Yoga Asana
Yoga asana is the physical movement of yoga. It is often simply called “pose”. Yoga asana are for the physical, healthy body piece of yoga, but they allow our bodies to become alert and can awaken other facets of yoga within us.
Fun fact! Patanjali, known as the founder of yoga and the creator of the Yoga Sutras, wanted to be able to sit in lotus pose and meditate. He wanted to be comfortable as he sat on the floor. So, asana was developed to open the hips and lengthen the spine and allow the body to be comfortable and sit.
For the Love! of Yoga Asana
For me, yoga asana was what I fell in love with about yoga. I have a dancer background and I needed the movement to keep my mind engaged when I first started practicing. I noticed that asana felt so good to me because it stretched and strengthened my muscles. Every time I practice, I feel refreshed!
Asana is the third limb from the eight limb path of yoga. Yoga Asana is defined as a steady, comfortable posture. This may lead us to think that we should be comfortable every yoga pose but this is just to true. Asana is meant to push our limits physically. I tell my students that they should always be able to breathe. If they can breathe through it, it is steady and maybe one day, it will be comfortable.
Practicing yoga asana is a very safe exercise because it uses only your body weight as resistance. We hold the poses longer than in aerobic sports so we are less susceptible to hurting ourselves. There are modifications for every asana with their own wonderful benefits! For these reasons, I am a strong believer that all ages can practice physical asana.
The success of yoga does not lie in the ability to perform postures, but in how it positively changes the way we love our life and our relationships.
T.K.V. Desikachar
Asana and breathing practice go hand in. Try one today!
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Indian texts have frequently referred to Yoga in general and Yoga Asanas in particular in several contexts. Several special Indian texts have been written and compiled with the sole purpose of educating practitioners about the practice of Yoga Asanas.
https://www.indianetzone.com/52/evolution_yoga_asanas.htm