May 2008

Perspective on Asana

By Matthew Remski

The subtle body - the heart of our emotional life and seat of our vital force - is housed in an architecture of bone and musculature. The aim of Asana practice is to allow this architecture to take on the serenity, spaciousness, and grandeur of a temple.

This transformation happens through the process of training the body in a few sublime skills. Firstly, we seek to align the bones with exacting symmetry, so they may support the soft tissues and minimize visceral compression. Once the bones cease their conflict with gravity, we train the visceral body to release all chronic gripping patterns, so that the organs can be relaxed and focused in their function. Finally we train the breath to relax its way throughout the entire system and beyond, carrying with it the innate wisdom and clarity of the subtle body.

This result is achieved through a magical intersection of discipline, effort, and surrender. In the beginning, a healthy sense of will is of benefit. As we progress, however, this subsides into the intuition that the body begins to lead itself towards structural joy - it wants to become a temple.

"How long does this take?" is a common question. The answer is unique to each who asks. This much is sure: with proper breath instruction, the excitement of learning, and with a loving and grateful attitude towards the flesh (it is your most loyal friend, after all), the body can begin to move in the direction of freedom within the frame of a single moment. This is what the competent teacher encourages: movement in a sattvic direction, regardless of starting point. Whether you are young and able, or age has stolen up behind you, or you're recognizing some negative patterns in your posture, or you're recovering from an injury, or you're managing a longer-term structural or medical condition, there are asanas and variations that are perfect for you: the task is to find them.

An asana class should leave you feeling lengthened, spacious, and with more vitality than you came with. In a group setting, this can be accomplished through instruction that offers appropriate options, and most importantly through awareness on the student's part. Be honest about your abilities, vulnerabilities, and sensations. Learn and respect the difference between the discomfort with which tissues open and the pain with which they attempt to protect themselves. Recognize that you derive far greater value from asanas over the long term if you work modestly, to within 70% of your capacity. Discover the gift of each posture, and make sure you sacrifice nothing to receive it. Always allow the breath to be your guide: if its depth and fluidity can be maintained, you are working within your means. If not, slow down, take less posture, and remember that no one in the history of the world has ever forced open a rose before its time.

The classroom study of asanas is greatly supported by two things: daily home practice of those postures you know you can accomplish safely, and private instruction. The value of private asana instruction is that it gives the instructor the opportunity to identify your particular structural challenges in detail, and to assign postural homework based upon particular goals. This is the classical way of asana instruction: one teacher reading and adjusting the practice of one student in a concentrated and focused manner. In this sense, an asana class is not an experience in group exercise, but rather an invitation to further personalized study.

As you grow with asana practice, it will reveal itself to be a life-long pleasure that can continue through every circumstance. The body is impermanent, and its structure, function and purpose will change over time. The long-term ideal for asana practice is that this change will feel like neither a diminishment nor a collapse. Rather, the change will feel as though the walls of your temple are becoming translucent, then transparent, then finally constructed of light alone.



* Please note these reviews are written by individuals, and in no way reflects the view of Yoga in Canada.