When it comes to the supernatural abilities of yogis, scientists shrug their shoulders and admit the contradictory fact: this is impossible, but it really happens.
For many centuries, Indian yogis have been proving that the limit of human capabilities lies far beyond the boundaries of our usual ideas.
From the point of view of a modern person, the miracles that yogis create are more of a fantasy, since it is often impossible to give them a scientific explanation. On the other hand, it is also impossible not to admit that most of the stories about the abilities of yogis are true and only slightly exaggerated.
This is confirmed in the course of numerous scientific experiments and medical observations on the followers of the mysterious doctrine. Then it turns out that human abilities are actually practically limitless, but most of the representatives of the genus homo sapiens do not know how to use them.
First of all, it must be said that yoga itself has nothing to do with religion, since the delusion that it is a part or a separate stream of Hinduism is quite common. This is not true. Yoga is an independent practical teaching based on the experience of many generations passed down from teacher to student; it is a special approach to life, based on the belief in the close relationship of body and mind, mind and soul.
There is also a common misconception about the main purpose of this teaching. It is not the ability to walk on hot coals, sleep on nails, tie the body in unthinkable knots.
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The goal of yogis is to search for harmony, not only within oneself, but also in the interaction of a person with the outside world, nature, and space.
Body control and the development of supernatural abilities, although not paramount, also play an important role in the life of yogis, as they help maintain health and high vitality throughout life. But the main and most important exercises remain with consciousness, which make it possible to curb your passions and control emotions, without which it would be impossible to achieve inner harmony.
The exact age of yoga as a teaching has not yet been determined. In the XX century, on the territory of the Indian subcontinent, as a result of extensive excavations, cities whose age exceeded four thousand years were discovered, in which tablets covered with hieroglyphic inscriptions were found.
Both the cities and the tablets belonged to the proto-Indian (that is, the first Indian) civilization, which flourished on the territory of Hindustan before the invasion of the Aryan nomads. Hieroglyphs have not yet been deciphered, but the tablets contain not only inscriptions, but also drawings of animals, people and gods, many of which are depicted in traditional yoga poses - asanas, which indicates that this teaching is at least four thousand years old.
However, the origin of the proto-Indian civilization is still a mystery - so far, scientists do not have sufficient archaeological material, on the basis of which it would be possible to say where and when this culture arose.
Thus, the time and place of origin of yoga also remain a mystery. The alien tribes of the Aryans adopted from the Proto-Indians many inventions and elements of culture, including the teachings of yoga.
In the greatest Indian epic "Mahabharata" (mid-1st millennium BC), you can find references to dozens of different types of yoga, differing from each other in the methods underlying this type of teaching. So, hatha yoga is based on control over the body and breathing, achieved through a system of special exercises.
Raja yoga is based on control over consciousness and subconsciousness, kundalini yoga - on the awakening of the power hidden in every person, which allows you to manifest with superior abilities, such as levitation or telepathy. The most ancient and authoritative purely yogic text is considered to be the Yoga Sutra, written by the ancient Indian scholar and philosopher Patanjali around the 2nd century. BC e., which sets out the main theses of the doctrine. It was this work that laid the theoretical basis for virtually all types and currents of yoga.
In the 20th century, when mankind almost lost faith in miracles and began to demand scientific explanations for any phenomenon, both natural and artificial, scientists began to seriously study the unique abilities of yogis. An experimental study of this phenomenon is being carried out in Western Europe, Bulgaria, Poland, Russia and, of course, in India.
The more legends about yogis are confirmed by scientific data obtained during experiments, the less skeptics remain, although there is still not enough scientifically substantiated explanations for the abilities of yogis. In addition, research is somewhat one-sided, since only the physical side of the issue is being studied, which concerns specifically the ability of yogis to control vital processes in their body.
German scientists took Indian yogis to Germany with the aim of confirming or refuting the stories that a yogi can bury himself alive for six months underground, after the expiration of the term he got out of the "grave" rejuvenated and full of energy.
It turned out that such a seemingly unimaginable phenomenon really takes place in the practice of yogis.
Incredibly, humans, like some animals, are capable of hibernation. However, only the most advanced yogis can do this. For some time before "hibernation" they follow a special diet, with the help of which they radically cleanse the body.
Then the frenum of your own tongue is trimmed so that it elongates to such a size that it can be swallowed. The tongue blocks the airway, which can significantly reduce the pressure. The nasal passage is sealed with wax and the yoga is placed in a previously dug hole or cave in the ground.
In a state of "hibernation" the body becomes unnaturally hard and cold, which is achieved due to a significant slowdown in metabolism and other vital physiological processes.
For yogis, such a state is considered the highest form of meditation, during which the soul is outside the body, and the latter during this time restores the vitality that has been lost over the years.
World famous was the story of a yogi named Prahlad Jani, who, according to him, did not eat or drink for … 68 years.
Indian doctors who examined him found that he was completely healthy, including mentally. Employees of the Institute of Physiology and the Ahmedabad Physicians' Association undertook the study of this phenomenon.
The old yogi was placed in an isolated room, where several video cameras watched him closely. For 10 days he was not given anything except 100 ml of water, with which the subject only rinsed his mouth, after which the water was taken. A report compiled by the Ahmedabad Physicians' Association says that even though Jani did not receive fluid, it produced urine that was re-absorbed into the wall of the bladder.
After the 10-day period, the physical and mental condition of the old yogi was assessed as excellent. Although doctors cannot confirm the yogi's account of the 68-year fast, the 10-day fast and the results of the examination after it do not raise doubts in the scientific world.
Experiments have also been repeatedly conducted to study the ability of yogis to stop the heart at will. In many cases, electrocardiograms did not show any changes, but a sufficient number of facts of changes in heart rate from 200-300 (!) Beats per minute to a complete stop at various intervals have been scientifically documented.
Also, scientists do not deny the ability of yogis to fall asleep in one minute. Special devices recorded the onset of sleep after a minute of respiratory "gymnastics" - the yogi breathed quickly through the nose, alternately pinching the right and then the left nostril.
It is also recognized as a reliable fact that yoga followers can change their body temperature, and not necessarily entirely, or even simultaneously raise and lower the temperature of different parts of the body or organs.
There are also tons of unconfirmed stories about yogis. It is said that one of them once broke a pine trunk, which six healthy adult men could not cope with.
Another time, he held a frying pan in his bare hand for half an hour over the fire while cooking food on it. Another calmly supported the leg of an elephant on his chest.
But most of all surprise in wide circles and skepticism in scientific circles are caused by stories about levitation - a person's ability to fly, overcoming gravity. This is the least studied of the supernatural abilities of yogis outwardly bears little resemblance to flying in the direct sense of the word, rather it is. - jumping into the air in the "lotus" position. The altitude, range and speed of such "flights" depend on the level of the yogi.
The most common and erroneous stereotype regarding the abilities of yogis is the belief that the followers of this teaching walk on hot coals, sleep on nails and broken glass, swallow swords and fire. In fact, yogis do not like to show their skills to the general public, and even more so they do not make money on them, this is the lot of fakirs.
Although, on the other hand, yogis often offer themselves to scientists as "guinea pigs", obviously, in order to support people who are less and less prone to mysticism, faith in their teachings. And as we can see, it is not in vain - yoga is practiced all over the world, it has a lot of loyal followers in all corners of the planet, even if they have not reached such supernatural heights as the famous Indian yogis, but still living in harmony with themselves and with the world around them., in contrast to the slaves of scientific and technological progress, who have lost their peace of mind, artificially protecting a person from his native natural environment.
And you don't have to be able to fly or stop your heart in order to learn to look around you, look inside yourself and see things that are inaccessible to any machine. And also - doing what you see is a little better. And this is the main goal of the ancient and wise teachings of yoga.
