Leaving body building to take up Yoga

QUESTION: Namaskaar Dhananjay,
I've been into weight training and running for the past 4 yrs.Since practicing brahamacharya now for almost three and a half months,I've started to incline more towards yoga and its philosophies.I've lately realized that bodybuilding works only on the physical level as it values only the 'aesthetics' of the body & is a mere exercise at the physical level & not much helpful in my journey on the path of self realization.although I practice pranayam & bandh almost regularly in the morning,I still lack a systematic schedule.I request you to kindly outline a program comprising asanas,pranayama & bandh so that it can replace my existing gym schedule.I really want to practice yoga systematically & leave my gym life behind.I had two more questions-

1.I'm in a habit of consuming protein shakes in morning & evening as instructed by my gym instructor.I want to stop this also. kindly advise me what should I drink to replace them?

2.Should I continue running even after I start my yogic schedule?

3.Can we wear 'langot' in the night while sleeping?

4.Also,what is the criteria in determining the sequence in which the yogasanas are performed.I searched the internet but could not reach a definite answer.

Thank you :)..you are the medium through which God is finally helping me maintaining my brahamacharya & striding towards the path of self-realization.

ANSWER: 1. Wake up at 4.00 A.M, drink a large glass of water, get fresh & immediately have a bath (cold or warm water but not hot) and prostrate before God requesting him sincerely to guide you towards self-realization. If feeling hungry, drink some milk and eat a fruit.

2. Wear a ‘Langot’ (traditional Indian loin cloth) and perform a few stretches to get the blood circulating. Then perform these Asana-s in the given order:

•   Padmasana
•   Vajrasana
•   Ardha-Paschimothanasana
•   Paschimothanasana
•   Halasana
•   Sarvangasana
•   Dhanurasana
•   Chakrasana
•   Shirshasana

All these should be performed slowly and smoothly without jerks. 'Rechaka' (exhalation) is performed for downward movements and 'Puraka' (inhalation) for upward movements.

3. Now perform the 3 Bandha-s, followed by 'Nâdi Shodhana' as described in past answers.

4. Perform Pranayama as described in past answers.

5. Sit for meditation as described in past answers. The Yogi should not desire any want/wish except self-realization while meditating. Then everything will be taken care of by God and speedy progress occurs towards Kaivalya (self-realization). Repeat this same procedure at sunset.

6. Replace the ready made protein shakes with Ragi/Wheat & milk malt sweetened with jaggery (Gud – in Hindi). This is excellent for Yogi-s and can be drunk twice a day. The procedure of making this malted beverage is easy and is described in past answers.

7. Gradually taper down body building and running to replace them with this schedule. If the workouts and running are now on a daily basis, make them alternate days for a week. Then make them once in 3 days and so on. Donot stop the workout and running all of a sudden. In a month, the entire workout and running can be completely stopped to be replaced with Yogic practices. After taking up the complete Yogic schedule, the Yogi will gradually need lesser food.

8. The ‘Langot’ should NOT be worn at night while sleeping. The loins and genitals should be let loose so blood circulates freely and rejuvenates these organs. Wear a loose fitting garment while going to bed at night.

ॐ तत् सत्
(That Supreme being is the absolute truth)

[an error occurred while processing this directive]---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you very much for your kind reply.I did not get your answer for my 4th question.As you outlined a yogasana sequence for me above,Can you please throw some light on the procedure of determination of sequence of the above asanas and also if I want to modify or make a new program what sequencing should I follow?
Thank you :)

-Sameer