Occult is something that is kept a secret mostly. It is secret not because the holders of that knowledge thought themselves some exclusive preservers of information that is handed down to them, but because the knowledge is so subtle and so powerful in its effects that there needs to be a really pure mind to handle it.
The capacity to do anything occult comes under the realm of Siddhis. Patanjali Maharishi says in the Yoga Sutra that siddhis can happen by birth, by taking certain medicines and herbs, by mantras, sounds, incantations, charms and spells, by ascetic practices, devotion and achieving unity with the cosmic mind.
The Siddhis are the miraculous powers—the power to walk on water, the power to go without food for many days, the power to lie down on snow and be there, the power to walk or sleep on a rope, the power to pull heavy trucks and lorries tied to your hair or pulled by your teeth… many are extraordinary physical and psychic feats.
I have witnessed many times Karate expert Bhanumathi in Chennai who used to lie down on a bed of iron nails, wearing a saree. The middle portion of the body is directly exposed to the nails. A plank would be placed on her abdomen and heavy motorbikes would run over the plank some 100 to 500 times. This is nothing but a siddhi, that constant practice of Karate which is again a subtle art of managing your inner energy rather than the physical force that it appears to demonstrate.
Among the many Siddhis that many Hatha Yoga masters have physically demonstrated such as becoming so huge in size that you physically overpower an opponent (Mahima), becoming atomic in size (Anima), becoming extremely heavy that none can lift you (Garima) or becoming so light that you fly around like a mosquito (Lagima).
There are Prapthi—ability to move around to any place of your choice, Prakamya—realising all that you desire, Ishithwam—having control over the forces of nature, Vashithwam—having the power to attract people and make them listen to you.
— Swahilya Shambhavi www.swahilya.blogspot.com (More on Siddhis to continue…)