How to do yoga asanas

Though there are hundreds of asanas of which nearly eighty are important, one need not do more than ten or fifteen poses daily to keep healthy. They are simple to learn, especially for young people whose backbone is generally supple.

Once you learn to do them, you will come to love them and their practice will become part of the daily routine. They will make you fresh and cheerful, smart and trim. And all they demand is just thirty minutes of your time each day.

The morning is the best time to practise Yoga asanas, as the stomach will be empty and the whole body will have rested during the previous night and will thus be fresh. At least six hours should elapse after a heavy meal and three hours after a light one before one may practise asanas. A stomach filled with food needs a good blood supply for digestion. Moreover, it should not be squeezed and pressurized, as it will be by doing certain asanas. If this happens, the food will not be digested and there will be complications and no use blaming asanas for them!

And unlike other exercises which demand special implements to be practiced, all that a Yoga practitioner needs is a clean, airy room. After a thorough wash, especially of the nostrils, he should spread a soft piece of cloth on the floor and he is ready to practice asanas.

The dress should be comfortable. It should not be tight, preventing the free flow of blood and diverting concentration which should be directed towards the particular internal organs which each pose benefits.

Do not practise with the fan on as it will not only raise dust, which will be breathed in, but also because it will interfere with the bodily heat generated by the exercises. The following important points should be borne in mind before learning to practise Yoga asanas:

1. Never practise asanas if you suffer from severe headaches, back or stomach aches, hernia, eye or ear troubles, without consulting a specialist in Yoga. The same is the case if you suffer from some other disease or have been operated on, especially in the stomach.

2. While practicing asanas, always breathe through the nose and keep the mouth closed. The basic rule is to breathe out when bending and breathe in when coming back to the normal position.

3. Do not mix Yoga asanas with other exercises or games as they may do immense harm to the body. Allow a gap of at least two hours between the two. The reason is obvious: in physical exercises and games, the blood is made to flow mostly to the external muscles. In asanas, it is directed to the internal organs like the ductless glands, the brain, the parts of the digestive system, etc. Mixing the two types of exercises will deny proper blood supply to all parts of the body. Yoga shuns violent muscular activity (common in other forms of exercise) that produces large quantities of lactic acid which causes fatigue. Do not strain to the point of fatigue. If you feel tired, practise Shavasana.

4. Take a bath an hour after practicing Yoga asanas, as the body must cool down to normalcy gradually.

5. Smokers had better give up smoking gradually. They should not practise some asanas like Sirshasana until they have given up the habit. For there is the danger of bleeding from the nose because the membranes, weakened by smoking, will be unable to
stand the rush of blood in the head-down position.

Yoga asanas are simple postures. From these different postures, many have gained immense benefits, both physical and spiritual. Each pose is found to benefit a particular part of the body or nadi.

These poses do not involve any sudden jerks, pulls or jumps. There is majesty about them. Most asanas are named after some animals (like Bhujanga or serpent) or flowers (Padma or lotus) which they resemble.

There is always a danger that the written description of how an asana is to be performed may be misread or misunderstood. As it is very important that an asana should be carried out absolutely correctly to reap its full benefit, it is advisable for a beginner to learn them under a Yoga expert, especially the topsy-turvy puses which could be harmful in certain conditions or if wrongly carried out.

Beginners may start with the first six asanas and Sarvangasana and Matsyasana. After a week, gradually add more poses as also increase the duration in poses like Sarvangasana. A complete regimen of all poses described in this book will take half to one hour. Those who have no special health problems may do all the asanas and retain their health.

Women benefit a lot by a regular practice of asanas as they retain their youthfulness. However, avoid practice during the menstrual period.

During pregnancy, certain asanas may be practiced, as instructed in each pose. But do not start asana practice once you are in the family way. Yoga asanas can be resumed five months after delivery.