Asana is one of the eight limbs of Yoga. "Asana"
means staying or abiding. It is through asanas that an individual
achieves the unity of body and mind. In the west, asana is commonly
called "posture" or "pose". The Yogic asanas
(postures) have been devised for the purpose of comfort and
steadfastness during meditation and pranayama. The ideal asana for
meditation is the one in which a person is seated in an upright posture.
When a person is performing an asana there is a corresponding mental
balance between his movements and stillness. In his famous Yoga Sutra,
Patanjali says that each posture reflects a mental attitude, whether
that attitude be one of surrender, or the strengthening of the will or
the creation of a physical prayer with the body. Through the performance
and practice of different asanas, one is able to learn the handling of
difficult situations. This is possible because we are in a better
position to know our body. We have already mentioned that the greatest
advantage of asana is that it helps us get used to different situations
and be able to cope with different demands.
Another important aspect of asana is that it can temporarily bring
peace and free the mind of all worries. The quieting of mind promotes
the balancing of the mental functions of the individual. This soothing
effect of asanas on the brain has been verified by EEG data of brain
during meditation. It proves that asanas have great healing
implications. According to Patanjali, the asana and the pranayama
practices bring about the desired state of health in an individual. It
also helps in control of breath. In a nutshell, asanas (bodily postures)
harmonize the flow of energy in the organism, thereby lifting the
spirits of the individuals practicing
