Asana Fundamentals

There are three fundamental themes of asana practice. They are: 1) ujjayi breathing, 2) lines of energy, and 3) playing the edge. I will explain each of these separately in the following Teachings and then illustrate their application as we go through the poses.

First, let's look at the fundamental building blocks that comprise the basic poses. The building blocks are made up of the seven primary types of movements your body can make. Every yoga posture is simply one possible combination of these basic movements. Advanced postures are deeper extensions and different combinations that, being more intricate and efficient, enable you to exercise several areas of your body simultaneously.

Asana Building Blocks

The seven primary types of movement are:

• flexion (decreasing the angle at the joint - such as chin to chest)

• extension (increasing the angle at the joint or a return from flexion - such as the head returning to erect alignment)

• hyperextension (a continuation of extension beyond the starting position or beyond the vertical plane line at the ear - such as dunking your head backward)

• abduction (sideward movement away from the midline - arms or legs moving out to the sides)

• adduction (return from abduction - bringing the arms back to the sides)

• rotation (left, right, inward, and outward)

• circumduction (when a movement describes a cone - such as arm circling).

In addition there is hyperflexion (a term used when the upper arm is flexed beyond vertical, lateral flexion (lateral bending of the head or trunk), supination (outward rotation of the forearm), pronation (inward rotation of the forearm), inversion (turning the sole inward, weight on the outer edge of foot), eversion (turning the sole outward, weight on the inner edge of foot), dorsal flexion (movement of the top of the foot toward the shin bone), and plantar flexion (movement of the sole of the foot toward the floor).

The movements of your foot at the ankle are dorsal flexion and plantar flexion, as well as inversion and eversion. These movements can be found in poses such as Dog Pose (dorsiflexion), Hero Pose (plantar flexion), and Lotus Pose (inversion).  Your knees are capable of flexion and extension. These movements can be found in poses such as Hero Pose (flexion) and Mountain Pose (extension). Your hips are capable of flexion, extension, hyperextension, abduction, adduction, and internal and external rotation: Reclining Leg Stretch (flexion), Locust Pose (hyperextension), Spread Leg Forward Fold (abduction), Hero Pose (inward rotation), Lotus (outward rotation). Your shoulders are capable of flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, internal and external rotation, upward rotation of scapula, elevation and depression of scapula, and hyperextension. These movements are found in poses such as the Standing Forward Fold, Dog Pose, and the Shoulder Openers. Your neck is capable of flexion, hyperextension, lateral flexion and rotation: Bridge Pose (flexion), Locust Pose (hyperextension), Standing Side Stretch (lateral flexion), Sage Twist (rotation). And your spine is capable of flexion, hyperextension, lateral flexion, and rotation: Standing Forward Fold (body flexion), Locust Pose (hyperextension), Standing Side Stretch (lateral flexion), and Sage Twist (rotation).

The above selection can be contained in ten poses: Standing Forward Fold, Standing Side Stretch, Dog Pose, Spread Leg Forward Fold, Bridge Pose, Reclining Leg Stretch, Locust Pose, Sage Twist, Hero Pose, Shoulder Openers, and the Lotus.  These are the core poses. It's important to learn these well. A skillful practice grounded in these basic postures will enable you to progress safely to more advanced postures and variations.

Using these ten as the core of my selection, I have chosen forty-five of my favorite poses (core ten, Cat Pose, Mountain Pose, and Lotus Pose are presented at A Few Asanas - remainder are available in my book) to illustrate the basic principles of yoga. These forty-five poses form an excellent summary of what most people can aim for and eventually accomplish with ease.

Some poses will probably be easier for you than others. You may also have a natural proclivity toward either forward bending or backward bending, and toward twisting in a particular direction more than the other. If you are stiff or tight in a particular pose, it can always be traced back to one or several of the basic building blocks. Being aware of your areas of tightness and the postures and variations that are relevant to them allows you to tailor your daily practice to your own needs.

Seen in this light, being an inflexible beginner is in many ways an advantage. Because your range of movement is limited, you have no choice but to learn the basics thoroughly - proceeding gradually, step by step, with plenty of time to master the early stages before adding more difficult steps. Even if you happen to be in exceptionally good shape, avoid the natural tendency to rush deeply into the postures before learning the initial steps properly. Have patience and learn these poses well.

Before we begin, please understand that the various postures are designed to open and release the various tight areas of your body gradually. It may take you a while before you can do them all with ease. Be patient. Take your time. Enjoy the process. Keep in mind that the poses are not destinations, nor are they strange contortions to force yourself into for some esoteric purpose. They are part of an ongoing process of self-exploration and self-healing. Each individual pose is a map into a specific area of yourself, and where you are in the pose is the pose for you. Immersing yourself in the process is the important thing. That's what's interesting, not the achievement of elaborate postures. Involvement in the process will yield the results you desire.

Yoga done properly is not a competition, even with yourself. It's a matter of doing what you can at any given moment, of being aware of what you're doing, of building strength and endurance, and of gently working out the tight spots. But whether you're more flexible than you were yesterday is not the point. Where you are in the pose will vary each time you practice. The idea is to start calmly wherever you are and progressively work toward deeper movements by practicing the intermediary steps that lead you to the final pose. If, for example, you are unable to cross your legs in Lotus, then you need to practice the in-between steps that you are able to do now.   If you do these regularly, you will eventually sit comfortably in Lotus.

Your daily practice should include all the core poses mentioned earlier, plus Headstand and Shoulderstand once you have correctly mastered them. Once your practice has been established, you can spend extra time deepening either your forward bending, backward bending, or twists, or concentrate on problem areas that need more attention. You can spend extra time on your backbends in general, for example, or your Upward Bow in particular. Or you can focus on poses that will deepen your forward bending, prepare you for Splits, or enable you eventually to bring your legs behind your head (the ultimate forward fold!). If you are unable to balance on your head, spend time with that.

Your progress will be steady and natural as you practice these basic poses regularly. For now, be happy doing them in their easy form. They are the help you need to establish your firm foundation in yoga. Always perform the poses slowly and with care. Never fight yourself. Mastery of these easy poses will make the more difficult poses easy. Most of all, learn to enjoy your practice. The significance of everything I have put down will become apparent only as you spend private time with your own practice. The secrets of yoga lie in the doing of it, and only as your personal practice matures will your yoga become truly your own. Be sure you understand this, for it is the case with so many things. The advances you make and the depths you plumb are fundamentally up to you. My major interest is to share with you a way of doing yoga that you can apply to any posture you ever do, whatever your level of proficiency, and to assure you that the fruits of practice will carry over into all aspects of your life.

With that in mind, the best way to prepare yourself mentally for the proper practice of yoga is to think of it as a time of communion and renewal. Think of your body as the temple or home of individualized God, Consciousness in specific expression, and of each asana as a prayer. Learn to do each pose as though it were the center of all life and of all other poses. Each pose you perform will automatically suggest the whole universe of which it is a part. Nothing exists in isolation.  The old masters knew this well. This is the secret of yoga.