Asana practice is most commonly associated with yoga. So, what is an asana in yoga? Аsana is a Sanskrit word for holding or sitting. The great yoga teacher - Patanjali wrote that the asana is a stable and comfortable yoga pose. Asana or a yoga pose means a state of being in which you can stay quite long, effortless, calm, and comfortable, both physically and mentally.
The physical manifestation of yoga - asanas, is what the modern trend most means by yoga. Yoga poses are performed to develop the ability to sit in one yoga pose for a long time, as it happens during meditation. Yoga asanas are first mentioned in the oldest literature of mankind - the Vedas, but it is believed that the science of yoga poses was transmitted orally long before the Vedas.
Only with proper use of asanas – yoga poses, which are done in full coordination with Pranayama - controlled breathing, and awareness, excellent results are going to be achieved. Yoga asanas are performed slowly with relaxation and concentration. This affects both the external and internal systems of the body. Asanas can also be performed to treat various ailments as well as to maintain health. By gently stretching the muscles, massaging the internal organs, and toning the nerves of the whole organism, the practitioner 's health can be improved, and many diseases can be alleviated or eliminated.
When performing yoga poses, the muscles, bones, nerves, glands, respiratory and circulatory systems work together to help one another. Asanas gradually make the body more resilient and more capable of effortlessly adapting to changes in the environment.
Many asanas get their names from the natural movements and positions of animals, such as fish pose, or cat pose. These yoga poses are a good example of how to help ourselves. Animals are instinctively used to these movements because of their physical benefits. These effects are achieved by practicing asanas.
Asanas – yoga poses are practiced on a mat lying on a hard surface, not on a bed or a soft and elastic floor. You have to be disciplined in your practice and to do your yoga poses daily for a longer time.
The very practice of asanas - yoga poses are based on many thousands of years of experience of many great teachers of yoga. When performing a series of asanas, each asana has a specific place, complementing or emphasizing the previous yoga pose, and at the same time preparing the body for the next yoga pose. This means that in yoga some principles and rules must be followed.
Asanas enable every disciplined yoga practitioner to develop his body efficiently and flexibly, which, with a disciplined and concentrated mind, will respond to his daily needs. With the regular practice of asanas, our being will be ready to accept the health, peace, and harmony that asanas offer.
