The Purpose and Benefits of Practicing Asanas
Asana means: posture, presence, sitting without interruption. In a wider meaning, asana means the posture that brings comfort and steadiness. So it is described in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali. This is the Raja Yoga approach. According to the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, by practising asanas one gets firmness and steadiness of body and mind while getting the flexibility of the limbs. But it also means something else, something more complex.
It is described that practicing asanas is beneficial for body purification, because energy channels and psychic centres are being opened through the practice. By opening these channels, one allows prana to flow freely in the body. By restructuring the pranic flow one develops control of the body and purifies it. It is also said that through these processes, one develops control of the mind. All these benefits allow the practitioner to eliminate diseases from the body. The body becomes more supple, because by working on stiffness and removal of toxins, one is more able to bend and be flexible. Later on when the prana flows easily, the practitioner is also able to perform more challenging poses without specific warm-up, because the body - along with the mind - is in a more relaxed state and there is a greater vibrational rate of prana.
According to the American Osteophatic Association, yoga of any type has strong benefits (since most yoga practices involve asana practice, breathing practice and meditation) such as: increase of muscle flexibility, increase muscle strength and tone, improve respiration, energy and vitality, maintain a balanced metabolism, weight reduction, cardio and circulatory health, improve athletic performance and protection from injury. Besides the physical benefits they also mention that it comes with mental health benefits. Since yoga help decrease stress, it effects both the mind and the body positively. “Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness; increases body awareness; relieves chronic stress patterns; relaxes the mind; centers attention; and sharpens concentration.” The NHS also encourages people for yoga practice mentioning various benefits such as “high blood pressure, heart disease, aches and pains – including lower back pain – depression and stress.”
Each pose has its benefits. Both in the Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha and Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Amy Matthews the body parts involved in each pose are explained. Besides the commercially glorified muscle groups, there are yoga techniques (such as uddiyana bandha, a vacuum technique) that are able to engage deep muscle tissues that other exercises are not. Besides muscles, asanas are also able to improve joint mobility, help maintain the cardiovascular system by increasing the heart rate. With the muscle contraction the lymphatic system is stimulated helping to detoxify the body. By regulating the breath - which is always a key point, when practicing yoga we learn that the breath leads the practice - the body and brain gets well-oxygenated, which helps us to focus better.
When it comes to the balance between strength and flexibility, it is important to have a good measure of both in our body. For healthy joint support and bone support we need to have strength in our muscles to maintain proper alignment and support our skeletal system, but it is also important to have flexibility. Flexibility will allow full range of movement in our limbs and overall in our body, allow the tension to be released in our muscles and create a more relaxed environment for our nervous system as well. Many people think that yoga is only about stretching, whereas there are so many asana poses that are strengthening the muscles. With yoga it is also possible to train those small but important supportive muscles that help us in balance, and support major muscle groups. Finding a good balance between strength and flexibility is essential to maintain a healthy body and therefore healthy mind.
The Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga system consists of 6 series of postured linked with vinyasas to keep the practice dynamic and the heart-rate up, constantly generating heat in the body, creating the best conditions for the deep muscle work required in challenging asanas. It is safest to practice using that heat, since it also acts as a safety measurement as there are days when the the body is capable to go further in a pose and days when that deep expression is not accessible. By using external heat and making the muscles more flexible than they meant to be at that day, we disregard this safety system and become more prone to injuries.
I hope this article was useful in understanding the purpose and benefits of asanas as well as how Ashtanga Yoga is providing a helpful system to follow and cultivate these benefits on a daily basis.