Asanas come after the outward/inward guidelines of Yamas and Niyamas. It’s a physical purification, another way to become calm and steady.
ASANA means Posture
The practice of physical postures of yoga is the third step on the path to freedom. Why⁉️ the “aim” of yoga might be for some…is the union between the individual and the whole, and between the mind and the body.
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Asana means comfortable ‘seat’ – the seat you would take for the practice of meditation.
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The idea is to be able to sit in comfort so we’re not ‘pulled’ by aches and pains of the body, or restlessness due to an uncomfortable position. This is something to consider in your next yoga class if you always tend to choose the ‘advanced’ posture offered, rather than the one your body is able to attain: “In how many poses are we really comfortable and steady⁉️”
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Why Do We Practice Asana⁉️
In the yogic view, the body is a temple of spirit, the care of which is an important stage of our spiritual growth. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate, both of which are necessary for meditation.
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Whether we remember it during our daily life of not, we are a UNION. The body and the mind are not separated, and the health of one affects the other. We cannot just work the body and expect to be healthy if the mind is not strong and balanced.
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According to Patanjali, Asana aims to keep the body STEADY and easy for the meditation practice that prepare us to gain mastery of the thought patterns of the mind so that self-realization can be experienced! Yogasanas are different ways to shape our body; when we step into a pose we are creating a certain flow of energy.
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Gary Kraftsow, calls them “prana pumps.” Prana is awareness, and often equated with “energy” of life force.” Each shape has a different effect on our prana, and postures can be sequenced in a multitude of ways to support the practitioner in physical, energetic, mental, and emotional health.
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Asana practice is not about how you look, but how you feel.~Kaisa Kapanen
-The Yoga Space
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