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Asana: Posture Practice

Yoga is a system of health, fitness, living right, higher consciousness and increased awareness, among other things. One of the branches of Yoga is Asana, or the practice of postures. In this article, discuss exactly what are doing in these postures, how to practice them to maximize their effectiveness, and how to apply this practice in your everyday life. You will not focus on a particular posture, but an attitude and diligence regarding their practice.

The postures themselves evolved over time, and are still evolving. The original intent was to place yourself in a position in order to focus your concentration, thereby facilitating meditation. With the passing of time, people learned that the postures themselves had superb therapeutic effects on the physical body, the mind and the spirit. We can now benefit tremendously from what has been learned over hundreds and hundreds of years.

At FitnessHeaven.com, you will find pages instructing you in the various postures. This is intended to help to achieve your greatest potential with each of them. Apply these principles as you practice, and you will be on the road to changing your life!

If you read the article on Tadasana or Mountain Pose, you probably noticed that it was quite detailed. If you practiced it, you might have noticed quite a bit going on as you stood there, seemingly "doing nothing." Excellent! You noticed that you were losing focus, waiting for something exciting or meaningful to happen, or longing to just be doing more than you were doing.

What is really important here? It's the noticing, that's what. Remember that the foundation of true Yoga practice is the doing of NOTHING. That is where everything begins. And, as sit or stand and doing nothing, can't help but notice the smallest things: itches, fidgets, bits of dust, boredom, mind wandering, aches in the arms, sore legs. Keep on doing the posture!

Whatever Asana you assume, for whatever your degree of ability, the noticing is the key. Sure, all competitive. All want to be thin, supple, young looking, strong, healthy. All want everything! But the really terrific news is that there are surefire steps that can take to achieve those things that really want. If just Slow Down, Pay Attention and Release Judgments and Expectations. That's where the real challenge of Yoga practice is.

One general principle to remember: Motions away from the center of your body accompany Exhaling. Inhales are accompanied by motions toward the center of your body.

Let's talk about the physical awareness first. Above all, don't push yourself. Yoga is the practice of gentleness and softness. Sure, the Asanas are challenging. But the practice is to release and relax in whatever position you are in, not to strain yourself to go deeper and deeper. Your body will benefit far more greatly if you do less and relax more. Use props if you need to. You don't even need to run to the store or online to find them; you've probably got something right there at home that you can use. Take a tie, belt or scarf.

Hold the tie in your hands, in the crease between the thumb and hand -- this spot is called the Tiger Mouth in Chinese martial art practice. Hold your arms out ahead of you at full length -- keep the tie taught without pulling and adjust it so that you are maintaining your arms at shoulder-width distance. This means that you should hold out your arms straight ahead.

Exhale first! Stretch your arms away from you and allow the muscles between your shoulder blades to relax and expand. This will help your shoulders relax and your arms really stretch. You want to feel this stretch from your spine to your fingers. Relax your arms a bit and inhale. Deeply fill your torso with the breath. Exhale again and see how it feels to stretch your arms more. If it doesn't feel great, don't do it. Now, on your next inhale, raise your arms over your head. You'll feel the muscles in your shoulders begin to strain and become tense. As soon as you feel that, stop. Relax the arms. Breathe. Go slowly, at your comfortable pace, until your arms go directly above your head. Allow your shoulders to drop and when you are ready, on your exhale, stretch your arms away from the center of your body, in this case, upward. Keep the forehead and jaw relaxed.

As you practice this simple technique, take the time to be aware of your physical response. Notice the tension that is created in your upper back, or perhaps your chest and torso. Don't allow this tension to intimidate you -- Yoga practice is relaxation -- allow this tension to inform you and make you aware of where your body needs to relax. It all sounds so simple, and it in fact is. But we stop what we are doing when discomfort presents itself, rather than learn that we have the resources and the power to subdue that discomfort. With stressed, busy lives, we hold tension in upper backs and necks, and by the end of the day, are tired and run-down. This practice helps you notice that the tension is building and allows you to let it go. This practice with the tie can be done standing, sitting or even lying down. It feels wonderful regardless of the position you choose!

How about your legs anyway? If you practiced standing up, you've probably noticed that your legs are getting tired. We need to talk about the legs, back and hips for a moment here. Think about the times that you are standing still. Waiting in line perhaps, or standing at the sink, counter, someone's desk. Do you know where your body weight is when you are standing still? Is one hip protruding slightly as you "sit into" that leg? What about sitting? What position are your legs in?

As you stand, notice where your body weight is. The feet should be flat on the floor; notice if you tend to "roll" the feet either inward or outward. Your shoes will help you with that. Notice if one side is more worn than the other. The knees should be soft and flexible, not locked.

Posture, whether it is seated, standing or lying down, is critical for the development and maintenance of good health. While standing, if you allow one hip to protrude as you sit into that leg, you are throwing your lower back and hip out of proper alignment. If you've been doing this for years, you may not even know that it is happening. But, once again, at the end of the day, you notice, as many of us do, that there's tension, soreness or tiredness down one leg or the other. Once again, notice that. Because as soon as you do, you can take the steps to make the changes that need to be made.

Posture awareness: Ears above shoulders, shoulders above hips. Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Take a moment right now to become aware of your posture. Is your chin jutting forward? This happens to all, especially when are sitting. We strain forward during the workday as sit at computers. We strain forward in the car as we drive. Well, if your chin is jutting forward, you are hyper-extending your neck, thereby tightening the muscles along your shoulders. Gently allow your chin and jaw to relax backward toward your spine. Keep breathing!

Shoulders -- are they hunched? I see this more than any other posture difficulty. The upper back is rounded as the shoulders are rounded forward. How do you fix this? Look down at your torso as your shoulders hunch. Think about the organs in there. Not much room for them is there? Maintain the shoulders slightly back and apart. But how? First, don't think of pushing your shoulders back -- think of expanding your chest muscles to allow the shoulders to open naturally. Start with your navel. As you inhale, lift the navel upward, allowing your lower torso to expand. Then lift the breastbone, or sternum. Inhaling, open the chest and roll the shoulders back. Keep breathing! Now think about the organs in your body. You've just made plenty of room for them. Now they can begin to function optimally.

Posture awareness: Use your muscles, not your joints, to support the weight of your body.

Wow! The physical awareness is quite precise and time-consuming. Yes it is. At first, it's all-consuming. However, as you practice and, more significantly, as you begin to feel better and more energized, the correct posture will become more natural. Your body, without your mental control, will assume the correct posture simply because it has learned to and because it is functioning more correctly.

What about other components of the practice -- the ones that are not physical?

This is where Yoga IS Yoga. We can all take an exercise class. We can use a treadmill and read or watch television. But one of the differences between "regular" exercise and Yoga practice is that Yoga requires full attention. We don't read and do Yoga. We don't watch television and do Yoga, unless we are learning and practicing with an instructional video or watching a Yoga program. Yoga is about knowing everything that is going on within us. It is about getting out own way, being still and calm, being nonjudgmental, being happy.

Your thoughts. They'll do lots of things. They'll race, they'll tell you that you are too fat, or too old, or too tired. They'll tell you that you're bored, that you are doing nothing, that this is a waste. They'll ask you why you are bothering, why don't you do something more. Or, they'll tell you that you simply can't. That your arms are too tired. That you haven't practiced in years and your body just can't. That you are too out of shape. That you should do something easier. On and on and on.

What should we do? We should do the practice. That's it. Let a thought come, acknowledge it and let it move on. This is much harder than it sounds. We will now strive to think about nothing, and we'll get aggravated because we can't do that. See how we create an infinite loop of expectation and failure? When does health come in? When do we really begin to change and feel and think differently?

For me, the emptying of my thoughts was one of the most difficult to learn. So I found a method that has helped me tremendously, and I share it with my classes and it helps them as well. Get ready; it's pretty simple sounding.

Replace One Thought With Another

As you stand, sit or bend in whatever posture you are in, and as the thought presents itself, notice that you are thinking it and think something else. Hold on. Not just a random something. A very specific something. Here's an example:

I'm practicing Vrikshana -- the Tree Posture. I cannot get my leg high enough. I can't balance for more than two seconds. I keep on wobbling. I'm nervous. My legs hurt. I'm frowning. I've been practicing for a while and I should be better at this. I'm the worst one in the class. On and on and on.

I replace the thought with something specific to the posture that I'm doing. Very specific. I'm standing. I'm balancing on my left leg. My calf is weak and my knee is locked. Strengthen the calf and relax the knee. I must exhale and relax my chest and shoulders. I must inhale and align my spine.

See what I mean? The attention is drawn to the posture and away from the judgment. This, on the surface, seems both obvious and minor. I can assure that it is quite major.

As we learn to do this in Yoga practice, we begin to notice thought patterns in other areas of lives as well. Here are some examples:

I'm not going to voice my opinion here. My boss would never care what I think. Replace with: I have an idea. I'm bringing it to my boss. Period.

I can't lose weight. I've tried every diet and nothing works. Replace with: I am eating roast beef and mashed potatoes. I chew slowly and have one helping. Period.

I'm anxious and nervous for no reason. I can't control the way that I feel. Replace with: I am working, or, I am eating, or, I am driving (whatever you are doing at that moment). Period.

Life exists from moment to moment. Each is precious and each is gone before we know it. We spend lots of time in the future, worrying about what might be, and lots of time in the past, worrying about what we should or should not have done.

The past is the past. The future has not arrived. Live this moment to the fullest.