Asana

A practicioner of Yoga is seen here doing Padmasana (Lotus pose) - one of the postures found in yogic practice.

Asana (Sanskrit आसन sitting down < आस to sit down) is a body position, typically associated with the practice of Yoga, intended primarily to restore and maintain a practitioner's well-being, improve the body's flexibility and vitality, and promote the ability to remain in seated meditation for extended periods. In the context of Yoga practice, asana refers to two things: the place where a practitioner (yogin (general usage); yogi (male); yogini (female)) sits and the manner (posture) in which s/he sits. In the Yoga sutras, Patanjali suggests that asana is "to be seated in a position that is firm, but relaxed". As the repertoire of postures has expanded and moved beyond the simple sitting posture over the centuries, modern usage has come to include variations from lying on the back and standing on the head, to a variety of other positions.In the Yoga sutras, Patanjali mentions the execution of an asana as the third of the eight limbs of Classical or Raja yoga.

The word asana in Sanskrit does appear in many contexts denoting a static physical position, although, as noted, traditional usage is specific to the practice of yoga. Traditional usage defines asana as both singular and plural. In English, plural for asana is defined as asanas. In addition, English usage within the context of yoga practice sometimes specifies yogasana or yoga asana, particularly with regard to the system of the Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. That said, yogasana is also the name of a particular posture that is not specifically associated with the Vinyasa system, and that while "ashtanga" (small 'a') refers to the eight limbs of Yoga delineated below, Ashtanga (capital 'A') refers to the specific system of Yoga developed by Sri Krishnamacharya at the Mysore Palace.

Practice

Patanjala Yoga is also known as Raja Yoga (Sanskrit: "Royal yoga") or "Ashtanga Yoga" ("Eight-Limbed Yoga"), and is held as authoritative by all schools.

Raja Yoga aims at controlling all thought-waves or mental modifications. Raja Yoga is so-called because it is primarily concerned with the mind, which is traditionally conceived as the "king" of the psycho-physical structure that does its bidding. Because of the relationship between the mind and the body, the body must be first "tamed" through self-discipline and purified by various means. A good level of overall health and psychological integration must be attained before the deeper aspects of yoga can be pursued. Humans have all sorts of addictions and obsessions and these preclude the attainment of tranquil abiding (meditation). Through restraint (yama) such as celibacy, abstaining from drugs and alcohol, and careful attention to one's actions of body, speech and mind, the human being becomes fit to practice meditation. This yoke that one puts upon oneself (discipline) is another meaning of the word yoga.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali describes asana as the third of the eight limbs of classical, or Raja Yoga. Asanas are the physical movements of yoga practice and, in combination with pranayama or breathing techniques constitute the style of yoga referred to as Hatha Yoga. In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali describes asana as a "firm, comfortable posture", referring specifically to the seated posture, most basic of all the asanas. He further suggests that meditation is the path to samadhi; transpersonal self-realization.

The eight limbs are, in order, the yamas (restrictions), niyamas (observances), asanas (postures), pranayama (breath work), pratyahara (sense withdrawal or non-attachment), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (realization of the true Self or Atman, and unity with Brahman (the Hindu and Vedantic interpretation of God, also the Taoist Supreme Ultimate, the Judaic Yahweh, the Islamic Allah, or simply the Godhead, etc.)).

Eight limbs of Raja/Ashtanga Yoga

The eight limbs of Raja/Ashtanga Yoga are:

• Yama - Code of conduct - self-restraint
• Niyama - religious observances - commitments to practice, such as study and devotion
• Āsana - integration of mind and body through physical activity
• Pranayama - regulation of breath leading to integration of mind and body
• Pratyahara - abstraction of the senses, withdrawal of the senses of perception from their objects
• Dharana - concentration, one-pointedness of mind
• Dhyana - meditation (quiet activity that leads to samadhi)
• Samadhi - the quiet state of blissful awareness, superconscious state

Yama

Yama ("abstentions") refers to five prohibited activities for the yoga practicioner: they must avoid hurting others through thought, word or deed (ahimsa); avoid falsehood (satya); avoid stealing (asteya); avoid passions and lust (brahmacharya); and avoid avarice (aparigraha). Put in another way, Yama involves Ahimsa (non-violence), Satya (truthfulness), Asteya (not stealing), Brahmacharya (celibacy), and Aparigraha (non-covetousness).

Niyama

Niyama ("observances") involves five practices that a yoga practicioner should actively cultivate: 1) external and internal purification (shaucha), 2) contentment (santosa), 3) austerity (tapas), 4) study (svadhyaya), and 5) surrender to God (Ishvara-pranidhana). It is said that a person who practises meditation without ethical perfection, without the practice of Yama-Niyama cannot obtain the fruits of meditation. One must purify one's mind first to practice regular meditation.

Asana

Asana (Sanskrit: "Seat" or "seal") refers to various body postures that are practiced for disciplining the senses. This term literally means "seat," and originally referred mainly to seated positions. With the rise of Hatha yoga, it came to be used for yoga "postures" as well.

Pranayama

Pranayama ("breath-control") checks the outgoing tendencies of the mind. Prana means life force, while yama means to gain control. Control of prāna or vital breath. Pranayama, or breath control, often accompanies Asana and is the Fourth Limb of ashtanga yoga, as set out by Patanjali in the Yoga Sutra. Patanjali describes pranayama as the control of the enhanced "life force" that is a result of practicing the various breathing techniques, rather than the exercises themselves. The entirety of breathing practices, those classified as pranayama, and other is called svarodaya, or the science of Breath. It is a vast practice that goes far byond the limits of pranayama as applied to asana.

Pratyahara

Pratyahara ("Abstraction") gives inner spiritual strength. It removes all sorts of distractions. It develops will-power. Vyasa describes it as that by which the senses do not come into contact with their objects and, as it were, follow the nature of the mind.

Dharana

Dharana ("Concentration") involves fixing one's attention on a single object. Concentration is a preliminary step to meditation. At this level, the yogi focuses on retention of breath, Brahmacharya, Satvic (pure) food, seclusion, silence, Satsanga (being in the company of a guru), and not mixing much with people are all aids to concentration. Concentrate on Trikuti (the space between the two eyebrows) with closed eyes is preferred. The mind can be easily controlled, as this is the seat for the mind.

Dhyana

Dhyana ("Meditation") The undisturbed flow of thought around the object of meditation. The mind passes into many conditions or states as it is made up of three qualities-Sattva, Rajas and Tamas. Kshipta (wandering), Vikshipta (gathering), Mudha (ignorant), Ekagra (one-pointed), and Nirodha (contrary) are the five states of the mind. Control the mind by Abhyasa (practice) and Vairagya (dispassion). Any practice which steadies the mind and makes it one-pointed is Abhyasa. Dull Vairagya will not help a person in attaining perfection in Yoga. One must have Para Vairagya or Theevra Vairagya, intense dispassion.

Samadhi

Samadhi: “Concentration.” Super-conscious state or trance (state of liberation) in which the mind is completely absorbed in the object of meditation. Samadhi is of two kinds: 1) Savikalpa, Samprajnata or Sabija; and 2) Nirvikalpa, Asamprajnata or Nirbija. In Savikalpa or Sabija, there is Triputi or the triad (knower, known and knowledge). The samskaras are not burnt or freed. Savitarka, Nirvitarka, Savichara, Nirvichara, Sasmita and Saananda are the different forms of Savikalpa Samadhi. In Nirbija Samadhi or Asamprajnata Samadhi there is no triad.

A Raja Yogi practices Samyama or the combined practice of Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi at one and the same time and gets detailed knowledge of an object.

Variety of asanas

Sarvangasana, a commonly practiced Asana

In his Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga, Swami Vishnu-devananda published a compilation of 66 basic postures and 136 variations of those postures. Sri Dharma Mittra suggested that "there are an infinite number of asanas." when, in 1975, he set out to catalogue the vast number of asanas in the Master Yoga Chart of 908 Postures, as an offering of devotion to his guru, Swami Kailashananda Maharaj. Through this effort, he compiled 1300 variations, derived from gurus, and yogis, as well as both ancient and contemporary texts. Although it is impossible to establish a complete and exact set of yoga postures, this work is considered a leading collection by students and yogis alike.

Surya Namaskara, or the Sun Salutation, is a form of worshiping Surya, the Hindu solar deity by concentrating on the Sun, for vitalization. The physical aspect of the practice links together twelve asanas in a dynamically expressed series. A full round of Surya namaskara is considered to be two sets of the twelve poses, with a change in the second set where the opposing leg is moved first. The asanas included in the sun salutation differ from tradition to tradition.

Common practices

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali suggests that the only requirement for practicing asanas is that it be "steady and comfortable". The body is held poised, and relaxed, with the practitioner experiencing no discomfort.

When control of the body is mastered, practitioners free themselves from the duality of heat/cold, hunger/satiety, joy/grief, which is the first step toward the unattachment that relieves suffering. This non-dualistic perspective comes from the Sankya school of the Himalayan Masters.

Listed below are traditional practices for performing asana:

• The stomach should be relatively empty.
• Force or pressure should not be used, and the body should not tremble.
• Lower the head and other parts of the body slowly; in particular, raised heels should be lowered slowly.
• The breathing should be controlled. The benefits of asanas increase if the specific pranayama to the yoga type is performed.
• If the body is stressed, perform Corpse Pose or Child Pose
• Some claim that asanas, especially inverted poses, are to be avoided during menstruation. Others deny this view.
• Asanas are generally not performed on floor, but on Yoga mats instead.

Benefits of practice

The physical aspect of yoga, the asanas, has been much popularized in the West, and devoted celebrity practitioners like Madonna and Sting have contributed to the increased visibility of the practice. Physically, of the practice of asanas is considered that it improves:

• muscle flexibility
• tendon strength
• stamina
• better functioning of respiratory system
• empiric evidences suggest it helps control blood pressure and other issues related to the functioning of the circulatory system
• improvement in health problems related to stress.

The emphasis on the physical part has given rise to the perception that yoga consists only of asana practice. A more esoteric intention is to facilitate the flow of prana (vital energy; qi in Chinese; ki in Japanese) to aid in balancing the koshas (sheaths) of the physical and metaphysical body.

Depending on the level of mastery, the practitioner of asanas is supposed to achieve many supernatural abilities. For instance, a yogi who has mastered Mayurasana will not be affected by eating any poison.

Some common asanas

• 

  Uttanasana
  Standing Forward Bend

• 

  Paschimottanasana
  Intense stretch of the west

• 

  Adho Mukha Svanasana
  Downward Facing Dog

• 

  Bhujangasana
  Cobra

• 

  Dhanurasana
  Bow

• 

  Halasana
  Plow

• 

  Urdhva Dhanurasana
  Upward Bow

• 

  Ardha Padmasana is an intermediate seated posture

• 

  Shirsasana
  Head Stand

• 

  Shavasana
  Corpse Pose

• 

  Vajrasana
  Diamond Pose

• 

  Vrksasana
  Tree Pose

References

ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

• Dasgupta, Surendranath. 1973. A History of Indian Philosophy, Vol. I. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 8120804120
• Patañjali, & B. S. Miller, (1996). Yoga discipline of freedom: the Yoga Sutra attributed to Patanjali ; a translation of the text, with commentary, introduction, and glossary of keywords. Berkeley, Calif: University of California Press. ISBN 0520201906
• Patanjali, and B. K. S. Iyengar. 2002. Light on the yoga sutras of Patanjali. London: Thorsons. ISBN 0007145160
• Radhakrishnan, Sarvepalli and Moore, Charles A., eds. A Sourcebook in Indian Philosophy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1973. ISBN 0691019584
• Sharma, Chandrahar. 2003. A Critical Survey of Indian Philosophy. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass. ISBN 8120803647
• Sivananda, Swami. Raja Yoga. reprint ed. Kessinger Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-1425359829
• Thakar, Vimala. Glimpses of Raja Yoga: An Introduction to Patanjali's Yoga Sutras (Yoga Wisdom Classics). Rodmell Press; 1st North American Pbk. Ed edition, 2004. ISBN 978-1930485075
• Villoldo, Alberto. 2007. Yoga, power, and spirit Patanjali the Shaman. Carlsbad, Calif: Hay House, Inc. ISBN 9781401910471
• Vivekananda,Swami. Raja-Yoga. Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center; Pocket Rev edition (June 1980. ISBN 978-0911206234

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