Asana

Asanas (Sanskrit, n., आसन, āsana, "the seat") are mainly static physical exercises, i.e. postures in yoga (especially in hatha yoga). Asana is the third stage of Raja Yoga (or Ashtanga Yoga or Kriya Yoga) according to Patanjali. The other seven stages of Raja Yoga are Yama, Niyama, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi.

Basics

When practicing it is important to go consciously into the asana, breathe correctly, consciously hold it and consciously release it. Yoga asanas should always contain two qualities in their execution: Lightness and stability (stihram-stukham). The purpose of asanas is not only to achieve physical suppleness and vital strength, but also to give artistic expression to an idea. It is not primarily about achieving a perfect external form of an asana, but about shaping the body into the form based on the basic idea of the exercise and thereby crossing individual boundaries.

List of asanas

There is a large variety of asanas and their variations as well as preliminary exercises. Some texts speak of 84,000 different yoga postures, other texts mention 84 important ones. Swami Sivananda lists the following postures as the 12 most important asanas in the so-called Rishikesh series:

• Headstand (Shirshasana)
• Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana)
• Plough (Halasana)
• Fish (Matsyasana)
• Head-knee position (Pashchimottanasana)
• Cobra (Bhujangasana)
• Locust (Shalabhasana)
• Bow (Dhanurasana)
• Half sitting twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana)
• Crow (Kakasana)
• Standing head-knee position (Pada Hastasana or Uttanasana)
• Triangle (Trikonasana)

Other well known asanas are:

• Tree (Vrikshasana, also called Tadasana in some yoga styles)
• Relaxation position (Shavasana)
• Handstand (Adhomukha Vrikshasana)
• Camel (Ushtrasana)
• Lotus position (Padmasana)
• Wheel (Chakrasana)
• Inclined Plane (Purvottanasana)
• Balance (Tuladandasana)

There are many more asanas, some of which require a considerable degree of flexibility and body control. However, there are also numerous easier asanas and the possibility of varying difficult asanas. This means that older, sick and mobility-impaired people also have the opportunity to take part in yoga classes. It is up to the teacher to design the class accordingly. A yoga class can be designed in such a way that both very experienced, flexible yogis and inexperienced or mobility-impaired people can take part and make conscious learning steps. It is generally advisable to learn the exercises under the guidance of a yoga teacher or master (Swami/Guru), but you can also learn them yourself using good literature.

Karanas or vinyasas form a special group of asanas. These are breath-guided sequences of movements consisting of individual asanas that are not held statically but are performed dynamically. The best-known example is Surya Namaskara, the sun salutation, also known as the sun prayer: In many yoga styles, the 12 movements are combined with inhalation and exhalation.

Literature

• Paramhans Swami Maheshwarananda: Yoga in Daily Life - The System. Ibera, 2000, ISBN 3-85052-009-9
• Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, standard work on the subject of asana, Pb, with many drawings, ISBN 3-928831-17-8
• Swami Vishnudevananda: Das große illustrierte Yoga Buch. J. Kamphausen Verlag, ISBN 3-591081-83-3
• Wilfried Huchzermeyer: Das Yoga-Wörterbuch. Sanskrit terms, exercise styles, biographies. edition sawitri, 2006, ISBN 3-931172-25-2
• YOGA - Sivananada Yoga Center. Mangalam Books, Lautersheim, 2003, ISBN 3-922477-40-2