Love...for Asana

Asana is the term for the individual poses in a yoga practice. Asana is a Sanscrit word that translates as stillness, seat, and can be translated as pose. Sanscrit is an ancient language used by the educated upper caste of Brahmins in India. Asana is usually the entry point of Yoga for many Westerners. We have an obsession with physical exertion as a goal. Most exercise routines demonstrate a clear distinction between our physical exertion and everything that is going on inside our bodies.


One of my Yoga teachers, my guru Diane, seems to have a way of knowing exactly which pose I hate. The exact pose seems to change depending on the day but I can hear my thoughts screaming, "Please don't do That Pose" as she gently leads us into the pose I am resisting. My mind is telling my body that I am not in the mood for it. The reality is my body needs that pose the most. There is a neurological block that causes my body to resist. But I suck it up, breath and allow my body to flow into the pose. AS I breath my way out of the pose I have a sense of achievement and centerd-ness that can only come from allowing the process to happen through my asana.

Many years ago I made the decision to leave Religion. I couldn't reconcile what I was being taught in the traditional Judeo-Christian orthodoxy and my wider views of the world and my connection to a Creator. I missed prayer the most. I missed the deep intimate conversations I had with my Creator. One Teacher wrote that Asana is his prayer. I had never looked at the movement of my body as a way to pray. I started to bring that intention to my mat and I focused my breath/body movement in the direction of Self. I began to feel that connection again. My focus could turn in and out simultaneously. My Self responded and my Heart grew three sizes!

There are so many practices on the market today from gentle restorative to HOT Bikram yoga that pushes the body to it's limits. No matter what practice you have fallen in love with or if you have yet to fall in love with an asana practice, remember that Yoga is a JOURNEY not a destination. Our practice changes as we grow and evolve, our relationship to the poses of yoga will change each day. If you bring your day to the mat it is a great place to leave those stresses.

Just for today, put your mat down, stand there in the quiet and see what comes next.

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