03/09/2021
Asana versus Exercise : Geeta Iyengar
“All types of exercise have two features- Motion and Action. Āsanas exercise the anterior, posterior, lateral and interior portions of the body equally, as every posture is a complete entity in which each part of the body has a particular role to play and no part is forgotten. Motion is constant movement from position to position or from place to place. Āsanas, though appearing static externally, are full of dynamic action within. A full range of movements and actions such as horizontal, vertical, diagonal and circumferential extension and expansion are created while performing the postures. This requires skill, intelligence, and application. No portion of the body or the mind is left untouched when an āsana is carefully and correctly performed.
There is a vast difference between Yoga and other physical exercises. Āsanas are psychophysiological, unlike physical exercises which are purely external. Although āsana develop body consciousness, they also generate internal consciousness and stabilise the mind. Yoga is a culture of the body, the mind, and the soul. In physical exercise body movements may be done with precision, whereas in Yoga, along with precision, a deeper awareness is cultivated, bringing equipoise of body and mind.
Āsanas develop muscles, as do physical exercises, and they remove stiffness so that body movements become free. However, they are concerned more with the psychological body and the vital organs than with the physical body. They strengthen and revitalise organs such as the liver, spleen, intestines, lungs and kidneys. Each āsana works on the entire system. It is an organic exercise which eradicates toxins.”
Asana versus Exercise : Geeta Iyengar
“All types of exercise have two features- Motion and Action. Āsanas exercise the anterior, posterior, lateral and interior portions of the body equally, as every posture is a complete entity in which each part of the body has a particular role to play and no part is forgotten. Motion is constant movement from position to position or from place to place. Āsanas, though appearing static externally, are full of dynamic action within. A full range of movements and actions such as horizontal, vertical, diagonal and circumferential extension and expansion are created while performing the postures. This requires skill, intelligence, and application. No portion of the body or the mind is left untouched when an āsana is carefully and correctly performed.
There is a vast difference between Yoga and other physical exercises. Āsanas are psychophysiological, unlike physical exercises which are purely external. Although āsana develop body consciousness, they also generate internal consciousness and stabilise the mind. Yoga is a culture of the body, the mind, and the soul. In physical exercise body movements may be done with precision, whereas in Yoga, along with precision, a deeper awareness is cultivated, bringing equipoise of body and mind.
Āsanas develop muscles, as do physical exercises, and they remove stiffness so that body movements become free. However, they are concerned more with the psychological body and the vital organs than with the physical body. They strengthen and revitalise organs such as the liver, spleen, intestines, lungs and kidneys. Each āsana works on the entire system. It is an organic exercise which eradicates toxins.”