Are you practising postures, or are you practising asana?

You may remember I threw this quote at you last weekend:

“The poses are not ‘yoga’. The poses are a tool for the practice of yoga.”

And I know I always try to make a point of the fact that yoga practice isn’t just making shapes on a mat. But what IS the difference between yoga and gymnastics, Pilates, aerobics even? I’m not sure I’ve ever really offered an answer.

So I thought I’d elaborate a little.

Many of us initially take up yoga as physical exercise, and even if that’s what it remains for you, that’s still fine! There are plenty of health benefits, easily googleable, to support this choice.

But in the earliest yogic texts, out of 200 Sutras (‘guiding principles’ if you like), there are only TWO which even mention the word ‘asana’. And the ONLY reference made to physical posture is to ‘find a steady and comfortable seat’. All with the main intention of working on the mind, or in fact ultimately freeing ourselves from the mind.

With our even crazier lives now, it’s easy to understand how hard it is to switch off. But could you even begin to slow down, notice the breath and find quiet if you weren’t comfortable physically first?

Now it’s possible all those years ago, people were able to sit still for longer without so much effort or need to fidget. In more modern times, our lifestyle and our squishier and comfier sofas, beds, etc have in some ways had a detrimental effect, as our bodies don’t need to support themselves. Our reliance on chair-sitting has weakened our back muscles, caused our hamstrings to constantly be ‘gripping’, forced our heads forward, pushed our sacrums back and rounded our upper backs.

So it’s understandable that we might need some assistance and reminders of how to move our own bodies! Slightly more recent schools of yoga acknowledged a wider meaning of the word asana for this reason too.

But, we make these movements mindfully, with awareness that the main goal is simply to be comfortable enough to almost forget about the body.

The word ‘asana’ these days is often used interchangeably with, or translated as ‘posture’ but in fact asana has many potential definitions, including dwelling, abiding and place. I love this quote:

‘Asana is about abiding in a headspace that allows you to refine your mental faculties and concentrate. Asana is a mindset.’

When we ‘dwell’ in a pose while integrating the breath with focused awareness, yoga becomes much more than fitness or aesthetics. It’s about aligning the physical, energetic and mental layers of the body. You may have noticed yourself that your perception and/or experience of yoga has changed from when you first took a class, and is probably still developing the more you practise.

I’d argue that remembering this true meaning of the practice is the real challenge of yoga. Not the fact that you find the poses physically hard. Or that you feel you’re not flexible enough. (my eyes are rolling..!) Or the beating yourself up because someone else has a ‘better’ down dog than you and you’re therefore a failure.

There is a LOT more to discover, learn, be said about this (also pretty googleable!), and I’m only really giving a wide overview. I’m going to write more next time about two principles to help advance us beyond the physical, even when we’re struggling with side plank, or un-rounding the back, or our tight hips.

I’ll leave you with this cliffhanger to ponder (cue soap opera title music..), next time you get on the mat, ask yourself, are you practising postures? Or are you practising asana?…