What Is The Purpose Of Asanas ?
Different people start with yoga, with a different aim in mind. Some do it for fitness, some for mental peace, and others to gain terms of spirituality. Yoga in fact, surpasses all sorts of boundaries, be it geographical, religious, gender-wise, or age-related. You could be from any background or profession, and still learn yoga. According to the recent wave of yogic awareness, many people are switching careers midway, to become yoga teachers. Thus, yoga in rishikesh has become the buzzword today, as people from all walks of life are thronging the region.
Before moving ahead with the purpose of yoga, you must have a fair idea about what yoga is, in the first place. It is basically a practice of the mind and body. Nothing happens in isolation in this realm. One thing flows into the next, as a sequence. You can start with the most evident practice, asanas. However, the yogic realm consists of much more than that. Yoga for the unversed, is an ancient practice that originated in India 5,000 years ago. It involves the practice of movement, breathing, and meditation. Some yogis also term it as moving meditation. If you practice yoga on a regular basis, you will be a lot calmer, and will be able to take life’s decisions, in an uninhibited manner.
The basic philosophy of yoga is based on the union of the mind, body, and soul. There are six branches of yoga, like Karma yoga, Bhakti yoga, Raja yoga, Tantra yoga, Hatha yoga, and Jnana yoga. Hatha Yoga is one of the first forms, that students learn about. And why not? All other yoga forms have originated from Hatha Yoga. You will come across forms such as Yin yoga, Ashtanga-Vinyasa yoga, Kundalini yoga, Power yoga, and many more.
While yoga is mainly a restorative and therapeutic technique, you will be able to participate in dynamic yoga forms such as Ashtanga and Vinyasa yoga, after you have mastered the basics. Apart from the 200 hour yoga teacher training in Rishikesh, you can also go for advanced courses. The more you learn about this realm, the better you get. And, that includes your physical, mental, and emotional constitution. Additionally, if you are spiritually inclined, there is nothing better than yoga. Tantra yoga can open up new pathways for you.
The Third Limb In Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras
You will be amazed to know, that asana practice can stimulate healing on various levels. It can heal injuries, both physical as well as mental. Moreover, it can bring in flexibility to the joints and muscles. You will also be released from ‘Avidya’ due to this spiritual practice. That means, you will be freed from the shackles of ignorance. By now, most of you may be familiar with the word ‘asana’. It is the word which denotes the pose formation, as a part of yoga practice. However, there are two sides to it as well. It is the name given to the place, where the practitioner sits and also the pose, that the practitioner does. Thus, there is duality in the word ‘asana’. In fact, you will find that duality exists in everything in this world.
The history of asanas is quite complex. If you happen to delve into the yogic texts, you will find that the oldest Vedas, do not contain or propagate the word ‘asanas.’ However, they use the word ‘as’. If you delve into Sanskrit scripts, you will see that it means ‘to sit’. In the Upanishads, later on, the name changed again. It was addressed as the pose, which a person in meditation takes up. However, this was also quite short-lived. The meaning of the same changed again. With the emergence of Tantric sciences, it came to be known as the pose or form, in which the Prana in the body is intensified.
As Hatha Yoga took over, the word ‘asana’ emerged with full force. Moreover, it is in use till date. Out of the 196 sutras in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, only three speak of the asana. According to Sutra 2.46: sthira sukham asanam, the asana is a balance between comfortable, stable, steady, as well as relaxed stances. Moreover, if you study the Sutras 2.47 and 2.48, as a part of the 300 hour yoga TTC, you will learn that asanas can be mastered, once the practitioner steadies the mind and meditates properly. A calm mind is extremely important for the practice of asanas. If you can achieve mental steadiness, before attempting an asana, no one can disturb you. Moreover, the dualities of life and nature will also not be able to become an obstacle in any manner.
Now, we repeat what we said earlier. Asanas are just a part of yoga. They are the mere building blocks of more things to come. However, the world over, most people identify yoga as asana practice and nothing else. The time has come to remove that wrong notion. If you follow Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, you will find that asanas come after Yama and Niyama. If you follow all the Yamas, like non-violence, non-grasping, non-stealing, and truthfulness, you will likely get the best benefits in the yogic realm. Then comes the Niyamas, which is the second limb. They mainly refer to the duties, that you are supposed to perform in this lifetime. They can also refer to inner observances. The five niyamas are saucha, santosha, tapas, svadhyaya, and ishvarapranidhana. After you have conquered these two limbs, it is believed that you are ready for asanas.
You will learn how to engage the muscles, and find out the stiff places, and soften them. You will also be attuning yourself to the various sensations. Once you have opened the stiff joints and corners of the body, and have created a pose, then you can relax and surrender to the current moment. You can balance strength and openness, and also develop a keen attention to detail. If you are new, then the idea of relaxing, while doing asanas, might be surprising. However, sometimes it can take years, to feel relaxed as a part of the practice.
Here are Four Reasons Why Yoga Asanas Have Taken Center-Stage
As yoga takes center stage as one of the holistic forms of wellness, you will find people from all over the globe rushing for yoga courses. Firstly, just about anything does not work. You need to think and decide, what is best for you. Just because the world is after yoga, you may not want to emulate the same blindly. Secondly, you need to check which is the best yoga school in Rishikesh for you. Ascertaining why you want to do yoga, and why you want to join a certain school will clear all the obstacles in your pathway.
For Physical and Mental Wellbeing
There are many reasons, why people practice asanas. In the western countries, most people do it for physical fitness. People who work at the desk all day long are suffering from various diseases of the back and spine. Chronic headaches are also quite common. A sedentary lifestyle is one of the foremost reasons, for obesity and weight gain as well. The more you will indulge in yoga, the better you will feel. In yoga, there is no rush to get anywhere. You will only get better each day. Apart from physical fitness, yoga can impart tonnes of other benefits as well. More and more people are going for the 200 hour yoga teacher training in rishikesh, as it can provide one with immense knowledge.
⦁ To Fulfil Your Dharma
It can help you to connect to the spiritual conscience. That is why, many yogis, having other jobs keep returning to the yoga mat. While practicing yoga, you have to incorporate selflessness into your lives. Moreover, you have to let go of the ego. All your actions are termed as Karma. When you do all the actions, in a selfless manner, it turns into your dharma. Yogis stop expecting the fruits of their labour, so they are above all mankind, with some having divine powers. You must offer yourself to humanity, as that is the only way, you can fulfil your dharma. The result is a karmic action, which gets transformed into dharma. In this process, you are letting your soul go free. It is not bounded by anything.
You can take the example of a couple, who tries relentlessly to have a child. However, there may be several health obstacles on either side. This is Karma, as it is something that the couple desires. However, this situation can very well be turned into dharma. The couple can adopt a child. On the other hand, they can serve any orphanage. The couple can engage in this selfless act, of offering all kinds of monetary assistance to children, who are alone in this world. Your karma is fulfilled, as well as your dharma, in this case.
⦁ To Purify Your Energetic Body
Physical asanas aim to purify the energy inside the earthly bodies as well. This is why, you will feel calm and relaxed, after a yoga session. When you flow in and out of asanas or poses, all the blockages are removed. Asanas help in clearing the energy channels within the body, and also in the untouched consciousness. Before you engage in yoga practice, the energy may be blocked at certain locations. After a yoga session, it is freed from all encumbrances. The purification of energy flow is the main reason for Hatha Yoga practice.
⦁ To Unite With The Universe
The meaning of Yoga is ‘Union’. Yoga therapy mainly comprises a set of tools, like asanas, Pranayama, meditation, kriyas, bandhas, and mudras, to help you to connect your inherent energies with that of the universe. The union is mainly of the earthly body, its energies, and the divine. Oneness with the universe is the ultimate aim of yoga. Asanas are one of the main ways, to connect with the higher order.
The reason being, that if you use all the inherent energies to facilitate physical processes, very little remains to be directed to the higher achievement. So, a string body is like a vehicle, that can connect your mental, emotional, and spiritual energies with the universe. Breath retention is another way, to achieve the goal. It is also termed as ‘kumbhaka’. You can contain the energy within yourself, through the practice of Kumbhaka. It also facilitates the formation of a reservoir of Prana, and when combined with asanas, and mudras, the results can be astounding. Mudras are also an important part of yogic practice, to be very precise. One of the primary reasons, why you should practice Hatha Yoga, is to refine and fine tune your relationship with the body. Yoga also helps us to realize that we are not mere bodies, but a container of sacred energies. Yoga is today, one of the most universally inclined exercises, that can bring about not only physical, mental, or emotional, but spiritual changes as well.
Developing The Connection With Full Yogic Breathing
As a part of the 300 hour Yoga TTC, you will be able to master, what you learn in the basic courses. If you want to find out the actual effects and goals of the asanas, it is important to introduce proper breathing into the practice. In fact, both work hand-in-hand. Late on, even if you stop doing asanas, breathing can give you the full benefits. However, that may happen after years of practice. The three main types of breathing that you may utilize here are abdominal, diaphragmatic breathing, and thoracic breathing.
If you practice deep and slow breathing, you will be able to take in more oxygen inside the body. It can then neutralize the formation of lactic acid. This eventually leads to muscle development. The movement of the chest also assumes a lot of importance here. So, if you want to understand, practice and master yoga or asanas in totality, you must head to Hrishikesh Yoga School.
