YOGA POSTURES

Articles In This Section:

· YOGA POSTURES

· MUDRAS YOGA POSTURES

· HEALTHY DIGESTIVE AND CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

· PRANAYAMA PRACTICED BENEFITS TO THE LUNGS

· FILLING YOUR MIND WITH PEACE AND SERENITY

Although a few of the specific Yoga postures, or asanas, have been mentioned in previous chapters, we have reversed the usual procedure followed in handbooks on Yoga, postponing their general discussion until now in order to let the student first acquire a good overall grasp of the subject. For the asanas are meaningful only in conjunction with the other Yoga practices with which they are both physically and spiritually interrelated. An unthinking approach could easily reduce them to a set of tricks for the double-jointed, and their apparent difficulty discourage the neophyte before he ever gives himself a chance to see what he can do and especially what the asanas can do for him.

In the next chapter we shall go into specific descriptions of those postures which the Western student may safely attempt without a teacher. We shall describe them in minute detail and explain step by step how to do them accurately; and also list the physical benefits derived from each one. In that way each student will be able not only to appreciate their meaning and importance, but also be in a better position to decide for himself which ones are suited to his needs and should be incorporated into his daily routine, and which may be either omitted or done only occasionally as time permits and inclination warrants.

Indian legend claims that the god Shiva originally demonstrated 84,000 postures and exercises for maintaining health and attaining self-discipline. Patanjali, the father of Yoga, when codifying its theory in his famous Yoga Sutras, reduced the essential number of asanas to 84—the number in common use in India today. But this number is for Yoga disciples who devote their full lives to this pursuit. Only about twenty to thirty asanas may be considered easily adaptable to Occidental usage, and, even then, one must bear in mind that "easily" here is a relative term and that it will require considerable patience and perseverance to achieve most of the ones we shall describe. This, however, need not discourage you. In the first place, regular practice will do wonders in developing your body and stretching and limbering up lazy muscles. In the second place, you must never overtax yourself; if an exercise really seems too difficult or seems to result in serious strain, abandon it immediately. You may then either return to it at a later date or, guiding yourself by your own instinct for what seems best for you, abandon it altogether. Always remember you are not in competition either with yourself or with anyone else. Do only what seems feasible to you. Regularity and a proper approach are more important than feats of prowess. In fact the latter aren't considered in the least desirable as part of Yoga.