Asana: What, Why and How

Today everyone have some kind of understanding of yoga. According to their understanding they practice yoga in their life, which surely has touched the lives of countless number of people.

Although modern yoga is mainly based on its physical posture practice, known as Asana. Quiet often people refer Asana as yoga. But does yoga means physical posture practices only? Here I am not going to cities physical postures practices, even i will be discussing about history and purpose of Asana. But we need to understand that Asana (physical postures) is a part of yogic practices not whole yoga. Before I explore the concept of Asana, let me describe what Yoga is.

In the tradition of Hath Yog the ‘yog’ or ‘yoga’ which means ‘to join’ or ‘to yoke’ or ‘to unite’. In Yoga sutra of Patanjali this yog word means state of Samadhi. This Yoga Sutra of Patanjali discusses the core of yoga philosophy and its practices. In the second sutra of first chapter of yoga sutra, Patanjali defines yoga as “yogs-chita-vritti-nirodha” means “stillness of fluctuating mind is yoga”. Only a still mind is capable of perceiving the reality. In the Bhagwat Gita shri Krishna says to Arjuna “yoga is the evenness of the mind”. So yoga is being even minded in all dualities.

“Yoga is so much more than just 90 minutes class”

What is Asana?

Asana simply means physical body posture often refers to sitting meditation pose. Asana is the third limb of eight-limbed path (Ashtanga Yoga) explained in Yoga Sutra of Patanjali. In the yoga sutra, Asana is described as “Sthira sukham asanam” means “the posture of the body which is steady and comfortable”.

We already know that yoga is stillness or steadiness of mind, in this a steady and comfortable body is every important. You see in daily function of the life if your body is not comfortable you will not be able to focus on your daily activities.

One common misunderstanding people have is between ‘yoga-asana’ and ‘yoga-vyayam’. Yoga Asana means “a posture which allows you to connect with inner self that posture has to be steady and comfortable” and Yoga Vyayam is yoga exercises done to achieve strength and purification of body, but eventually yoga vyayam helps in being Asana. Remember that these Asana practices need to be done with the coordination of breath and this enter process must be done with awareness.  

Why Asana should be done?

Today many people do self practice or often go to yoga classes only to improve their physical fitness, with no doubt by practicing asana one can achieve this physical fitness and be healthy, which is one the need of everyone. Also must be kept fit and healthy so it does not obstruct our spiritual efforts. Even when I started practicing asana within few months I felt so much improvement in my fitness but that is not all.

Asana is capable of going beyond to this physical aspect of human existence if done with proper understanding of them. Asana should not be done only for physical fitness but we must try to cultivate inner connection between body, breath, mind and self. Surely yoga asana practice is not forcing for your body into those cool looking poses.

How Asana should be done?

Here I am not going to talk about how to do downward facing dog and what is its alignment. Rather you would be learning this from your respected teacher nearby you.  Most of the modern Asana practice has become more about achieving the final pose and for this practitioner are torturing their body. Always remember what Patanjali said about asana – it should be steady and comfortable’. But also it does not mean that, do not make any effort and use any force during your practice. The efforts and the moments should be natural.

Yoga is all about stillness of the mind. Thus when mind struggles against mind, it makes body struggle against the body while doing asana, and it never helps in mastering a posture. The mind should be completely relaxed and the efforts should be relaxed efforts with very natural rhythmic movement- with relaxed limbs and mind. Then the asana will perfect much more easily and comfortably. And never forget to be aware of your breath (Pranayama) which is the next practice in the eight limbs.

One of the secret of perfecting an asana is to do it over again mentally, as it were almost fantasizing that you are doing the asana. Observe and visualize the entire process mentally. A teacher of asana must spend some time with students doing asana mentally then tell them to do it with body. By practicing mentally you will be able to recognize the obstacles that are present and you will begin to soothe and smooth out in that mental process, gradually the physical resistance, which is tension, will be removed and the asana will become steady without discomfort.

hope from this article you must have learnt something. If you have any question and anything you wanna share feel free to connect us.