Hata yoga - asana is a steady, comfortable posture.

Asana means the posture that brings comfort and steadiness.

Any pose that brings this comfort and steadiness is an asana. If you can achieve one pose, that is enough.

It may sound easy, but in how many poses are we really comfortable and steady? As soon as we sit in a particular position, there is a small cramp here, a tiny pain there. We feel the urge to move. Continuously we are reminded of our legs, hands, hips and spine. Unless the body is perfectly healthy and free from all toxins and tensions, a comfortable pose is not easily obtained. Physical and mental toxins create stiffness and tension. Anything that makes us stiff can also break us. Only if we are supple will we never break. It is very important to keep our body healthy, strong but also flexible.

There is a metaphor who clarify this: One time there was a conversation between a weed and a big olive tree. Both grew on the bank of a swiftly running jungle river. One day the tree looked down at the tiny weed and said, “Hey, you little creature, why do you stand near me? Are you not ashamed to be by my side? See how great, how big, how tall I am? How sturdy and strong? Even an elephant cannot move me. But look at you. You shouldn’t have come here. People will see the difference and laugh at you. Why don’t you move somewhere else?” The weed bent its head. “Tree,” the weed said, “what can I do? I didn’t come here purposely. I just happen to be here. I know I’m not as strong and stiff as you. But please pardon my presence.” “All right,” said the big tree, “but just remember your place!” This conversation happened during the rainy season. The very next day a heavy rain came, inundating the jungle and causing a terrible flood. When a river floods, it erodes the banks and pulls down anything in its way. Coming in such force, the water pulled down the great tree instantly. But the weed bent down, flattened itself completely and let the water run over it. When the flood passed, the weed rose up again. Looking this way and that, it wondered, “What happened to the great tree? I don’t see it.” From far away it heard the tree’s reply. “I’m being pulled down by the water. I should have been humble and simple and supple like you. Now I’m being destroyed.” What we need is not only strength but also steel’s flexibility.

The body must be so supple it can bend any way you want it to. Such a body will always be healthy and tension-free. The moment we sit down for meditation in such a body, we’ll forget it. In order to achieve such a meditative pose, we may practice many preliminary cultural poses. This is why Hatha Yoga was created. People trying to sit quietly found they couldn’t it. They encountered pain, stiffness, gas, etc., and thought, “What is the reason for these things and how can we get rid of them?” The yogis realized it was due to toxins from eating the wrong foods, at the wrong times and in the wrong quantities. These people pondered, “What is good food that won’t leave toxins? What should the limit be? When is the proper time to eat?” They formed the Yogic diet, free of meat, fish, eggs, stimulants and excessive use of spices. The next problem was what to do with the toxins already inside the body. They concluded that these could be gotten rid of by squeezing the body in all different directions.

For example, they found the way to cleanse the liver, spleen and intestines was by doing the forward bending pose, pascimottanasana which is bending forward and crushing the stomach a bit. If this wasn’t enough, they developed Yoga mudra in order to crush it more. If toxins were still present they came up with majurasana, the peacock pose If this still wasn’t good enough, they created uḍḍiyana bandha, the stomach lift , and nauli, the stomach churning . When the spine was stiff and didn’t want to move, they employed postures that bent it forward, backward, sideward and upside down. Although Hatha Yoga is several thousands of years old, it never becomes outdated. The truths of it are always current. They are like gold. Although other things lose their value according to time, gold is always the same.

#Yoga #hatayoga #pranayama