Rebecca's Scribbles
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What's with those poses?
What's in a name? When you contort yourself into various positions in your next Yoga class, listen out for the names the teacher uses for each one. Perhaps the teacher will use English names, like Lotus, Camel or Extended Side Angle. Or perhaps the teacher will use the original Sanskrit names for each pose.
Hearing the Sanskrit names can be confusing at first, but listen out carefully.... Padmasana, krounchasana, utthita hasta padangushtasana... When you start to break down the names they are actually easy to understand. The first place to start is with the word asana, which ends each one. Asana means yoga posture. Actually according to a guy called Patanjali (a guy who literally 'wrote the book' on yoga a few thousand years ago): "Asana is a steady, comfortable posture" - (Yoga Sutras 2:46). Yup, steady and comfortable folks. So when you're huffing and puffing in the next class, desperately trying to wrench that toe behind your head, take a moment to think of his wise words and go as far as is comfortable instead.
But it gets better! Have you ever asked the question, "What is the point of all these contorted positions?" Is it to excel in the art of acrobatics? Is it to have a wonderful party trick for your next do? Well sure, it can be. But how about if I told you that the WHOLE point was to be able to sit still. Let me explain. Have you ever seen people sitting crossed legged and meditating for hours on end? Well go ahead and try it for yourself, just for five minutes. Set an alarm, sit on the floor, cross your legs, back straight, close your eyes, and until the alarm goes off Don't - Move. Difficult huh? You start feeling a little itch here, a bit of cramp there, your knees start to throb or your entire leg goes dead. Not exactly 'comfortable and steady' and certainly not conducive to an hour of clearing your mind in meditation. That's exactly why the asanas were created. They work on stretching and opening up your joints so that you can sit cross legged more comfortably; and they teach you to be calm and still in far more awkward positions. By the time you get to just sitting still you'll think, "Hey, this is a breeze!"
Is that it? Actually no. Each asana is actually a little wonder cure for something in it's own right. Many of the positions work on internal organs themselves, massaging them and wringing out toxins. Then there's the whole moving Prana/energy aspect which is a whole other topic (in a nutshell it's like in Tai Chi when they move energy around). There's lots more to it, but essentially, and most importantly, it's simply about sitting still.
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