Asana

Asana is Sanskrit for "posture". The plural is used to describe yoga postures; "posture" in this context refers not only to the physical position of the body, but to the position of the spirit in relation to divinity. This idea is often referred to as the "one seat", by yogis and Buddhists alike. Asanas of yoga are also called Yogasana or Yogaasana.

Modern usage of the word "asana" in reference to the practice of yoga generally refers to a physical posture or pose. In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali describes "asana" as sitting meditation, where meditation is the path to self-realization. "Asana", therefore, means both simple postures and a path to unity of spirit.

Although "asana" originally referred to sitting meditation, its scope has evolved over centuries to cover a great variety of body postures. These postures have their roots in devotion and/or health, but ultimately all are intended to lead back to the possibility of sitting more comfortably in meditation.

A more esoteric intention is to facilitate the flow of prana (vital energy; qi in Chinese; ki in Japanese) to aid in balancing the koshas (sheaths) of the physical and metaphysical body.

The physical aspect of yoga, the asanas, has been much popularized in the West, and devoted celebrity practitioners like Madonna and Sting have contributed to the increased visibility of the practice. This has given rise to the misconception that yoga consists only of asana practice. Yoga asanas are actually part of Hatha Yoga, which is just one of several different yogic paths.

In the Yoga Sutra, Patanjali writes of asana as the third of the 8 limbs of classical yoga (Raja Yoga). These eight limbs are the yamas (obligations), niyamas (devotions), asanas (postures), pranayama (breath work), pratyahara (sense withdrawal or non-attachment), dharana (concentration), dhyana (meditation), and samadhi (realization of the true self and/or unity with god).