🌷 Q: You say that yoga asanas are fine to do, although not here.
SNG: Yes. When you go back home, yoga asanas are wonderful. They are good for the body. And this technique can be combined with yoga asanas, nothing wrong. When you take any posture and then you sweep in that posture, you get more benefit of the yoga asana than you were getting previously. But that part of yoga where you are doing meditation—that is dangerous, it goes totally against this. Don’t mix up the meditation part of yoga with this technique.
🌷 Q: The same with Pranayama?
SNG: Pranayama is all right. Pranayama for some time is only a physical exercise. But when you practice Anapana, don’t do Pranayama with that. And the other techniques of meditation, like focusing on some words or visions—om or anything else—that will go totally against Vipassana. But the physical exercise, the asanas and all, they are wonderful.
🌷 Q: What about different breathing exercises?
SNG: Do them separately as a physical exercise, not for meditation. Anapana is for meditation.
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http://news.dhamma.org/2013/04/questions-and-answers-april-2013/
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🌷 Que : How does one keep up the practice of Anapana simultaneously with yoga?
Ans. Yoga is a beneficial practice.
But there is no need to do Anapana simultaneously with it.
Make a gap between the two.
Yoga and Anapana do not interfere with each other but there is a basic difference between Pranayama (yoga of breathing) and Anapana, which must be understood clearly.
In Pranayama, the breathing is done deliberately and consciously. It is an exercise of the breath where you breathe deeply, then hold the breath for a while and then release it. It is a good technique.
But in Anapana, the breathing process is natural and effortless.
So, if you mingle the two techniques and try to do one immediately after the other, then you are bound to get confused and create problems for yourself.
Therefore, do only one thing at a time.
After having done Pranayama, wait for some time and then do Anapana.
(Vipassana Research Institute - http://www.vridhamma.org/Goenkaji-Answers-Children)
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🌷"Questions and Answers."🌷
(From The Art of Living, Vipassana Meditation as Taught by S.N. Goenka by William Hart)
1) I practice yoga. How can I integrate this with Vipassana?
Ans : Here at a course, yoga is not permitted because it will disturb others by drawing their attention.
But after you return home, you may practice both Vipassana and yoga—that is, the physical exercises of yogic postures and breath control.
Yoga is very beneficial for physical health.
You may even combine it with Vipassana.
For example, you assume a posture and then observe sensations throughout the body; this will give still greater benefit than the practice of yoga alone.
But the yogic meditation techniques using mantra and visualization are totally opposed to Vipassana.
Do not mix them with this technique.
2) How about the different yogic breathing exercises?
Ans : They are helpful as physical exercise, but do not mix these techniques with Ānāpāna.
In Ānāpāna, you must observe natural breath as it is, without controlling it.
Practice breath control as a physical exercise, and practice Ānāpāna for meditation.
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