Asana: Encyclopedia II - Asana - Conditions & general directions for Good Asana

Asana - Conditions & general directions for Good Asana

The Asana should be firm and easy. It should be steady and not cause discomfort of any kind. Any tightness or tension observed in the body should be consciously relaxed. It should be a comfortable posture in which he or she can sit for a long time. The Asana should be effortless both in the body and in the mind. Absolute ease of relaxation is the sign of perfected Asana. The breathing should be a natural rhythm, through the nose, breathing into the belly and not into the chest.

According to Hatha Yoga practitioners, when this bodily control is mastered, they are free from what they call the 'pairs of opposites,' such as heat and cold, hunger and thirst, joy and grief, and so on.

Listed below are traditional directions for performing Yogasana:

• A glass of fresh water should be taken before performing asanas.
• Stomach should be empty. Asanas can be performed 8 hours after a meal, 2 hours after a glass of milk and one hour after eating fruit.
• Always perform asanas early in the morning.If this is not possible,the next best time would be evening around dusk.
• Rich, very dry, left-overs, very hot or too much food should be avoided.
• Force or pressure should not be used while performing asanas.
• One must not go out in the cold after performing asanas.
• Lower the head and other parts of the body slowly; in particular, raised heels should be lowered slowly.
• The breathing should be controlled and should always be through the nose. The benefits of asanas increase if pranayama is performed simultaneously.
• If the body is stressed, perform Shavasana.
• Asanas should be performed in a well-lit, clean and ventilated room. The atmosphere should be peaceful.
• Light physical exercises, followed by yogasana, pranayama and meditation is the ideal sequence.
• Yogasanas, especially inverted poses, are to be avoided during menstruation. In contrast, modern teachers do recommend Yogasana for relief from cramps during this period.
• During pregnancy, after the first 3 months, exercises that require lying on stomach are to be avoided. (Inverted poses should be avoided especially in the third trimester - This site recommends it for pregnancy [1] - not too sure, clarification requested.)

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Conditions & general directions for Good Asana", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki