Asana

Asana is the doorway into yoga.

When people think of yoga they’re made to think of asana practice, where varying poses are sequenced in some semi-ritualistic way that lends to increased strength, flexibility and vitality. Go one level deeper and asanas can be seen to rebalance the living systems of the body in remarkably profound ways, as they relieve chronic pain, lubricate joints, vitalize organs, regulate blood pressure, fuel digestion, aid in sleep and weight loss, expand respiratory capacity, boost adrenal function and increase the overall speed of healing. Go another level deeper and asanas are seen to work on the psychological body as they dissipate stress, alleviate depression, calm anxiety, thwart addiction and tend to other psychological disorders.

Go yet another level deeper and you enter territory that runs afield of the Western materialist paradigm, where fundamental shifts in perception reframe the metaphysical foundations of who and what we actually know ourselves to be. As to what extent one is able to bridge the physical to the non-physical via their asana practice is dependent on a wide set of factors that are as variable as the karma of the individual themselves. There are people who have practiced asana for decades and don’t see it as anything more than a glorified exercise routine, which is as bewildering as it is unfortunate and speaks to the limitations imposed on us by our cultural conditioning. Asana practice is far more than physical fitness and to sell it as such robs it of its potential in the greater understanding of yoga. I make it a point to remind students that any definition of yoga, whether in the Upanishads, Vedas, Mahabharata or Yoga Sutras, points to the non-physical dimension of our being as the means for transformation, and makes no mention of the body or physical practices whatsoever.