Traditionally there are 84 lakh species in the world and there is one Asana for each, capturing the life experience and qualities of each species in a relaxing position! Obviously it’s impossible to learn and practice all, hence the Hatha Yoga texts presents us with 84 more important Asanas.
Asanas can be divided into meditative, relaxing and cultural asanas. These three types of postures are different in their purpose and technique.
MEDITATIVE ASANAS
These are crossed legged, seated postures which allow you to sit upright and relaxed for a longer duration, specially for pranayama or meditation. The idea is to work on stilling the body for a longer time.
There are 5 main meditative postures:-
–Padmasana or lotus
–Siddhasana or adept pose
–Swastikasana or locked ankles pose
–Sukhasana or easy pose
–Vajrasana for those who can’t sit cross legged
ASANAS FOR RELAXATON
The asanas for relaxation are such that there is no need to contract any muscles. It is important to practice them exactly to enable the body to come to a deep relaxation. There are three main relaxation postures:-
–Savasana or corpse pose
–Abdominal relaxation pose
–Garbhasana or child’s pose.
CULTURAL ASANAS
This group contains the largest number of all the asanas. The three important phases in the practice of cultural asanas are:-
-Coming into the position
-Holding the position
-Getting out of the position.
Equal weightage should be given to each phase.
More about this group of Asanas next week, till then stay with your practice even if it’s a few minutes in the day!
Namaste!
