ASANA: MOVING THE BODY WITH THE RIGHT INTENTION🔗

Since we are now working with the body, we will focus on asana or the physical postures used in yoga as aids to meditation.

What is asana?

Asana literally means 'seat', the place where one sits.

In the context of yoga, asana refers to the various postures or positions of the body whose practice results in physical, mental and spiritual well-being. When practiced with awareness, yoga asanas can become a meditation in themselves.

Most of the asanas are based on a careful observation of the way different animals position and move their bodies. This is also evident from the names of many of the postures (eg. bhujangasana – snake position, ushtrasana – camel position, matsyasana – fish position, etc.) Therefore, according to Yoga philosophy, there are 8.4 million asanas of them (as many as are the kinds of living beings on the Earth). Of these, 84 asanas are considered to be the main postures.

The practice of asanas enhances health and awareness on all planes:

• Physical (improves blood circulation and health of inner organs, glands, muscles, joints and nervous system)
• Psychological (develops emotional balance, inner stability and harmony)
• Mental (improves memory and the ability to concentrate)
• Spiritual (purifies and clarifies consciousness/awareness)

How to enter into an asana:

1) Relax.

The very first thing to do is shake off all the tension inside. A simple smile can make a big difference.

1. If your eyes are to be kept open, keep them wide, soft and always steady.

1. For sitting postures, keep your spine erect but relaxed. Your head, next and spine should fall in a straight line. Gently swaying your upper body back and forth and sideways will help you find your centre of gravity. This will naturally be the most comfortable and correct position.

1. When you are getting into a posture you need to maintain for a few minutes, be sure that your body feels balanced and comfortable. Once you are in the posture, don't move or fidget. If you are uncomfortable, come out of the posture and repeat it with more awareness.

1. Before you enter into any asana, take a moment to mentally visualize yourself in that particular asana.

Remember the power of intention!

Even if you can't physically do the posture perfectly, your visualization can be perfect, can't it? This can actually influence your body's ability to perform the posture better.

When you visualize the posture, you are awakening your body's muscle intelligence. When the body is prepared in this way, it will flow harmoniously into the posture.

1. In every movement, keep the bliss alive! Experience your body as a cloud of bliss. When you are moving, you are just bliss moving the bliss!

MUDRAS: FINGER LOCKS THAT CAN ENHANCE MEDITATION

Mudra is the science of positioning the fingers to aid in concentration and awaken consciousness. These finger locks act as catalysts in meditation. According to mythology, Lord Shiva is said to have initiated the science of mudras.

In Sanskrit, the word mudra literally means 'seal'. It could also mean mud-ra (giver of joy?) because it gives the joy of heightened spiritual consciousness.

Mudras have primarily therapeutic effects, but they can be used to enhance awareness in meditation as well. They can act in different ways to close the internal energy circuit and release energy to different parts of the body. In fact, mudras act as the electric switchboard of the body! Not all mudras are finger-locks. Some of them could be facial gestures, or a combination of body postures, facial expressions and gestures of the hands. But the word 'mudra' as used today usually refers to the finger locks only.

Mudras work at the physical, subtle and spiritual levels.

At the physical level, mudra meditation helps rejuvenate the body by harmonizing the various natural elements (panchabhoota) in the system.

The five elements that constitute the material universe are earth, water, fire, air and space. The human body is also composed of these five elements. The five fingers on our hand represent these five elements. The ring finger represents earth, the little finger represents water, the thumb represents fire, the index finger represents air and the middle finger represents space. Physical ailments are the results of the disturbance in the equilibrium of the five elemental forces of the body. This imbalance of the elements can be cured through the science of mudra.

The hands also carry a 'blueprint' of the entire body. The science of mudras works on the ancient understanding (which is today being proved by medical science) that all the body parts are in some way represented in our hands. That is why working with mudras can directly heal ailments in distant parts of the body.

At the subtle level, mudras can help in linking individual life force (prana) with the universal life-force, thus regulating the flow of energy through the nadis, which are the subtle energy networks of the body.

The five fingers also carry the energies of five chakras (subtle energy hubs that focus and channel the universal life-force into the body). So mudras can also be used to focus and balance the energies of the various chakras. Different mudras can be used to control breath flow, regulate emotions and influence the state of mind.

At the spiritual level, mudras can be a powerful aid in achieving elevated states of consciousness. Specific mudras help in awakening kundalini shakti, the cosmic energy which lies latent in each of us. When the kundalini is awakened, it opens the door to enlightenment.

There is a reason for this. If we lose our thumb, our other four fingers are as good as useless. Symbolically, this establishes the fact that if the divine energy were not present in our lives, then our lives are as good as not being lived!

Since mudras act in subtle ways to bring about powerful changes in body and mind, they must be always practiced with caution and under proper guidance.

Mudra can be practiced by itself for a maximum of 21 minutes, which is the time taken for one energy cycle in the body.

Mudras should never be overdone. When we are in tune with our bodies, we will know exactly when to come out of a mudra.