PLATE EIGHT
“ Haṭha-yoga , when practiced according to the original instructions found in the  Vedas  of India, has little in common with the watered-down  yoga  systems now taught in the West. The  yogī  was required to leave his home and retire to the forest, where, seated upon a deerskin mat, he would hold postures and meditate not for fifteen minutes or half an hour but for years on end. He would discipline himself to endure all the physical discomforts caused by the weather, and even when approached by dangerous jungle animals such as the tiger, he would remain fearless. Finally, he had to raise his soul on his life airs to the top of his skull and cause the soul to leave the body at an astrologically auspicious moment. Today, no one can practice real  haṭha-yoga . Therefore, in  Bhagavad-gītā  Lord Kṛṣṇa recommends  bhakti-yoga , which is based on hearing and chanting the Hare Kṛṣṇa  mantra . Anyone, even a child, can practice this simple, effective  yoga  system.” ( pp.  150–51)