***The magic of ASANA

The word yoga conjures images of people sitting in the lotus or standing on their head but as many of us have discovered yoga, as a practice, is actually a vast and extensive science of practices, techniques, disciplines & philosophies, that offers us an amazing opportunity to transform and evolve in incredible and often indescribable ways. On a very basic level we are able to make tangibles moves towards restoring ourselves to physical, mental and emotional fitness and balance. At a much more complex level yoga allows us to become intimate with the more subtle levels of our being, opening the doors to the possibility of personal transformation and spiritual growth . At the most profound level it allows us to access and remodel the mechanism of perception functioning as our mind, so that we may be able to see with more clarity and view the world from a more connected perspective

The most familiar of yogic practices that has spread extensively through the western world is without question Asana. Unfortunately, in many respects the true nature of asana has in many places been diluted or in some cases completely lost. Its not uncommon to find yoga studio and gym teachers floundering around with not much more than a physical agenda, merely contorting themselves and their students into pretzels, at the least; providing harmless & fun exercise and at worst; creating injury and inflated egos.

There is a lot more to the asana practice than meets the eye! Before venturing into any asana practice it is beneficial, and many would deem it necessary, to develop an understanding of both the theory and practicalities so you are not merely doing gymnastics. However it can also be said that those who have ventured into yoga practice form a purely physical gymnastic approach, with mainly cosmetic and health interests, sooner or later begin to notice that something more than just physical transformation is occurring. Sparks of interest in the more subtle aspects of the practice get fanned and a desire to explore the more spiritual aspects of yoga is ignited.

For long time practitioners asana is more than just a physical work out, more than just a stretch, more than just something that makes you feel good. For those who have touched upon the magic of asana, asana offers a wealth of benefits that penetrate much deeper than one can feel and often deeper than one could ever imagine. By practicing asana in its real sense, as opposed to just performing postures, the experience of untold possibilities in self-growth, personal transformation and spiritual evolution is readily accessed.

Many students stumble upon the deeper more profound effects of asana practice by chance. They recognise changes in themselves on many different levels, they feel calmer, happier, healthier, more balanced, more confident, more focused, more energised and at the same time more relaxed etc, etc . The asana practice helps to alleviate and even cure many health issues; physical, emotional and mental. Its practice has a positive effect on the way they see the world and themselves. In this sense asana practice offers a holistic remodelling of ones general Being. But for others asana is a much more direct, specific and scientific endeavour. It is to be practiced according to a certain criteria, according to the practitioners’ needs and according to the effects one hopes to produce.Basic fundamentals must be understood and applied, diligent execution of indispensible practices within the practice need to be maintained, theory must be digested and certain teachings must be integrated into asana in order for what seems like magic to become a natural and directed unfolding of an integral practice.

The basic fundamentals can be experienced as the foundation, the core, the breath, the bandhas which are all fertilised and strengthened through an ever deepening awareness. The indispensible practices include pranayama, dristhi, vinyasa, meditation , mantra etc . The theory includes study of anatomy & physiology, the chakras & subtle bodies, alignment etc. And no asana practice is complete without, at the very least, the integration of the teachings of the 1st Two limbs of Ashtanga.

With all this in place asana offers a vast ocean of exploration and experimentation through self-practice. Unfortunately the very superficial practice of what we can call ‘21st century mainstream yoga ’ fails to deliver its students to an integral and safe self-practice and students are mostly reliant on their teachers to give them a superficial experience of yoga instead of a personal, individual and specifically tailor made self practice.

It’s through self-practice that the magic of asana can be felt and actualized on a more regular basis, with an understanding of the underlying actions and efforts that made the magic arise. That’s the beauty of finding the right teachers who do support yoga practitioners to become more self-empowered and use their asana practice as a tool to facilitate those magical personal transformations that originally inspire us to practice in the first place.

A great way to cement a solid foundation in self-practice is to attend a yoga teacher training intensive. More and more so yoga teacher trainings are not just for people who want to gain teaching skills to teach. Many trainings have the potential to be a great one month retreat, a yoga immersion, an arena to deepen ones personal practice and understanding of yoga. If you do your research and find the right school with experienced teachers a month can be more than enough time to absorb the required understanding and gain a sufficient foundation to move onto a rewarding and effective self-practice. A self-practice that promises a lifelong journey of unfolding magic and inner mysteries.