Asana
Yoga Sutra 2.46: Sthira sukham asanam
“make your postures steady and comfortable”
Asana is the Sanskrit word for the postures, or poses, that we do on the mat in yoga class. The word literally means “seat”. In the yoga sutra above Patanjali instructs that in order to master yoga, we must learn to make our postures stable and strong while also staying comfortable and easy in them. This balance between strength and suppleness, stability, and flexibility, gives us a felt experience of how we might be out in the world. Supported by a sense of equanimity and ease we practice becoming responsive rather than reactive.
Asana promotes the balanced flow of energy within the physical body and the balanced flow of energy between body and mind. The mind and the body are united through awareness of breath. Practicing with a smooth, steady, deep and comfortable breath brings both body and mind into this place of balance and equipoise.
Yoga asana is an individual practice frequently done in a group setting. Yoga postures are not meant to be exercise. They are a form of medicine. We don’t take the same medicine all the time and we certainly don’t take the same medicine as our friends do! An asana practice will strengthen and tone the body while promoting greater flexibility and balance. But it can do so much more. The body holds our history – everything we eat, think, feel and do is recorded in the body in some way. Asana allows us to move energy out that is blocking us in some way and allow new energy to move more freely.
In my own practice and my teaching I emphasize stability and spaciousness in the body. We will usually hold postures longer than in more “active” classes. Moving intentionally and holding postures tones the nervous system to be more resilient in the face of discomfort and challenge. We practice observing the mind while the body encounters challenge and learn what our patterns and tendencies are. This is where yoga can begin to have its greatest impact on our lives overall.
