Asana

Asana is a Sanskrit word that literally means a seat but in the practise of yoga refers to a pose or posture. In Patanjali's yoga sutras Asana means, mainly, sitting for meditation.

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The practice of asanas involves stretching and moving the body into various positions. With practice, the body can be made to remain a given position for a longer period of time, comfortably. When a degree of comfort is attained in a given posture, it becomes Asana. In general, however, the term is also used to refer to physical yoga exercises in general.

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The practice of asanas is very good for muscle flexibility, and many practitioners believe the positions massage and bring balance to the various internal glands and organs of the body, and that they facilitate and balance the flow of prana (vital energy) in the body.

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This physical aspect of yoga has been much popularised in the western world and is practiced by a great deal of people, including many celebrities like Madonna, which has given rise to a misconception that asanas are all there is to yoga. This is not true. Yoga asanas such as shirsasana (headstand), etc. (see below) are actually part of Hatha Yoga, which itself is just one of several different ways of practising and approaching yoga. For example, in Pantanjali's work referred to above, Asana is classified as the third rung in the ladder of the practice of Raja Yoga, which consists of 8 limbs: Yama and Niyama, which are ethical obligations, Asana, Pranayama, which is breath control, Pratyahara, which is sense withdrawal, Dharana, which is concentration, Dhyana, which is meditation, and Samadhi, which is the experience of unity with God.

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Sanskrit: '...

Yoga: : See Hatha Yoga for the yoga of mostly physical exercises popular in the West....

Patanjali: Pata?jali (Devanāgarī पतञ्जलि) is the compiler of the Yoga Sutra, a major work containing aphorisms on the practical and philosophical wisdom regarding practice of Raja Yoga. ("Yoga" in traditional Hinduism involves inner contemplation, a rigorous ...