asana

Asana

Asana, as the seat of Yoga practice

Asana translates to manner of sitting, or easy sitting, or seated ease, or comfortable seat, and refers to a state of being in seated postures that is a pre-condition for advanced yogic practice.

Asana, the pose or posture

Asana is the name given to all Hatha Yoga postures, including postures other than the ones used for seated advanced yogic practice. Example: Garudasana – Eagle Pose is a standing posture. There are a few postures noted in older texts and scriptures, and many more have been added to what constitutes Hatha Yoga postures today by teachers and traditions from olden days to modern times.

Asana, the practice

We say we are practising asana when we are practising Hatha Yogic postures (old or new) as part of our Yoga practice. Asana practice in classic Yoga of olden days refers to seated postures only, of which the Lotus is considered the King of all Postures. All other postures of sitting are for specific energy work, male or female practices, or specific breath or other practices that require a certain seated posture and/or preparation for Lotus (Padmasana).

These advanced practices of Yoga are almost entirely energetic or breath practices involving connecting and integrating with one's bodies beyond the physical body.

As Yoga literature and texts move through time, from then to now, we see that more and more postures of practice are added in order to help the practitioner prepare the body for the intensity of Lotus and other sitting practices, and the pre-conditions of health, fitness, purification, connectivity and awareness necessary for higher levels of Yogic practice.

In our YM practice we define Asana as

• a shape of stillness – physical shapes with specific energetic resonance for spiritual evolution

Watch some short videos of Hatha Yoga preparations with YM here.

To practise with Mithila, enjoy a collection of free instructional videos here.

See further scrolls:

Hatha Yoga

Yoga

Further definitions – Merriam-Webster

asana

asa·na | \ ˈä-sə-nə \

Definition of asana

: any of various yogic postures

First known use of asana

1811, in the meaning defined above

History and etymology for asana

Sanskrit āsana manner of sitting, from āste “he sits”; akin to Greek hēsthai “to sit”, Hittite es-.