Yoga is the stilling of the fluctuations of the mind. The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (fourth century CE) give us tools to still those fluctuations, with Ashtanga Yoga, the eight limbs of Yoga: Yama (restraints), Niyama (observances), Asana (posture), Pranayama (control of breath), Dharana (concentration), Pratyahara (sense withdrawal), Dhyana (meditation) and Samadhi (undeviated absorption).
Asana is the third limb of Patanjali’s system of yoga. There are three Sutras on asanas:
2.26 - Posture should be steady and comfortable.
2.27 - [Such posture should be attained] by the relaxation of effort and by absorption on the infinite.
2.48 - From this, one is not afflicted by the dualities of the opposites.
As there are 196 sutras in total, asanas represent less than 1% of the whole text. This doesn’t however mean that this limb is irrelevant. The Yoga Sutras are about Raja Yoga, the Royal path, dealing with the regulation of the thoughts’ waves. Asanas, although a limb of Raja Yoga, belong primarily to the branch of Hatha Yoga and several texts elaborate on them. One of the commentators of the Sutras takes that view: Patanjali didn’t need to elaborate on the asanas, they are dealt with elsewhere. Patanjali, as explained in my previous blog, is concerned about stilling the fluctuations of the mind to reach the higher state of Yoga. This is what the three sutras are about. Asanas, for him, are only relevant to train the body so that the body does not disturb the mind while meditating.
An asana is a seated posture that we should be able to hold for a long meditative time. This seat must be ‘steady and comfortable’ (2.46). Sutras 2.47 and 2.48 mean that the asana becomes perfect when all effort ceases; the body is so relaxed that the yogi is no longer conscious of it and the mind can meditate without any bodily distraction, any sensation in the body.
Although no details about the postures are included in the Yoga Sutras, Vyasa, the most respected commentator of the Sutras (if not Patanjali himself, as many believe he is) included the most important postures in his commentaries to the Sutras, the Yoga-Bhashya ( “Discussion on Yoga” ) composed in the fifth century CE.
The poses were: (1) Padmāsana, (2) Virāsana, (3) Bhadrāsana, (4) Svastikasana (those four poses are seated postures with differing leg positions), (5) Dandāsana (staff pose), (6) Sopāśraya (sitting down with support), (7) Paryanka (i.e Savasana), (8) Krauñca-nisadana (heron pose), (9) Hasti-nisadana (elephant pose), (10) Ustra-nisadana (camel pose) and (11) Sama-samsthāna (a seated posture with legs and feet as in Baddha Konasana but with no forward fold).
Vyasa added an ‘etc’ at the end, indicating that variations could be prescribed by the Guru.
We of course practise far more asanas than these 11 poses. It’s worth noting that later texts of Hatha Yoga list other poses, one of the Hatha Yoga texts, the Goraksa-sataka, states that there are as many asanas as species — 8,400,000 — and that Siva chose 84 of them, Siddhasana and Padmasana being the best.
What are we then doing in relation to the goals of Yoga as described in the Yoga Sutras when we practise all the other poses we practise nowadays?
The most interesting approach I have read is the one by B.K.S Iyengar. As seen in my previous blog, the way to still the fluctuations of the mind within part 1 of the Sutras is through Practice / abhyasa and dispassion / vairagya. Abhyasa is defined as the effort to be fixed in concentrating the mind (1.13), and to do so, one can focus on ‘anything of one’s inclination’ (Sutras 1.39). B.K.S Iyengar uses this liberal explanation of ‘object of concentration’ as meaning that the asana itself can be such object of concentration. The asana becomes part of Abhyasa, of our practice, as a point of concentration. It happens to all of us I’m sure, as dedicated Yoga practitioners, when we are fully absorbed in the physical practice, we are no longer aware of our body. In some poses we stay in, when we are comfortable, the body disappears. The physical practice becomes a meditation.
Asanas are very important. They are part of Tapas, and as we have seen in the previous blog, Tapas is an element of Kriya Yoga, which is a way of removing tamas (inertia) and rajas (excitement) and is a path towards discriminative discernment. Through the asana practice we therefore reach a sattvic state, the calm state one needs to reach in order to meditate. Asanas help us increase our awareness, first on the mat of our body and that hopefully translates off the mat, to our every day actions. Asanas also make you strong, keep you healthy so you can take care of those you love. In the Hatha Yoga system, perfection of asana is regarded as a pathway to health, immortality and a firm and strong body.
But asanas are just a tool. They are not the goal of Yoga. This is what should be kept in mind. Enjoy the practice, work “with angry determination” as Sri Dharma Mittra says, but understand that mastery of the postures does not create the goal of Yoga. Getting rid of the Klesas (ignorance, ego, attachment, aversion or resentment towards pain, clinging to life or fear of death) and Samadhi, meditative absorption, are the goal of Yoga.
We will grow old and one day we won’t be able to practise all these poses we love so much. Sri Dharma Mittra, when talking about this, adds: ‘and then, what? No Yoga? How sad!’. This would indeed be extremely sad. Yoga is within. Yoga is our natural state, a blissful state, which does not depend on our ability to do a pose, no matter how much we all love to practise them. Far more important in order to be in that state of Yoga are the process, the practice, the effort, the discipline, the dedication, no matter the shape achieved.