YOGA POSE – ASANA is a stable and comfortable yoga position!
I believe that this sentence has rung in the ears of many right now! Comfortable!!! Stable!!! Most people define asanas as impossible positions! Yoga poses are stable and comfortable positions in which one can stay for a long time. It might, but it doesn’t have to be. Yoga beginners do not hold poses for too long. Read more about the purpose of staying in position here.
Yoga poses (asanas) are indispensable parts of the yoga methodology systematized by Patanjali in the “Yoga Sutras”.
II, 46: sthirasukhamasanam. Yogi’s sitting position must be stable and comfortable. (Patanjali, 1977). II, 47: prayatnašaithilyanantyasamapattibhyam. Only when all effort has perished and a feeling of union with the endless has arisen can one speak of asanas. (Patanjali, 1977)
Asana is defined as a yoga posture or pose. Asana is a Sanskrit word meaning “posture,” “seat,” or “place.” Asanas are the physical positions we assume during hatha yoga practice. Originally, there was only one asana–a stable and comfortable pose for prolonged seated meditation.
How many yoga poses are there?
Traditional yoga text called The Gheranda Samhita notes that there are 8,400,000 asanas. Among them 84 are the best; and among these 84, 32 have been found useful for humankind in this world.” Also, the sequence of poses is extremely important. Connoisseurs of yoga pay special attention to the series of asanas. Each asana has its own energy, health, and emotional effect, as well as an effect on our consciousness and cognition.
What is the most difficult yoga pose?
Believe it or not, Shavasana is the most difficult and challenging pose for most yoga students. Although this is a lying position, it is challenging for even the most flexible students. Let me remind you that the most important thing in yoga is our conscious attention. Our body is used to movement. In modern society, the body is overactive. Even when we think we are resting by watching TV, we are actually very active. We activate our fingers, eyes, ears, and above all our minds. It is filled with dynamic content, lots of pictures, and colors that entertain our brains.
The Shavasana is a relaxation pose. The pose requires us to remain still, focused only on the voice of the yoga instructor or our breath, and the sensations that arise within us. Students often feel bored, impatience, and nervous. Their thoughts wander around. In conclusion, The real challenge of Shavasana is to focus attention on the here and now.
Can everyone do yoga positions?
Yes, and no! Yoga positions can be done by all people, of all ages. The prerequisite for practicing yoga is neither age nor physical fitness nor flexibility. If you are interested in practicing yoga, you must not suffer from chronic diseases and have not had surgery in the previous 6 months. If so, you need to get a doctor’s confirmation before starting the practice that you can do yoga. Also, it is important that you practice yoga with a certified and licensed yoga instructor or yoga teacher who assesses your health readiness and adapts the practice to your body.
People with disabilities can also practice yoga, but only under the supervision of an instructor who has completed adequate training in the asana program for people with disabilities. The same applies to the elderly and pregnant women.
Yoga Pose Catagories
CLASSIC CLASSIFICATION OF YOGA POSITIONS
1. Standing yoga positions
2. lying poses
3. bending (forward, backward, and sideways)
4. contorted yoga poses
5. inverted positions
6. with axial stretching
7. handstand positions
CLASSIFICATION BY DYNAMICS
1. Dynamic asanas – above all, they are performed without staying in position and are suitable for beginners (sun salutation, dynamic part of the cobra, dynamic part of the pin…)
2. Static asanas – they are performed while remaining in positions and are intended for advanced yoga students. The characteristics of static yoga poses are: firstly, they are performed with little or no movement. Secondly the participant is aware of their breathing, the experience that the position provides, and the strategic place of the asana (place of action, direction of the asana).
Benefits of yoga postures?
We are witnessing an increasing number of published scientific studies that reveal the more profound effects of practicing yoga. You can find these studies in the international yoga magazine Sense, which basically promotes science in the field of yoga.
Yoga postures basically help us to gain physical vitality, precision of movements, greater concentration, satisfaction with oneself and one’s life, awareness of emotions and creativity, and a sense of aesthetic value. So, by practicing yoga poses, we gain motor dexterity, the ability to breathe properly, better concentration, the ability to relax, and faster physical recovery.
Finally, Yoga positions are balancing the functioning of the autonomic nervous system (sympathetic and parasympathetic), and the functioning of internal organs. Also, asanas harmonize our endocrine system, we improve circulation, maintain the natural elasticity of the spine, and energy pulsation in all parts of the body.
Asana – Third Limb of Yoga
Did you know that asanas are only one of the eight parts (steps, ashtanga) of yoga practice? For the modern man, and the fast-paced lifestyle, yoga asanas are often a basic part of practicing with quick and visible action.
But, asana is the third limb in the Eight Limbs of Yoga. They are actually the third of the eight steps or limbs (ashtanga) of yoga defined by Patanjali in his Yoga Sutras. Basically, the sutras describe the path of yoga and the methodology of yoga. Patanjali’s methodology consists of eight limbs, i.e. step (ashta, Sanskrit. – eight; anga, Sanskrit. – limb). Patanjali’s system is often called ashtanga, and otherwise, it is also known as raja or royal yoga. The Yoga Sutras is, in fact, a manual on how to live in harmony with yourself, your body, living beings around us, nature, and the Universe. Read more about the steps of yoga – Ashtanga here.
THANK YOU for the precious time you have devoted to this text
may love and harmony with the environment be with us, may every day be love, and may we exist in love!
Literature:
International Scientific Yoga Journal Sense 4, 159-160
Lysebeth() , A. TEACHING YOGA
Nikić, P. (2010). YOGA – THE LIGHT OF THE MICROUNIVERSE, Belgrade, International Academy for the Training of Yoga Instructors Yoga Federation of Serbia
Patanjali. (1977). Proverbs about yoga (Z. Zec, trans.) Belgrade: BGIZ
