13 - Yogasanas and Prana

Prana , vital energy ,which corresponds to ki or chi in Chinese medicine , pervades the whole body , following flow patterns , called nadis ,which are responsible for maintaining all individual cellular activity .Stiffness of the body is due to blocked prana and a subsequent accumulation of toxins .When prana begins to flow , the toxins are removed from the system ensuring the health of the whole body .As the body becomes supple , postures which seemed impossible become easy to perform , and steadiness and grace of movement develop . When the quantum of prana is increased to a great degree , the body moves into certain postures by itself and asanas , mudras and pranayamas occur spontaneously .



A request for people who are reading my articles for the first time: Please start reading the articles in chronological order - From article No:1 . This will ensure that the concepts presented here are easy to grasp and the continuity is maintained.Also if interested kindly refer my another blog dailyspiritualmessage.blogspot.com that deals purely with non-dual teachings .

12 - Yogasanas and the body-mind connection

The mind and body are not separate entities although there is a tendency to think and act as though they are .The gross form of the mind is the body and the subtle form of the body is the mind .The practice of asana integrates and harmonises the two .Both the body and the mind harbour tensions or knots .Every mental knot has a corresponding physical , muscular knot and vice versa .
The aim of asana is to release these knots .Asanas release mental tensions by dealing with them on the physical level, acting somato-pyschically , through the body to the mind .For example , emotional tensions and suppression can tighten up and block the smooth functioning of the lungs , diaphragm and breathing process , contributing to a very debilitating illness in the form of asthma .

Muscular knots can occur anywhere in the body : tightness of the neck as cervical spondylitis , the face as neuralgia , etc .A well chosen set of asanas , combined with pranayama , shatkarmas , meditation and yoga nidra , is most effective in eliminating these knots , tackling them from both the mental and physical levels .The result is the release of dormant energy ; the body becomes full of vitality and strength , the mind becomes light , creative , joyful and balanced .

Regular practice of asana maintains the physical body in an optimum condition and promotes health even in unhealthy body .Through asana practice , the dormant energy potential is released and experienced as increased confidence in all areas of life .

11-Stress Management through Yoga

Many aspects of the average modern lifestyle are run at great speed .We tend to try to fit more and more into our lives , with heavier workloads, more demands on our time, greater distances to travel to our destinations , and higher expectations .Different people experience stress in different ways , and while stress symptoms can be clearly diagnosed,there is no common medical solution for them .There are , however , may possible ways of trying to deal with feelings of stress - from doing sport , having a massage and taking nerve tonics to going on vacation , changing jobs or trying to develop a more positive outlook on life .

Yoga is also an extremely popular and effective system for bringing about relief from stress , and is complementary to all of the options listed above .


The "fight or flight " response

Feelings of stress are not directly caused by specific external factors; they come about due to the body's instinctive response to these external factors , known as "fight or flight" .As part of the survival instinct , this is a very useful reaction : it is activated when we are confronted with imminent threats , such as a natural catastrophe or a direct physical attack .At such times , we literally need to face up to a situation ( "fight" for our life ) or flee from it ( "flight") to save our lives .

Time pressure , emotional conflicts , financial worries , pollution , competitive environments and excessive noise cannot be compared with an imminent physical threat , yet our nervous system interprets them in the same way .The activity of certain body systems is put on high alert , while other systems are temporarily slowed down .These changes actually create the strong subjective impression that we are undergoing a life -threatening physical emergency .Depending on the situation , the body starts to behave as though there is really somebody we should fight or from whom we should run away .


Autonomic Nervous System
1) Sympathetic Nerves

Part of autonomic ( involuntary ) nervous system , sympathetic nerves originate from the thoracic ( central ) and lumbar ( lower ) area of the spine , from where they spread out to many of the body's systems , sending news of the apparent "emergency" at time of stress .As the name suggests , we have no conscious control over this part of the nervous system , so we do not know that nerves have been activated until we experience actual stress symptoms .


The sympathetic message consists of

1) Increased strength and speed of heartbeat
2) Changes in the digestive system
3) Increased contraction in the skeletal muscles
4) Increased rate of breathing
5) Increased glucose levels


2) Parasympathetic Nerves

The parasympathetic nerves , another part of the autonomic ( involuntary ) nervous system , originate from below the brain and from the sacral ( lower ) area of the spine .They connect to exactly the same organs as the sympathetic nerves , but their effect is opposite . They generate "rest and repair" in the organs , which means that they tell the body to return to normal once the "emergency scenario" of the stress reaction is over .

The parasympathetic message consists of

1) Slowing down of the heartbeat
2) Slowing down breathing patterns
3) Promoting digestive gland secretions
4) Encouraging the digestive processes
5) Stimulating bowel movement
6) Increasing secretion of tears and saliva


Like any other nerves , parasympathetic nerves need to be activated in order to transmit their message .While the sympathetic ( stress - activating ) nervous system is stimulated automatically , the parasympathetic ( calm-inducing ) nervous system needs to be activated consciously , other than during deep ,relaxed sleep .This is why you may feel incapable of "just relaxing" in a stressful situation . However , through yoga , you can learn how to do this .


How does Yoga help us manage stress ?


Yoga exercises reduces the over stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system and activates the "rest and repair " of the parasympathetic nervous system .Daily practice is a guaranteed protection against stress , because the benefits last for up to 24 hours . Stressful living conditions may continue to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system , for example by asking your heartbeat to accelerate or your digestion to slow down ,but the activated parasympathetic nervous system effectively counteracts the stimulation , allowing you to remain relaxed .And even if , due to overwhelming circumstances , you experience some stress reactions , you can keep your cool because you know that these symptoms will disappear once you do your yoga session in the evening .


The Yogic approach to stress management is not just confined to yogic exercises ( i.e yoga asanas ) but also involves practicing breathing exercises ( pranayama ) , adopting a healthy vegetarian diet ,relaxation , positive thinking and meditation ( i.e Following the 5 Basic Principles ) .This combined approach will help us to eliminate stress a great deal from our day to day life .

10-How are Yoga postures classified ?
We saw that the no of classical postures are 84 in number and they are classified in the following five broad categories :

1) Sitting Meditative Postures eg : Padmasan ( Lotus posture )
2) Forward bending postures eg. Paschi-motan-asan ( Sitting forward bend )
3) Backward bending postures eg . Dhanur-asan ( Bow )
4) Twisting postures eg.Ardha Matsyendra –asan ( Half spinal twist )
5) Balancing postures eg. Kak-asan ( Crow )

These five categories are only indicative in nature and we need not strictly hold on to it . So when ever we do yoga practice we must see to it that our practice has the postures of the above 5 categories . The 12 Basic postures as designed by Swami Vishnu devananda has all the postures that fit in to the above 5 category and hence is a complete system of exercise in itself .

The basis on which the postures are classified is in the way the spine is getting manipulated and exercised completely .It is not only at the spinal level but also at the muscular level the entire muscular system is toned .

9-The 12 Basic Postures

The no. of asanas in Hatha Yoga are innumerable and we cannot fix a particular number but practically speaking we can see that there are around 84 Yoga asanas .Since learning and practicing these 84 asanas are quite difficult , my Yoga Guru Swami Vishnu devananda , founder Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centres ( www.sivananda.org ) has formed an excellent collection of 12 basic postures that has the essence of the Classical 84 postures .For modern day people who have less time to learn & practice yoga , these 12 basic postures along with Soorya Namaskar and some basic breathing exercises are more than enough for their physical , mental and spiritual well being .


The 12 Basic Postures are :

1) Headstand ( Siras –asan )

2) Shoulder Stand ( Sarva –anga-asan)

3) Plough ( Hal-asan )

4) Fish ( Matsy-asan )

5) Sitting Forward Bend ( Paschi-Motan-asan )

6) Cobra ( Bhujan-asan)

7) Locust ( Shalab-asan )

8) Bow ( Dhanur-asan )

9) Half Spinal twist ( Ardha-Matsya-asan )

10) Crow ( Kak-asan ) , Peacock ( Mayur-asan)

11) Standing Forward Bend ( Pada-Hatsa-asan )

12) Triangle ( Trikon-asan )

These 12 Basic postures are taught in the Sivananda Centres and Ashram’s world over in their beginners course and these 12 postures form a basic foundation to learning the other advanced postures and their variations .

Before we go deeper in to the postures we must know how these postures are classified and that we will see in the next message .

8-Benefits of Yoga Asanas

Yoga Asanas have 3 types of benefits :

1) Physical Benefits 2)Pranic / Energy Benefits and 3)Mental Benefits
1) Phsyical Benefits

Asanas initially focus on increasing and maintaining flexibility of the spine , toning and rejuvenating the nervous system .The gentle stretching , twisting , and bending movements bring flexibility to the other joints and muscles of the body , as well as massaging the glands and organs . They improve the immune system of the body .Circulation is improved , ensuring a rich supply of nutrients and oxygen to all the cells of the body .Basically Asanas have an extraordinary capacity to overhaul , rejuvenate , and bring the entire system into a state of balance .

2) Pranic /Energy benefits of Yoga Asanas

Before that we will just define what Prana is briefly .

Prana is a universal energy ,that is very subtle ,cant be seen with the eyes but definitely felt when we do yoga , pranayama and meditation .It is called as Chi in Chinese and Ki in Japanese . There are various ways to manipulate and store this prana and yoga is one way .The other methods being Tai chi , Qi Gong , Reiki etc .

Now Coming to the pranic benefits of asanas :

Asanas work in the same way as acupuncture or shiatsu , but the Yogic system of pranic balancing is more subtle .To gain the benefit , you must practice asanas regularly over a period of time , but once you feel the benefits ,they will last longer .The different poses put pressure on various points , purifying and strengthening the nadis ( energy channels ) .
3) Mental benefits of asanas:

Steady postures (asanas ) free the mind from disturbances caused by physical movement , promoting steadiness of mind , balancing the emotions , and improving your outlook on life .
Although asanas seem to be physical exercises ,they have profound effect on the energy body .

7-What are Asanas ?
Asanas are yogic postures and form the third step in Raja Yoga . In Hatha Yoga they form a very important part and in modern context practice of Yoga means practice of Yoga asanas or Yoga postures .
According to Yogic texts there are 84 lacs of Asanas . Basically this is an exaggerated figure but given to explain that every creation and object in the world can be expressed in the form of a yoga asana . But practically speaking we can say that there are 84 Classical Yoga postures . But since it is difficult practicing all of them , my Yoga Guru Swami Vishnu devananda , founder Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre has formed a brilliant sequence of 12 basic postures that reflect the essence of these 84 postures . These 12 Basic postures along with Soorya Namaskar are enough to give a wonderful exercise to any busy person in day to day life .