Yoga Poses, Positions, Asanas
People often use the words 'Yoga poses' to indicate what are officially and traditionally called the Yoga Asanas. These asanas or poses are the third branch of the in total 8 branches of Raja, or Ashtanga Yoga. These branches are:
- Yamas
- (Diminishing unhelpful aspects of our behaviour/character)
- Niyamas
- (Cultivating helpful aspects of our behaviour/character)
- Asanas - (The famous (Hatha) yoga positions/postures)
- Pranayama
- Breath/Prana control
- Pratyahara
- Sense Control and returning attention inwards, undisturbed
- Dharana
- The practice of concentration
- Dhyana
- The practice of meditation
- Samadhi
- The result of all yoga practices: Union, superconsciousness
Yoga poses are not Yoga, they are one aspect of it:
A common misassumption, especially in the west, is that Yoga equals the postures alone. But As you can see in the diagram above, 'Yoga' refers to a complete way of life and a wide range of practices. More specifically, it ultimately refers to the (re-)union with the highest consicousness. It does not refer to the asana positions and poses alone.
That being said, you can now study and practice the yoga asanas:
- Read some information and instructions;
- watch some pictures and yoga videos (or: below) that demonstrate the different poses you would like to learn;
- Practice them as you try to resemble the picture or video of the demonstration
I will do my best to provide you with the first two options, it is up to you to do the practices and gain the actual experience and benefits of these yoga asanas.
You will find some valuable pages dedicated to the yoga positions below. I will continue to add more pages and instruct you into more different Asanas in time:
Yoga Asanas/Poses:
- Yoga Asanas part 1: Trikonasana Pose
- Yoga Asanas part 2: Virabhadrasana Pose
- Yoga Asanas part 3: Virasana Pose
Return from Yoga Poses to Yoga Mind Control
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