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Asana (posture) is the primary form of yoga in the west. This is
neither good nor bad, simply a tool - and a very good one - leading us to deeper self-awareness. As Ida Rolf said, "it (the
body) is all you can get your hands on." We live in the world of matter (as well as spirit) and the journey begins in the
body. The body is our biography - a history of our experiences from birth to death. Asana is sometimes criticized as fitness
yoga. But it is the mindfulness we put into any form that makes it spiritual or not. Asana is a mirror - of our physical blocks,
energy flow, and our state of mind as well. Yoga is based on the flow of energy (prana) in the body, through thousands of
meridians, much like the vascular system. Rivers of energy...In the yoga view, our spirit is encased in five concentric sheaths
(koshas). The outermost is the physical body. As we refine our body awareness and energy, we are more ready to go deeper into
these sheaths.
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Asana can be practiced on a continuum from relaxed to very intense
and demanding, and anything in between. It can also be done in a structured form, or with spontaneous expression. There
are many different schools and forms popular today, each with it's merits. Asana can encompass the four major branches of
yoga: Raja (discipline of body and mind), Bhakti (devotion), Karma ( action), and Jnana (self-discovery). However it is practiced,
asana should lead us toward greater compassion and freedom of the spirit.
Sun practice is active and structured, building strength and endurance.
Moon practice is more passive, intuitive, and flowing. Spontaneous
posture flow is especially nice. Simply attuning inwardly and following your impulse can lead into a dance of postures that
perfectly matches your state of being in this moment. It is also helpful to be grounded in the fundamentals of yoga posture
without suppressing your own creative expression.
Statues have recently been discovered in the Indus Valley of
India showing figures in yoga postures, revealing that the roots of yoga go back thousands of years - even
older than previously thought. At the same time, there is convincing evidence that many of the postures are less than one
hundred years old and come from British gymnastics! And (yoga master) B.K.S. Iyengar himself devised many of the variations
we now call the 84 "classical" postures early in his career. He visited caves and temples,
studying the sculptures of yoga postures, and developed his standardized system of yoga. It
doesn't matter...They work beautifully. Most of the classical yoga literature mentions only a few of the 84,000 postures that
are said to exist. The beauty of western yoga is that these postures are being adapted, modified, expanded upon so that there
is truly a practice suitable for everyone.
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