Asana: Encyclopedia II - Asana - Yoga Asana Poses or Postures

Asana - Yoga Asana Poses or Postures

"There are an infinite number of Yoga asana." (Sri Dharma Mittra).

In 1975, as a offering of devotion to his guru, Swami Kailashananda Maharaj, Sri Dharma Mittra set out to catalogue the vast number of Yoga asana. Through ancient texts, books, students, teachers, and his own vast knowldege, he compiled 1300 variations. These were originally published as the classic Master Yoga Chart, and 608 of these postures were recently made available in a small compendium entitled, "Asanas: 608 Yoga Poses". Although there is no way to establish an exact set of postures, this work is considered the definitive collection by students and Yogis, alike.

Along with the above mentioned resource, there is a wealth of knowledge on this subject available in books, and on the internet. It is best, however, to begin under the direction of an experienced, and hopefully certified, Yoga instructor. This person can observe the execution of postures, as well as providing more in-depth instruction to aid in both your basic practice, and your development as a student.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Yoga Asana Poses or Postures", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki