• What is Asana?
    • Sthiram Sukham Asanam
    • Posture that gives stability, steadiness and pleasure is called asana
  • What is involved in practice of asanas? – It involves three things:
    • Physical movement
      • Stretching, squeezing and relaxing muscles, ligaments, veins and arteries of different parts of the body.
    • Breath synchronization with the physical stretches and squeezes
    • Mental awareness and focus on the practice and its effect on the body
  • What asanas do to the physical body?
    • Ensures supply of oxygenated blood to the body cells
      • Pranayama helps to ensure that blood is highly oxygenated.
      • This oxygenated blood with the help of different asanas enter the body cells of different organs.
      • When we stretch and squeeze different parts of the body with the help of different asanas, impure blood is flushed out of the cell and fresh oxygenated blood moves in.
      • Oxygenated blood carries oxygen and nutrients to body cells.
      • Mitochondria receives the oxygenated blood in the cell.
      • ATP is also known as energy currency as it gives energy to cells to perform various biological processes.
      • Therefore the first impact of regular asana practice is rise in energy levels. We feel lively, energetic and enthusiastic.
    • Ensures long lasting flexibility
      • We never rush or over stretch in asanas.
      • It is always instructed clearly that do the practice to an extent where you are comfortable. No pain to be experienced while practicing any asana.
      • We stretch the muscles and ligaments to our comfort and then come back. We do it every day, continuously. Over a period of time the fibres of muscles become flexible. They don’t stretch in size rather they stretch and come back to its original size.
      • We also practice counter pose; Meaning when we do forward bends we follow it with backward bends. Purpose is to bring the muscles back to its original state after stretching.
      • So we need to give time and regularity to practice of asana to attain flexibility of body.
      • Flexibility attained with patience will last life long even when you stop practicing asanas for some time. Quite opposite to what happens with exercise.
    • Counteracts Disuse or Overuse theory
      • Some muscles of the physical body are over used and some are under used.
      • Say the muscles involved in taking your head backwards. In normal day to day life we rarely take our head backwards. Even while sleeping we take a pillow which keeps the neck bend forward. While the muscles used in bending neck forward is over used. Same thing happens with back muscles. So by including makarasana, or greeva Sanchala in your daily life, you can balance the use of neck muscles.
    • Helps in relearning to keep our spine erect
      • See a small child who just started to sit. See how he or she sits. Spine is bent or upright? Its always upright and erect.
      • Slowly and gradually we develop a bad habit of bending our spine while sitting or standing.
      • Autonomic nerves originate from spine, so by keeping the spine erect we ensure their healthy functioning.
      • Secondly, try to breathe deeply with your spine bent. You can’t. So to breath deeply we need to relearn our childhood habit of sitting erect.
      • Our spine got bent basically due to tension and tightness in the physical body. We cannot sit with erect spine because it hurts. Isn’t it?
      • As we start to practice asanas regularly, slowly tension and tightness in the body goes away. And then while sitting with erect spine doesn’t hurt.
    • Helps in clearing backyard garbage
      • When we clean our house, we have a habit of throwing the garbage in the backyard of our house.
      • The same happens with our body as well.
      • All tensions, tightness tends to be stored in the back side of the body. Shoulders, back, hamstrings, back of the neck.
      • Regular practice of asanas help to get rid off this backyard garbage.
      • We stretch and squeeze the back side of the body, as a result fresh oxygenated blood replaces the impure stagnant blood.
      • Result is freshness, lightness and flexibility in complete body.

Conclusion:

  • So the next time when you practice asanas, remember – It’s not just physical exercise. It’s a gentle way to energize your body, calm your mind and restore balance in your life. Practice daily and your body will thank you for years to come.