The Principles of Asana Practice Flashcards
What 2 important qualities does Patanjali’s Yoga Sutra desribe an asana as having?
sthira=steadiness/alertness
sukha=ability to remain comfortable in an asana
Both should be present to the same degree
What is an asana?
Translates as “posture”
What is the first step of our yoga practice?
Consciously link breath and body
If we want to practice the asana progressively in order to gradually achieve more steadiness, alertness, and overall comfort, we must….
Accept ourselves as we are. Recognize our starting point and learn to accept it.
What is the most important aspect of asana practice?
Finding the natural link between breath and movement
One of the most basic principles of yoga is…
Become fully involved in our actions
Forward-bending postures naturally amplify…
Breathing out or exhalation
Backward-bending postures are more easliy performed when
Breathing in or inhaling
Beginning Twisting postures are closely linked to
Breathing out or exhalation
The simple rules for linking breath and movement are
When we contract the body we breathe out (exhale), when we expand we breathe in (inhale)
Pausing at the end of each movement helps us
Remain more conscious of both the movement and breath.
Losing the attention on the movement and breath causes
practice to become mechanical….this is no longer yoga. (no attentiveness)
The length of the breath determines…
the speed of the movement
In addition to directing the breath consciously during asana practice, we are also trying to make our breathing …
fuller and deeper
Gaining a fuller breath consists of consciously
expanding the chest and abdomen on inhalation and contracting it on exhalation
When we inhale, first fill
the chest, then the abdomen
As we exale, first release
the abdomen, then empty the upper lobes of the lungs in the chest region
Ujjayi breath helps us
stay closer to the breath and more alert during asana, and tells us when we have to change or stop the asana
Ujjayi breath consists of
narrowing the flow of breath in the throat. Produces a gentle breathing sound. Like a slightly closed valve. Should not require effort or create tension.
Yoga is a practice of observing yourself without
judgement
Yoga is not an ______experience
external
If we do not pay attention to ourselves, we can’t call it
yoga.
In yoga we are not creating something for others to
look at.
The quality of the breath is the clearest indication of the quality of our
asana practice.
Consciously following the breath is a form of _________ in which we try to become completely one with the ____________.
meditation, movement
