Exploring Yoga: Asana

Asana is the Sanskrit word for posture.  It is easy enough to know what a posture is, they can be found in yoga classes and in popular advertising.  Have you ever wondered, however, what their purpose is?

Every person starts practicing yoga for a different reason.  For one person it might be to improve their strength or flexibility and for another it might be to gain better balance or to be relaxed.  It is very easy to see how yoga postures can build up strength, flexibility and balance.  Most people, after attending even one class, can also see how yoga postures can relax a person.  Are these, however, the real purposes of postures?  At a very basic level, yes, they are and large numbers of people have used this basic application of yoga postures to develop strong, flexible, balanced bodies.  It is largely because of this success that when most people think of yoga, they automatically think of yoga postures.

More Than Just A Pretty Pose

There is, however, much more to the postures than simply creating a healthy body that is pleasing to the eye.  Postures are a place to experience and explore who we are and to break reactive habits.  The benefits of a healthy body and calm mind are immediately obvious but the benefits of experiencing who we are and breaking reactive habits may not be quite so obvious.

We all have buttons and we have all had our buttons pushed.  When someone pushes our buttons, more often than not, our unconscious habits immediately jump up and start pushing us around and we start pushing the button pushers away.  No one likes having their buttons pushed because no one likes being pushed around but if we just push the button pusher away, the button remains and waits to be pushed again.  Postures put us into many different shaped boxes, some are shaped like Warrior II or Camel or even Corpse Pose and those boxes will push buttons.

Our buttons might show up as fidgeting or the mind trying to be anywhere but in that pose or “Not this pose, I hate this pose!” or “I should be able to do that!”  One way or another, a level of discomfort arises and the question is, do we simply let habit take over or do we consciously recognize our discomfort and let it go.  If I can let go of the discomfort that comes from falling out of Tree Pose for the third time; I recognize I can probably let go of the discomfort that comes from that annoying dental receptionist telling me about her cats for the 12th time.

Jai Bhagwan.