How to practice Yogasanas Effectively - philosophy at ANIRASA

Practice of Yoga is one of the four pronged approaches adopted in the training sessions at ANIRASA on Integrative Lifestyle. Yoga includes a holistic set of practices for overall self-development and the well-being of the body, mind and soul.

Yoga practices however, have undergone a lot of changes over the passage of time and more emphasis is being laid on the practices and its benefits at the physical level.

At our training sessions on Yoga, we incorporate some important learnings from the ancient and time-tested theory behind Yoga practices which helps our clients to have a better understanding of the system and practice with heightened awareness, thus making their practice very effective.

In this article we will explore the nuances of yoga asanas so that our Yoga practice becomes more purposeful and effective in the light of understanding these essentials.

PATANJALI'S YOGA SUTRAS AND ASHTANGA YOGA

Thousands of years ago, the great sage Patanjali compiled and codified all the knowledge that existed during his times on the art and science of Yoga into a set of 196 Yoga Sutras.

One of the important aspects of his work is the framework he developed with 8 main attributes or limbs of practice needed to attain the state of Yoga or union with the Ultimate. This is known as Ashtanga Yoga. They start from Yamas and go on upto Samadhi.

Image courtesy: Ian Alexander / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Ashtanga Yoga is a complete package and is not designed to pick or choose any one or few of the eight limbs at whim.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras and the Ashtanga Yoga continue to be definitive sources of reference even today on all aspects of Yoga.

Ashtanga Yoga is divided into 2 parts: Bahiranga Yoga and Antaranga Yoga.

Bahiranga yoga refers to external preparations to gain mastery over the mind through use of indirect techniques; and it consists of the first five limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.

Antaranga yoga refers to internal preparations, deals with direct handling of the mind to gain mastery over it; it comprises the last three limbs of Ashtanga Yoga.

Asanas or the postures, are Bahiranga Yoga practices and constitute the third limb of the Ashtanga Yoga.

ASANAS: PURPOSE, MEANING, METHOD AND BENEFITS

The purpose of Yogasanas is to strengthen the body and gain mastery over the mind.

The word Asana comes from the Sanskrit root 'As' which means 'to sit'. The purpose of Yoga being union with the Infinite through meditation, the original asana was the sitting pose for meditation.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutras 2:46 define and describe asanas thus:

sthira-sukham-asanam ||46||

स्थिरसुखमासनम् ॥४६॥

Sthira means steady; sukham means comfortable; asanam means posture or sitting position;

Thus a seated position which is steady and comfortable is an Asana.

Generally, Asana is to stay in a position firmly with ease. Asana siddhi आसन सिद्धि, is the ability to hold the Asana for a long time with stability and ease. The time of holding an Asana can range from 3 minutes to 30 minutes depending on the need and purpose.

There are three main stages involved in rendering an asana effectively and reaching the final posture. These are

1. Sthira meaning Stability

2. Chira meaning to keep Steady

3. Sukha meaning Blissful

The first step, Sthira, is to make the posture stable. There is a lot of effort involved and should be done with full concentration and will power.

The second step, Chira, is to be steady in the right posture and maintain the position for a certain duration of time without any undesirable movements. This step is featured by withdrawing oneself from the effort, relaxing the whole body and enjoying the posture with a smile on the face.

The third step, Sukha, is a state of Bliss. After taking efforts to get into the stable posture by Sthira and making it steady with Chira, when we are able to maintain the asana and relax, the general tendency of the mind is to start wandering, which is contradictory to the whole objective of Asanas. To overcome this, we move to the third step - the stage of bliss or Sukha, where we are required to meditate on what is Infinite, calm our minds and rise above dualities.This brings stability and balance.

Yoga practices start working from the physical level, starting with the muscles, the breath and then move to the mind and emotions, bringing balance and calmness of both mind and body.

At ANIRASA, we begin our Yoga sessions highlighting the BBM - Body, Breath and Mind - aspects of yoga that are to be remembered while practicing -

Body - keeping the spine straight with neck and back erect, eyes closed and face smiling

Breath - making sure to practice deep abdominal breathing

Mind - turning the attention inwards, noticing the effects of the practice in the various physiological systems within our body as well as on our state of mind.

Emphasis is laid on the entire practice of asanas being done joyfully, listening to the body and always having the ultimate purpose of Yoga in mind. Asanas are effective when the body, mind and heart work in unison. One should tread the way into Asana through love and devotion.

When each movement is performed slowly with a heightened consciousness of what is happening and the positions maintained for a longer duration, the following will result:

● Deeper relaxation,

● Conservation of energy,

● Reduction in the excessive speed of the mind,

● Strengthening of the muscle tone,

● Stress release.

Consequent to the practice of Yogasanas, the body will be soft like a flower while resting and hard like a diamond when needed.

Understanding the theory of ASANA, the third limb of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga, and practicing it the right way, creates inner steadiness along with physical steadiness, thus helping one to maintain health and well-being.

In later articles, we will explore the theoretical aspects of Pranayama, the fourth limb of Patanjali’s Ashtanga Yoga and its role in leading one to the ultimate purpose of Yoga.

Effective way of practicing asanas – the philosophy followed at ANIRASA!