterns of Tantric Yoga. Some of his teachings go beyond the traditional mantric practice of automatic repetition of a particular sound (such as "aum" or "so hum").

"Repetition itself will not ensure an effective mantra," he said. "If you are chanting a mantra and your vocal pitch is not in tune with the pitch of your breathing, that mantra can take decades before it has a positive effect on your life. Once you become aware of the tone of your breathing, and perform your mantra on that frequency -- and believe me, it takes a very precise ear; even the experts tend to deviate a little on this -- then the effects are almost instantaneous. But it may take many years of experimentation and practice before you reach this instantaneous awareness!

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