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Asana stands for the body position practiced in yoga. The person performing the pose to be able to call it an asana should follow very specific guidelines. The fact that someone can perform spectacular poses and present themselves beautifully in them does not necessarily mean that they are doing asanas. The same pose can be an ordinary acrobatic pose, and by following precise instructions it can become a yoga pose - an asana. So what distinguishes two at first glance very similar positions, making them either a purely physical position or a meditation position?
The purpose of practicing various body positions in yoga, contrary to popular belief, is not to stretch, wrestle, or force your body to do anything. Yogis, unlike athletes, do not challenge the body, but through regular practice they gain better and better body awareness and contact. Whenever they encounter resistance, blockage, tension or pain, they try to get to know and understand the cause and remove it. So that the body is he althier and more efficient.
When practicing asanas, attention is paid to getting a position that is in balance with the force of gravity so that it is as light and effortless as possible. The correct technique of performing asanas is to open the body to the maximum and relaxation, with minimal effort and the use of natural levers offered by your own body. The positions made in this way are extremely pleasant and give a feeling of control of the whole body.
And it is this pleasant relaxation and opening of the body that when we manage to perform an asana correctly, we will be more willing to return to practice and bolder and bolder to reach for new positions to turn them into asanas, i.e. positions, as we practice stable and effortless.
By practicing asanas, we learn what an amazing tool our body is and what potential it hides. You could say that practicing asanas is like learning how to use your own body not only on the physical level, but also in the subtle layers - energy, emotions and mentality.
How do you know if a pose is an asana for us?
Asana is inextricably linked with the other key elements of yoga, which are breath control and inner awareness. When we practice these three elements together, i.e. body position, breath control and keeping attention toinside, then we create conditions for the body to relax and regenerate, the breathing becomes calm, even and deep, and the mind is calm and naturally remains in a state of concentration and heightened awareness, i.e. meditation.
One of the most comfortable and effortless asanas is considered to be standing on your head, which after years of practice, we willingly perform for several, a dozen or even several dozen minutes without any special effort or tension.
Thus, a correctly performed asana can be recognized by the fact that the breathing is calm and measured, eyesight, face and the whole body remain relaxed. This applies even to the most difficult and extreme positions, such as balance positions.
Effects of doing asanas
Asanas are extremely beneficial for your he alth:
- correct posture defects,
- relieve muscle pain and tension,
- learn to cope with stress,
- regulate the hormonal balance and digestion,
- improve circulation,
- cleans the intestines,
- increase metabolism, thanks to which the body weight returns to normal,
- develop strength and grace,
- allow you to regain he alth and fitness even in old age, etc.
However, these are not the main reasons why yoga is so willingly practiced and is so dynamically developing all over the world. The reason why we like to practice asanas, and why it quickly becomes our regular daily habit, is simple: practicing asanas is enormous pleasure in itself, a delight for which we are able to limit other less he althy pleasures, such as stimulants or unhe althy eating. . Nothing compares to the feeling of peace, joy, strength, and concentration that we get after doing a good sequence of asanas and breaths.