YOGA POSTURES

YOGA ASANAS

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I wrote this text for all curious readers, but also as a reminder to all those who are not foreign to the concept of Asana, Yoga  body postures, in practice and experience. Even if you are an master in yoga asanas, you should read this text,

 

Practice of asanas, Yoga postures, is not something that would cause growing nose and pride those who practice them.

Together with conscious breathing this practice is in India, where it has originated, part of every new morning. Just like you wash your face every singe morning Indian people practice body postures and breathing techniques. What is water to the face is asana practice to the body.

When you wash your face you don’t need anything else except of water, a little bit of soap and your body.

Nor outdoor equipment neither tattoos, dreads, creams, towels, sexy pants, sneakers, ropes, notebooks, mattresses, soaps or any other miracles are needed.

Same with asana practice. When you practice body postures you only need your body and breath. Human body is the same today as it has been thousands years ago and performing asana is a very natural thing for human body and spirit today as it has been back then.

As you don’t wait for Monday or Thursday to wash your face so Indians do not wait special day in order to practice asanas.

 

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When asana practice has been brought from India to the West it became “exercise” or “yoga”.

 

 

There is nothing bad with exercising hanging from the ceiling or braking bones and tendons for those who like it but people should call each thing by its right name. Exercising hanging from the ceiling is exercising hanging from the ceiling and nothing else. It may be dangerous or not. But what is much more dangerous is human overconfidence in a subjects what one knows very little or nothing about.

This is why you should know what are you really doing when you twist your body and confidence.

Everybody is given the opportunity to become an expert but it takes lot of knowledge and practice.

In the following texts you get brief notes on the meaning of asana, why and how to practice that body postures.

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The opportunity to experience transformation at the level of matter is given by the practice of asanas or yoga postures.

The Sanskrit root of the word asana is as which means sitting. Asana is therefore not a body exercise but a body posture which should be performed totally deliberately. Among numerous positive effects on the body level each posture has a different effect on the consciousness.

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At the beginning of each yoga asana practice it is quite normal that you will be more focused on the muscle stretching and other anatomical sensations. But in the course of time you will get closer and closer to your inner world. Therewith you will better understand your own mind and its layers.

This experience will be transferred to everyday life since the aim of complete yoga practice is to be a yogi in each part of everyday life no only on the mat. If yoga postures are practiced dedicated and with no competition one’s mind and thoughts start to change and therewith the inner attitude both mental and physical. This change happens because the practice of asanas changes the function of the endocrine glands, the nervous, immune and all other body systems.

It is possible to practice yoga asanas without practice of conscious breathing but the practice of Hatha Yoga is in that case very limited and it remains on the level of sport.

 

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According to yogic science which is much older than modern medicine, in the body there are certain obstacles of psychological nature which no medical instrument can record. In Yoga they are known as granthis or psychic knots: Brahma Granthi is connected with the reproductive glands.Vishnu Granthi with the thymus and thyroid gland and Rudra (other name for Shiva) Granthi with the pituitary gland or hypophysis.

Human body is a valuable temple and practice of yoga asanas gives us the opportunity to transform not only the body systems but the system of thinking too. That is why it is important to practice with no logic and competition braking tendons and mind but with an open heart and open mind. Yoga asana practice is about to transcend the selfishness and to brake the barriers.

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The practice of yoga postures unfortunately does not directly change the brain patterns responsible for depression, anxiety, hate, jealousy, greed or any of the human qualities what prevents every human being from living a happy life. This is why the practice of yoga postures should not stand aside of all other Yogas.

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Just as a complete journey of life asana practice has its own stages. One day an asana will be performed completely effortless. I like to call that stage a stage when „someone else will do the asana“. In that stage the (transcended) mind is separated from the body in the most spontaneous and natural way.

The mastering of yoga asanas is called Jaya Asana and it is a long path which gives you the knowledge of the matter in your body, knowledge of the game between the matter and the gravity. It opens the doors of other paths to the higher layers of your human existence.

The practice of yoga postures is hence not the issue of boasting, disputing, disagree or not, or an issue for a coffee meeting and quarrels. Yoga is both the main process and the aim and to reach the yoga state (unity) it really, but really does not matter whether one practice this kind of sun salutation or another and breathe like Darth Vader or not while performing postures.

Who on the globe can know your body better that you yourself?

Practice of yoga postures leads you exactly to this knowledge but only of you are honest and respectful to your own body and your own self.
As long as you are in your practice of hatha yoga postures still in contradiction with your inner peace, serenity and clarity, or if you are injuring you self physically, mentally or emotionally, you are missing the point.

Sthira means steady, firm, Sukham means relaxed, pleasant and Asanam means seated position.

Hence those who do painful and unhealthy positions do not practice yoga. That way of practicing does not lead to the path of the self-realization or direct knowledge of one own’s self but to the path of self-torturing.

As we all know self torturing is a very slippery path.

Practice slowly and with smile and the change will come both in your thoughts and heart.

We live in age of sitting. To sit perfectly calm with straight back and head is simply impossible for many people.

Practice of yoga asana makes body steady and healthy and it prepares the body for meditation as for meditation a good and stable body position is necessary.