Yoga Asanas or practice of physical yoga has been estimated to about 3000 years ago (based on some carvings found in India). There is a lot of ancient wisdom and knowledge in the combination of poses that have been passed on to us from teachers to teachers. Each pose affects you differently. Here's a list of the poses and some of their benefits:
- The sun salutations (A, B or C) are all designed to warm up all the muscles in the upper body and lower body, they are great for starting your Asana practice.
- The coordination of the breath with each movement helps your concentration.
- The standing poses help you build strength in the legs, your arms and your shoulders.
- The forward bends (standing and seated), affect your nervous system, and your digestive system, and they typically leave you feeling relaxed.
- The twists help you detoxify and get healthy increased blood circulation to your internal organs. They help you massage and detoxify your liver, spleen, kidneys, and your digestive system. Twists leave you feeling relieved, but sometimes they have negative side affects as well, they could stir emotions in you which might leave you feeling more anxious.
- The back bends help you open your heart, shoulders and your chest, this often leaves you feeling spacious, open and free. The openings in the chest and the heart can help you breath better, and enjoy the sweetness of life.
- In the meta-physical sense, the heart openers help you get rid of some toxins in the mind and in the heart: it is said that God dwells in our heart in the form of light, but this light is covered by six poisons, and yoga helps you get rid of these poisons. The six poisons are: desire, anger, delusion, greed, envy and laziness. The heat and the sweat you feel during class is nothing compared to the amount you need to burn to extract these impurities in your spiritual or mental body. You might have noticed you feel a bigger shift after a hard class.... :)
- The balancing poses help you build strength, stability and focus.
- The hip openers help you release tension in the hips, lower back, and your spine areas where most people store tension caused by stress and anxiety. As the pelvic floor releases, the emotions can release, and you can let go more.
It takes some skill to design a well balanced, wholesome asana practice. If you don't have the know-how, invest in a good yoga class, be selective about your teacher, and experience the bliss.
Many blessings, and happy yoga-ing!!!!
Faranak
