Heart of Yoga, by TKV Desikachar
Chapter 3 - The Principles of Asana Practice
[A summary of the key points]
The purpose of yoga is the union of body, breath and mind. Most people think only of the outward, physical aspect of yoga), but in fact it is the way we feel the postures and the movement of the breath that is really important.
Asana: The Yoga Sutra describes asana as having two important qualities - sthira
and sukha (YS 2.46), that is asana should be steady and comfortable. If either one
of these two qualities is not present, there can be no asana. Desikachar gives several
precepts to ensure that both these qualities are indeed present in our asana practice.
1. Beginning from Where We Are: Don't attempt a posture which causes strain until you have practised and perfected something easier. Accept your current physical limitations and begin from there. By progressive practice, the qualities of sthira and sukha can be attained.
2. Joining Breath With Movement: The breath is the link between the inner and the
outer body. The purpose in asana is to bring body, breath and mind together. The
first step in this process is to link body and breath, by beginning the breath before
movement into posture, and ending the breath after completion of movement. This requires
concentration, in order to ensure the correct co-ordination of breath and movement.
Being fully involved with our actions is one of the basic principles of yoga. It
is therefore important not to allow movement to become mechanical. One way of doing
this is by adding a short pause at the end of every movement, which ensures constant
awareness of both the movement and the breath.
3. The Fullness of Breath: We should aim to make the breath fuller and deeper. The
best breathing technique is as follows - on the inhalation first fill the chest and
then the abdomen;on the exhalation empty from the lower lobes of the lungs first,
then the upper lobes. This method of breathing "assists the movements of the body
and does not hinder the extension of the spine" (p. 22).
4. The Breath Is the Intelligence of the Body: When practising an asana we should
follow the movement of the breath. This is "a form of meditation in which we try
to become completely one with the movement.... Whoever masters this can direct his
attention towards any activity." (pp. 22-23) There are various breathing techniques
that can be used in asana.
a) ujjayi breath - In this technique we narrow the flow
of breath in the throat to produce a gentle breathing sound, which allows us to monitor
the quality of our asana practice.
b) Another technique is to lengthen the pause between
exhalation and inhalation, and between inhalation and exhalation.
a)
"We are both observer and what is observed at the same time. If we do not pay attention to ourselves in our practice, then we cannot call it yoga." (p. 23)