Yoga corner
The third Limb of Yoga is Asana or stretches/ postures. This limb is what is mostly referred to as yoga. But as you have been following the last two articles, this is the 3rd limb of yoga, it is just one part of the larger philosophy of yoga. In the yogic view, the body houses the spirit, and the care of the body is an important stage of our spiritual growth. As the saying goes, you get only one body, look after it. Through the practice of asanas, we develop the habit of discipline and the ability to concentrate or focus, both of which are necessary for meditation.
Asanas energize the body, help tone the muscles, they cause the body to be flexible and maintain the necessary body alignment, improves the function of the endocrine system which leads to improved immune system. The quality of sleep or rest of someone who is regular with yoga stretches is undeniably very good. There are different types of yoga stretches to address different types of conditions or situations. Once you get to do more of these, then you realize how natural the postures are, especially with the realization that children, from when they are babies do a number of the poses unguided. Nature guides babies to a form of relaxation without a yoga instructor. The fact that we were all babies once upon a time, then innately we are all yogis. Contrary to common belief, you do not need to be flexible to do yoga stretches, flexibility is a result of consistent practice of the yoga stretches.
There are simple guidelines that help us merge our daily life with the yoga asanas, for example, that good effort must be put in the posture and it must be steady and enjoyable. As we apply this basic principle to our lives, we must put effort to whatever we do in life and at the same time enjoy what we do. The asanas must also be done with care and skill. In life we need to be skillful in our interaction with others, and in everything we do. After a good session of yoga stretches, you will be left in a state of amazing calm, totally relaxed, and fully alert. So give yourself opportunity to experience the amazing benefit of yoga stretches. More next time...
Asanas energize the body, help tone the muscles, they cause the body to be flexible and maintain the necessary body alignment, improves the function of the endocrine system which leads to improved immune system. The quality of sleep or rest of someone who is regular with yoga stretches is undeniably very good. There are different types of yoga stretches to address different types of conditions or situations. Once you get to do more of these, then you realize how natural the postures are, especially with the realization that children, from when they are babies do a number of the poses unguided. Nature guides babies to a form of relaxation without a yoga instructor. The fact that we were all babies once upon a time, then innately we are all yogis. Contrary to common belief, you do not need to be flexible to do yoga stretches, flexibility is a result of consistent practice of the yoga stretches.
There are simple guidelines that help us merge our daily life with the yoga asanas, for example, that good effort must be put in the posture and it must be steady and enjoyable. As we apply this basic principle to our lives, we must put effort to whatever we do in life and at the same time enjoy what we do. The asanas must also be done with care and skill. In life we need to be skillful in our interaction with others, and in everything we do. After a good session of yoga stretches, you will be left in a state of amazing calm, totally relaxed, and fully alert. So give yourself opportunity to experience the amazing benefit of yoga stretches. More next time...
