Instead of feeling powerless in times of turmoil around the world, we will achieve more - and gain inner peace - by looking into our own hearts. That's the inspirational message of Swamiji, founder of the world's largest yoga school. He spoke to Sydney writer Rosamund Burton.

Swami Paramhans Maheshwarananda (known as Swamiji) is a Hindu monk whose power to bridge East and West has opened a pathway to self healing for many thousands of followers around the world. He is recognised in India and in the West as an incarnation of one of the seven Rishis, the ancient prophets who realised and wrote the original yoga scriptures. In 1972 he founded Yoga In Daily Life, and today it is the largest yoga school in the world, practising in over 3000 locations, including more than 50 in Australia.

He describes the organisation as "a way to the self. A way of life that incorporates physical health, mental health, social health, spiritual health and God realisation".

"Most people who come to yoga classes think they want good health or relaxation. They want to get rid of stress. But when they come and relax and go within themselves, they discover what kind of suffering exists in them which they have actually been trying to suppress," he says.

This April Swamiji is touring Australia, and the theme of his talks and seminars is 'World Peace is in Your Hands'. He is indisputably qualified to speak on this topic, as he is one of only three people in the world- another is the Dalai Lama - to have received an award from the World Development Parliament in recognition of his humanitarian and peace work internationally.

After the bombing of the twin towers in New York last September 11, millions of people around the world felt very frightened, and incredibly powerless in the wake of world events. Swamiji's message on this tour around Australia is that we all have the power to change the world.

"Peace begins from your own heart," he says. "If you want peace in the world, you must first have peace within."

A striking figure with his mane of black hair, long greying beard, and orange robes, Swamiji describes how every one of our thoughts and actions manifests in some way in the world. He calls this the law of karma. It is often easy to put on a bright smile as we walk into the office in the morning, but we also have to kiss and make up with the person with whom we had the argument at home last night. He talks about negative moods and emotions, including anger, depression and fear, and how yoga can help overcome them.

According to the teachings of his school, different human qualities are held in different energy centres of the body, the eight chakras, seven located along the line of the spine, and the eighth, the crown centre or Saharara chakra, on top of the head. The second chakra, in the lower abdominal centre, is called the Svadhishthana chakra. It is "the seat of the subconscious mind where all life experiences and impressions since the beginning of our existence in the womb are stored", writes Swamiji in his new book on the chakras. The Svadhishthana chakra is illustrated by a lotus flower with six petals. Each petal represents a negative quality to be overcome - anger, hatred, jealousy, cruelty, desire and pride. Other base states held in this chakra are lethargy, fear, doubt, revenge, envy and greed.

Swamiji describes anger as "a great devil in our body." "The real devil drinks the blood of others only, but the devil of anger drinks the blood of others and oneself. Anger is a great thief, who will take away everything, all the valuable things you have. Anger is the kind of thief who will come to your door, and take everything from you. You collect some good thing, you carry it home, and even on the doorstep, he will take it away. You will enter the house again, as poor as you were."

When a person lashes out in anger it is usually a spontaneous reaction, and Swamiji says that to control negative emotions, a conscious response needs to be developed. He gives an example of being the owner of a beautiful china vase, which someone has broken:

"Think it could be you that let the vase drop, and the owner would be angry with you, and how would you feel? Always put yourself in that position. If you shout at your wife, then put yourself in her position. And how do you feel when she shouts at you? So use your wisdom. You are a good adviser if someone else has a problem. But when it happens to you, your wisdom is blocked. You know so much. You have so many beautiful things in your life, but this little anger, it destroys everything."

Swamiji's ready ability to give practical advice allows his many thousands of followers to apply his wisdom in their everyday lives: "Drink a glass of cold water, or jump into a cold swimming pool. When you are very angry, drink cold water, eventually you will become calm. Then sit down, wherever you are, close your eyes and see your anger. You will be ashamed of yourself, how very selfish you can be."

A problem that is very prevalent in the West is depression. Swamiji describes it as "a kind of pain, a feeling of loss and loneliness." He explains how depression occurs: "We are so disappointed in every aspect of life. Our business life, education, profession, family life, friends, colleagues. Always you try your best and put your confidence there and suddenly there is nothing any more. You tried so hard, and so often, and slowly experienced more and more disappointment. These impressions that you get from the outer world go to your subconscious, and the subconscious cannot master them all."

He counsels that when someone is depressed, they need to realise the feelings they are experiencing are not the totality of their personality, and it is important not to identify with that particular emotional state. If the person constantly thinks about the mistakes they have made, or the problem, it only worsens the state of depression. "It is best just to let time pass not to act on what your inner feeling is."

Swamiji and all his followers are vegetarian. He believes that eating meat creates fear in a person:

"On a psychological level, the animal knows it will be killed and it is afraid. All creatures have a fear of death, no one likes to die. So when an animal is killed, the vibration of their fear remains in the flesh. When people eat that flesh, they may feel physically stronger, but inwardly they have absorbed great fear. This manifests in the human mind as a fear of death, of God, of religion. These people act with aggression and project their mistakes onto others. If they meditate and move beyond the physical level, then that fear, absorbed by eating animal flesh, will rise into their consciousness."

The chakra that can help us overcome these negative states of anger, depression and fear, is the Anahat chakra, the heart centre. It is through this chakra that we experience joy, calmness, serenity, gratefulness, compassion and love. It helps us to see another person's point of view and why they might be behaving in a destructive and harmful way. Also, it is from the heart that we are able to forgive another person. "The world comes to us in the form our mind shapes it, but the essential thing is to observe what we think and consider whether our thoughts could be any better," says Swamiji. "When you observe negativity within you or around you, dissolve it with tolerance and compassionate thoughts."

Attributes of the Anahat chakra include sensitivity, the desire to gather, to unite, to share and to preserve, which are so different from the impulses that arise when someone is angry, frightened or depressed.

A yoga exercise that is recommended for both the Svadhishthana chakra, where the negative emotions are held, and the Anahat chakra, the heart centre, is a series of postures called Khatu Pranam. It is similar to what is called in other types of yoga, Salute to the Sun. It is good for the immune system and is a great energy giver, but it also regulates the entire nervous system, calming the mind, giving mental clarity and a sense of self control.

Another way to overcome negative emotions, Swamiji suggests, is deep breathing: "Consider a child crying. As soon as its mother takes the child into her arms, the crying stops and the child breathes in deeply. Breathing is a therapy. If you are angry or anxious just breathe deeply and you will be happy. People who are nervous need only one therapy - to breathe correctly."

His message to us this April is that how we each live every moment of every day affects world peace and the future of our planet. When Swamiji spoke at Earth Dialogues 2002 in France in February, an event initiated by Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union, he said:

"The main commitment of all humankind on this Earth is to protect life in all forms and manifestations of existence. To realise this, it is necessary to adopt a different way of thinking and acting in everyday life, not only between individuals, but among all nations, cultures, and religions, as well as respect for the life of all creatures."

Swamiji will be in Perth in late April, giving a lecture, holding a weekend retreat and evening satsang on the beach. He will also speak at a range of events in Sydney from April 20-24.