Tuesday, February 5, 2013

February Monthly Theme: Asana


Asana is the third limb in Patanjali’s eight limbed path and is known as posture.

The Sanskrit word asana actually means "seat." By taking a seat, you establish a connection to the Earth. Through asana practice we consciously connect to a touchable, tangible, sense-able level of reality. This is why we often begin our yoga practice at this third limb. In fact, Pattabhi Jois states in his book Yoga Mala, “If the limbs and sub-limbs of yama and niyama are to be practiced, then steps should be taken to ensure that one does not fall victim to disease, obligation or poverty. For when a person becomes ill, his mind cannot be steady, nor can he do any work. Therefore, the body, sense organs, and mind must be stabilized to prevent obstacles, such as disease, from occurring. To bring the body and sense organs under control, the asana should first be studied and practiced. It is, after all not possible to practice the limbs and sub-limbs of yama and niyama when the body and sense organs are weak and haunted by obstacles.  To destroy diseases of the body and sense organs, asana must be studied and practiced.” 


According to Patanjali, the seat that you establish should be steady and joyful, in body as well as mind. The word asana, therefore, also describes the goal of this yoga practice, which is to consciously relate to all beings with steadiness and joy.



sthira sukham asanam (Y.S.II:46)
Sukham: easy, joyful, comfortable
Asanam: seat, connection to the earth


What is Vinyasa form or practicing Asana? 
At North Shore Yoga we practice Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. The word vinyasa means "a joining or linking mechanism." Krama means "the process"; it refers to the succession of changes that occurs from moment to moment. Vinyasa krama means the succession of changes undertaken with a single pointed intention, free from fluctuation. Learning only static postures does not reveal the incredible potential of asana. When individual asanas are linked together correctly in a sequence, the result is a physiological change. Most people are not conscious of their intention from moment to moment. Details fill their lives, but the casual thread of the vinyasa remains elusive. They may often find themselves in situations wondering, "How did I get into this one?" When we establish a conscious intention and teach ourselves how to remain aligned with that intention, no matter how much we are dissuaded or distracted by the external world, the process unfolds as it should.

The vinyasa is the element that sews together the various moments in a sequence of changes. It is like the string on which pearls are strung for a necklace. The linking strand may be of two types: conscious or unconscious. Change is always occurring, but usually a sequence of changes is linked by unconsciousness; in other words, the conscious mind fails to perceive it.     

When you practice a sequence of asanas, you link them with conscious breathing. The real vinyasa, or link, however, is the intention with which you practice asanas. It is the intention that links the postures with consciousness instead of unconsciousness. The breath is a metaphor for that intention. If your intention is to practice asana to realize the Self, every breath you take will help break down your sense of separation from others.