What happens when you do Yoga: part 1: Asana

10 amazing benefits of a regular yoga practice.

Asanas are the physical position, or postures, of yoga. Asana is a Sanskrit word.

Sanskrit is known as the language of the Gods. It is ancient, subtle, and complex.

The word asana means seat, or position: literally, the relationship that your body has to the earth. Sanskrit being Sanskrit, there is also an implied meaning: steadiness, and comfort.

So asana is a position that is held steady and comfortable.

Petra in King Cobra; Poorna Bhujangasana

What happens when you practice these positions in the right way (holding them steady, and relaxing into them) is that you (1) breathe deeply. Since any time you remain steady and relax deeply, your breathing will also deepen as a natural consequence.

As your body lets go of unnecessary tension (which is absolutely inevitable with practice, because it’s simply not possible to hold an asana whilst also holding on to stress) there is a deep (2) ‘letting go’. Emotional stress that was locked away in the muscles and tissues of the body, especially the fascia, dissolves. This is why people sometimes cry or feel emotional during yoga practice; usually however the ‘letting go’ is on a more subconscious level.

RELAXATION 2 - Importance of relaxation

As I said in the first part of this series, our society does not value relaxation: we are not taught how to relax.

The result of this is that we live in a society which is very stressful! (Stress being the opposite of relaxation).

One of the biggest stresses, let's face it, is other people: people are not relaxed, they are stressed, and that makes US more stressed! Know what I mean?

Take a look around - how many of the faces you see are relaxed and smiling, and how many are hard looking, grumpy, sad, stressful faces?
I used to think that I was an 'island' - that I was not affected by other people's moods and energy. Now I see how hard it is to really remain centered and free from those influences...

RELAXATION 1 - WHAT is relaxation?

With this blog I want to GIVE you as much information and practical advice as I can.

So this is the first of a series of guides on relaxation. It's a big subect - one that in reality few people really think about, but it's so important. It's fundamental - without proper relaxation we cannot be successful in any area of our lives. So I'm breaking it down into three manageable chunks:
Today I will tell you WHAT relaxation is (it's not so obvious!).
In the 2nd article I will tell you WHY it's so important.
And finally I'll give you practical advice on HOW to incorporate relaxation into every day life.


WHAT is relaxation?


Relaxing means "going back".
Going back where?
Inside, where we BELONG!
Ok, but what does that mean?


Almost all our waking lives our attention (and energy) is directed outwards. It goes out through our eyes, our mouths, our bodies (our senses) into the world around us. It is attracted to other people, sounds, advertising, media... all of which are competing for our attention, 24 hours a day...

TRUST

Dear friends, the other day I wrote this post on my Prem Center facebook page: “When we TRUST the world around us, we align ourselves with the natural order. We experience abundance! But when we WORRY, we hold on, and become tense, blocking that natural flow of abundance. Let go. Don't worry. You have always had everything you needed, and always will. Trust, and be truly joyful”

And an old friend of mine from L.A. asked a great question.  I always love questions(especially such good ones as this!) because it opens up a channel of communication from which not only the two of us learn, but also anyone else who is listening. This is how we can grow and evolve: IN RELATIONSHIP. To me that is what questions and answers are – communication; relationship.
So, here is my friend Joyce’s question: " what do you mean by "natural order"? i'm asking because i (think) i understand what you mean but then, upon reflection- i'm not quite sure what 'natural order' means beyond being born (been there done, that) and dying (eventually, hopefully a ways off)... i'm being simplistic but i really am curious about understanding what you mean by this... moreover, can a 'natural order' be pursued in an environment immersed in industry, consumerism, and avarice? a place, like say... los angeles? i think it's possible, but it feels like a struggle at times..."

The theme of my original post (the one quoted above) was about  Trust versus Worry. For me, the natural order is what every animal, vegetable and mineral experiences… faith. It is a silent knowing, a deep trusting - that everything in life is just as it is meant to be. Even when things go ‘wrong’, there is always a reason. We may not immediately know what that reason is, but we can always look back later and say, “aha, that experience had a positive effect”.
In English, we have the saying: “what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger”
And one of my favourite singers, Beth Orton, has the wonderful lyric: “regrets are just lessons you haven’t learnt yet”...