In yoga there are following types of exercises: asanas, pranayamas, bandhas, mudras, kriyas, mantras and meditation techniques.
Patanjali defines asana as a «comfortable and pleasant posture». Some modern practitioners might think, this definition is a mocking. Indeed some yoga positions demand considerable agility, force, stretching and can hardly be called «comfortable and pleasant». Such a paradox can be probably explained by the fact that at a time of Patanjali yogins were practicing an insignificant number of asanas, with no difficult ones, that are given today by modern schools. In «Hatha Yoga pradipika» there is a list of 11 asanas for body strengthening and 4 meditative ones. In the first group there are: Svastikasana, Gomughasana, Virasana, Kurmasana, Kukkutanasana, Uttana Kurmasana, Dhanurasana, Matsyasana, Paschimottanasana, Mayurasana, Shavasana. In the second one: Siddhasana, Padmasana, Simhasana, Bhadrasana. Such a limited number of exercises wasn’t explained by the low development of the system, but by the clear understanding that yoga isn’t a technique for hypertrophied body development. Asanas are not the ultimate goal, but an intermediate instrument that yoga offers a person for his spiritual evolution. In my opinion, to practice yoga efficiently, aiming for both physical health and inner work, some 10 asanas are enough, although their list will vary for different people, depending on their physical and psychological features.
«Gheranda Samhita» gives 32 asanas, which are still considered as the most important and frequently used:
1. Siddhasana (siddha pose)
2. Padmasana (lotus pose)
3. Bhadrasana (easy pose)
4. Muktasana (liberation pose)
5. Vajrasana (diamond pose)
6. Svastikasana (Svastika pose)
7. Simhasana (Lion pose)
8. Gomukhasana (cow head pose)
9. Virasana (hero pose)
10. Dhanurasana (bow pose)
11. Shavasana (corpse pose)
12. Guptasana (secret pose)
13. Matsyasana (fish pose)
14. Matsyendrasana (Matsyendra pose)
15. Gorakshasana (Gorokshi pose)
16. Paschimottanasana (forward inclination pose) bending
17. Utkatasana (squatting pose)
18. Sankatasana (hard pose)
19. Mayurasana (peacock pose)
20. Kakkutasana (cock pose)
21. Kurmasana (turtle pose)
22. Uttanakurmasana (standing turtle pose)
23. Vrikshasana (tree pose)
24. Mandukasana (frog pose)
25. Uttanamandukasana (standing frog pose)
26. Garudasana (eagle pose)
27. Vrisabhasana (bull pose)
28. Shalabhasana (grasshopper pose)
29. Makarasana (Makara pose)
30. Ushtrasana (camel pose)
31. Bhujangasana (cobra pose)
32. Yogasana (yogin pose)
As some yoga exercises are difficult to classify (for example, why Yoga-mudra is considered as mudra while it looks like asana), let’s try to give asana a more exact definition, basing on significant specific criteria.
Asana is an exercise, helping to control energy and physiological processes in our body through redistribution of stretching, squeezing and tension in our body. Asana can have a specific sequence of entering and exiting it, but it is obligatory to stay in it statically for some time.
Asana influences mostly our physical and etheric body, hardly touching our emotional sphere.
How asanas influence on our body #
Mechanical influence of asanas #
Most of asanas activate many muscles, in particular those that are hardly used in our everyday life. This explains special complication of asanas. Unlike other exercises they aimed at local influence on various parts of our body. Doing common physical exercises we chaotically involve our main muscles. How can we activate a strictly defined group of muscles? By taking a special position. The more complicated asanas are, the more precisely they influence on local groups of muscles. This way we can save our energy, otherwise wasted for «unneeded» muscles.
Humoral mechanism #
From the physical point of view the human body can be presented as an interrelated system of cavities, filled with liquids and gases. Yoga exercises significantly and very selectively influence on the volume of these cavities, and as a result, the pressure in them. So these exercises provide a particular inside massage of our viscera. Understanding of the hydraulic aspect of asanas gives us hints on how to do them: as each asana changes intracavitary pressure, while liquid’s mobility is limited anatomically, so the speed of entering asana and exiting it must be enough to let intracavitary pressure stabilise, i.e. we must enter and exit a pose slowly and stay in it long enough. If this condition is not respected, asanas become at the best the ordinary fitness for muscles.
Another humoral mechanism of influence is a change of hydro-static pressure. As we know, the formula of hydrostatic pressure is:
P = pgh,
where p is liquid density, g — acceleration of gravity, h — height of a liquid column.
That is why most of asanas change hydrostatic pressure on certain organs. Especially it is true for inverted poses like Shirshasana, sarvangasana and Halasana. This mechanism of influence was studied by D. Ebert [p.].
To reinforce this effect some poses are accompanied with udiana bandha, which raises the corporal pressure simply by reducing the torso’s volume.
There is another aspect of humoral mechanism that should be mentioned. Citing another extract from the book of the famous yoga researcher D. Ebert: «The growing intravascular pressure, produced by raising intraabdominal pressure shift s the liquids exchange balance to the intensification of filtration. As a result: the clotting of blood, the hypostasis in interstition and reinforcement of lymphatic outflow. Mukerji and Spiegelhoff [1971] describe a slight growth of red cells and leucocytes in blood after performing udiana-bandha and pavanamuktasana. These results can be interpreted as a result of blood clotting due to the growing share of filtration in tissues». From all above said we can conclude that drinking a lot of water, suggested in yoga system, is an absolute must for a regular practitioner. Moreover, practice of hatha yoga is inseparable from the system of cleansing procedures.
Psychosomatic mechanism #
Since ancient times people knew that human body and soul are interrelated. First attempts to diagnose person’s character by his outward appearance were done long time ago: for instance physiognomies — the art of telling person’s character and fate by his face; chiromancy — by the lines on his palm; phrenology — by the particularities of his skull etc, but the contemporary psychology brought up this question quite recently. Only in the late 1900s W. Reich, W. James, A. Lowen together with other famous psychotherapists found out that human psyche is projected on our physical body in a form of constitutional type, muscle contractions. The contrary is also true: certain work with the body can change human’s psychological state. According to contemporary knowledge, the projective connection, correlating human psyche and body looks like this:
Neck and throat are related with intellect, the ability to speak out your thoughts, with the right to have your own opinion, take independent decisions. Contractions in the throat zone are often related with the fact that a person «suppresses» his wish to express his offence or other overwhelming emotions. This can cause thyroid dysfunctions. Contractions in the back of the neck, neck osteochondrosis show an excessive yoke of responsibility taken by a person and sometimes by his wish «to hide», to draw his head in, to become invisible.
Chest and heart are related with the sensual sphere. Contractions in this area are related with the inability to show freely and sincerely such feelings as love, dislike, sympathy etc. The most common type of contraction in this zone is the inability to breathe with full lungs, i.e. with the even widening of thorax at all sides and with rising collarbones with the straight spine. Typical diseases arising as a result of such emotional problems are heart attacks, osteochondrosis. The inability to rejoice all life manifestations causes lung diseases; offences unexpressed for a long time cause asthma.
Stomach zone relates with the need to dominate, with power, recognition, aggression. If these needs are frustrated, a person has weak abdominal muscles, flabby belly, sometimes diseases of abdominal organs. Tension in lower back muscles relates with the fear of attack.
Pelvis zone relates with the need of sex and pleasures. People with rigid pelvis usually don’t allow themselves to have pleasures. Bad stretching of legs has also to do with this problem. Typical disorders in this case are lower back osteochondrosis, bladder and genitals diseases. Greed, craving to save at one’s own expense cause constipations and haemorrhoids.
Face except for the will centre on the forehead reflects projections of all other zones. So the head is projected on the forehead, the throat on the nose, the heart on the upper lip, the stomach on the teeth, the pelvis on the lower lip, cheeks — are arms, elbows are on tumours. Rigidity of consequent zones of the face shows the presence of contractions in the respective zones of the body with following psychological problems.
It’s easy to notice that the given projection network reminds us human chakra system — basic energy model, used in yoga; while muscle contractions and other abnormalities are physical expressions of energy defects of chakras. From this point of view the main task of physical yoga exercises, in particular asanas, is obvious: by influencing physical body to change human’s psychological state, to restore his energetic integrity and to develop his chakral system.
Psychosomatic influence of asanas uses another mechanism — breaking pathogenic arches. Most of people during their life «collect» non-adaptive motor stereotypes: for example, by clutching your fist you’ll notice clenching your teeth. Practicing asanas we can break these stereotypes, significantly raising our motor and psychological liberty, also making it possible to save a lot of energy (see chapter «Psychological work in asanas»).
Reflex mechanism #
There are some reflex mechanisms that provide additional influence of asanas. The easiest of them is changes in local homodynamic — the compensatory intensification in blood circulation after stretching and pressing. Derma-visceral and motor-visceral reflexes, influencing directly functions of different organs, are more complicated. They exist because sensitive nerves of viscera, skin regions (Zakharin-Ged zones) and muscles interlace on the level of medulla segments, corresponding chakras. As a result the tension in certain muscles and stimulation of certain zones of skin influence organs.
Stress mechanism #
Anyone who practiced asanas, could notice that unlike Patanjali said, most of them are unnatural postures, i.e. unusual for everyday life. Actually asanas expressly put our body in a brand new, unusual posture, causing microstress. Such stress positively influences on our body stimulating our limbic system, certainly, if microstress does not grow into a macro¹ one. From this mechanism we can conclude some practical rules:
1. Asana will «work», if you make an extra effort, i.e. make it an unusual position. This extra effort can be caused by an express stretching (but, of course, without pain), by staying in a pose for slightly longer time, than our body’s reflex wants, or by optionally changing the natural rhythm of breathing etc.
2. Our body quickly adapts to usual stresses, that’s why exercises of the same type become less efficient. Complexes should be reviewed and perfected. It concerns asanas, pranayamas, as well as the rest of techniques such as stressful purifying methods like fasting, and meditations.
3. Too stressful performance gives the opposite result. Macrostresses are destructive. That is why we must always know when to stop.
Hormonal mechanism #
Some asanas significantly change the intensity of blood circulation in certain glands. For example, matsyasana reinforces the circulation in the zone of thyroid, stimulating its work and, by activated hormones, influencing the entire body.
Energetic mechanism #
УAll the described mechanisms certainly work not only for asanas. However the influence of yoga exercises is not limited by usual fitness, by work with our physics. The main object of influence for asanas is our etheric body, human’s vital energy. Many contemporary occult-extrasensory schools speak about working with energy and try to master it by consciousness practising of visualisation. Some people succeed, but in most cases they got caught in their own fantasy. Actually it is not difficult to tell the difference between an illusionary etheric work and a realistic one. Etheric energy intensively influences on physical body — when the energy is moving, it has some concrete somatic appearances: in activated zones body temperature changes, appears inner vibration (when there is too much energy in a zone), pain disappear. If these effects are not present, you don’t really work with energy.
2.12. In the beginning there is perspiration, in the middle stage there is quivering, and in the last or third stage, one obtains steadiness; and then the breath should be made steady or motionless.
«Hatha Yoga Pradipika»
АIt’s quite possible to work with energy by your will, but it is a level, which takes a long time to reach. However in yoga there is another common way to master energy, using correlation between our physical and etheric bodies. A correctly done posture arouses some energy movement in the ether.
Here are some principles, describing the interrelation of our physical and etheric bodies.
1. The energy moves from the pressed zones to the stretched one, from the relaxed to the tensed one.
2. Energy moves by the channels. A channel is a stretched line on our body. A healthy person has natural channels called muscle-tendon meridians (see Appendix 1.), but, if we have energetic blocks, the energy can pass out of these channels.
3. A channel is open only if all its parts are open, i.e. If it is equally stretched at all its length. If it is closed in any place, it is completely closed, like water cannot run in a hose, if it is stepped on in one single place.
4. Any energy movement in a channel is always accompanied with physical effects long all the channel. Most often it is a feeling of warmth or even heat moving up your body². If a channel is blocked there can be an effect of «pricking», as when blood comes back to a dumb limb. When a block is passed the pricking is changed into heat.
So there are the following energy mechanisms of asanas influence:
1. Opening and «purification» of channels. They are usually blocked by a certain quantity of «frozen» etheric energy long the channel. Such «chunks» of energy usually relate to some blocked emotions, i. e. astral energy, around which the ether energy crystallizes and makes a block. On a physical level such blocks are seen as chronic muscle contractions, tensions and pressures. Actually the work with these blocks can start from the astral body (by catharsis reacting of restrained emotions), as well as through our etheric and physical bodies, i.e. with the help of asanas. No doubt the most efficient is cooperation of all methods, which will be discussed in chapter «Psychological work in asanas».
2. Energy repartition of ether from the parts where it is excessive to those zones that lack it. In particular, «patching up» of holes in ether, stimulation of oppressed chakras and sadatation of excited ones.
3. «Working out», i.e. energizing of problem zones. A low energy in a zone can be explained by body’s constitutional type or by a setup received while growing-up and is expressed by an obvious weakness of a part. For example, a «swan neck», thin arms and legs etc. In a lighter manifestation a weaker part (mostly a limb) has more tendency to freeze. Practicing asanas, these parts can become more energetic.
4. General energy circulation intensification. Most of esoteric traditions think that personal strength and energy level of a person depends not on how much energy he has in subtle bodies, but on the intensification of its flow in his body. Qigong masters say that a common human has string-width energy channels, while a qigong master can have them as wide as the finger. The speed at which energy moves changes too. It can be easily proved by the following observation. Practicing yoga correctly, a yogin has to spend in a pose less and less time to get the same physiological effect. So, if a newcomer has the heat move up his spine in a one minute and a half after exiting Bhujangasana, in a year of practice you need just 10–15 seconds.
1. L. Kh. Garkavi in 1979, developing the teaching on stress, found out that in response to the action of weak irritants (low doses), regardless of their quality, physiological adapta-tion reaction develops — the reaction of training; to the action of irritants of medium force (dose) — activation reaction; to the action of strong irritant — stress. The reaction of training and the reaction of activation represent those adaptive reactions, which are met during normal body life. These reactions are non-specific basis for physiological processes, as well as to the stress — non-specific various pathological processes. ↑
2. I suppose it is this heat that Indians used to call «tapas». ↑
Types of asanas #
Depending on a mechanism of influence there are six types of asanas:
- stretching;
- ivoting;
- strengthening;
- inverted;
- pressing;
- equilibration.
Stretching asanas influence our meridians, located on the forward and backward part of the body. Among forward stretchings are: Bhujangasana, Ushtrasana, Сhakrasana. Backward stretchings are: Yoga Mudra, Paschimottanasana, Padahastasana.
Pivoting asanas work with diagonal meridians. Among them: Ardhamatsyendrasana, Trikonasana, Parivritta Trikonasana and Parivritta Parshvakonasana.
Strengthening asanas don’t stretch channel, but condense the ether by natural movement of energy to the strained zone. Among them are: Purvotanasana, Salabh– and Ardhashalabhasana, Virabhadrasana, Utkatasana, Viparita karani, Kukkutanasana, Ardhanavasana and Paripura navasana.
Inverted asanas change energy and liquids circulation in the body under the influence of gravity. These are: Shirshasana, Sarpasana, Halasana, Karnapidasana.
Pressing and squeezing out asanas squeeze energy out of some zones by physical pressure on it. These are Gomukhasana, Mayurasana.
Equilibration asanas influence our body by activating certain muscles, baroceptors related to them, brain and limbic system — to keep balance.
Actually there are much more asanas. Moreover each asana has its countless modifications. You can also make combined asanas, having characters of each type, but the aim of this book is not to give the complete list of asanas. Dogmatism is fatal for a spiritual teaching. We’ll try to look down the origins and to understand principles, underlying hatha yoga; using them practitioner will know, how to construct asanas and other exercises according to his own task and his personal psycho-physiological and energetic features.
It’s interesting to note that in asanas, described in «Hatha Yoga Pradipika», there are 1–2 exercises of each type.