Over the past 10 weeks we have been focused on the first two limbs of yoga, the Yamas and Niyamas, the third limb of yoga is the likely what most people associate with yoga, which is Asana. Asana commonly refers to movements or postures and the Sanskrit word translates to “seat” in English. Specifically, the seat we take for meditation.
The eight limbs of yoga are described in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras which were written around 400 C.E., when explaining asana Patanjali advised the yogi to find the balance between effort and ease in each asana. In the sutras it is written: sthira sukham asanams, essentially translating to “the seated posture should be steady and comfortable.” When I teach my classes, I try and remind my students that yoga is a balance between these two sides – effort and ease, we hold postures and then we rest, so that the body can absorb the work it is doing.
These days yoga has transformed into many different forms, but asana generally refers to any standing, seated or reclined postures. The asana is meant to help us move our body, stretch and breath in a way that allows us to sit more comfortably in our meditation. And when referring to yoga it is important to remember yoga is not just the asana and movement but all the eight limbs together and a way of being and living in the world.
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