Asana? Yoga?

[Hubert]

Right, Prascina !

Your questions make sense, although are a permanent subject for discussion and members who have a longer history here (me) might neglect their importance.
So, to be more sober, I think that what is so often overlooked is yama and niyama. As I learnt, both form masters and my own personal experience, yama and niyama is the base of this pyramid, what yoga is. I use the pyramid image as it is fitting my idea ... it is the widest on it's base.
Yoga is popular in the west because it has an external side, the physical one, asana, and to a mostly extroverted culture, this ascpect is immediatly touchable.
But asana alone is like building a pyramid without foundation ... it cannot last. It migth bring temporary relief, fitness, health, or just the fact of being percieved trendy.
The picture I paint is not this grim, though, as the west and especially America has a wide range of spiritual traditions present, and yoga might complement these well. Yama and niyama are lose enough that a christian, a buddhist, even an atheist might find ways to apply them in his/her own manner. This makes this aspect more personal, and because of that, far less visible.

[Pandara]

Yes and donkeys also do yoga these days.

Prascina, I agree by all means - "To know more on yoga people do visit forums and a simple healthy discussion that was all I (you) asked for." You are right and the point I was trying to make is the following: Prascina I am an English second language speaker and user and a poorly phrased question such as: "Asana Practice?Asanas are in yoga?" just doesn't help "simple healthy discussion" as there are a lot of people on this forum, including me, whose command of English may not be good enough to grasp what you actually trying to ask or demand from us (me).

I think to invite "simple healthy discussion" it will help if you formulate your questions with proper markers such as What, Why, etc, which denotes to me as a second language user that you ask a question and what your expect of me in my answer. Perhaps re-phrase your statements with question marks in such a way to reflect an answer which "invites healthy discussion".

Or is this simply a question of the donkey can't see the carrot in front of him/her?

[justwannabe]

yoga seems to mean union
typically people go with the description of eight limbs of yoga,
they are, in no particular order, Asanas Dharana Dhyana Niyama
Pranayama Pratyahara Samadhi Yama
it seems everything we do in life is under these 8 limbs.
asanas is one of those limbs relating to phsyical posture, an asana practice would be a practice of posture.

What is Yoga practice?
yoga practice, practicing the 8 limbs of yoga

Asana Practice?
asana practice, practicing your posture, through either one or a series of postures

Asanas are in yoga?
asana is only one limb of yoga, asanas fall under the umbrela of yoga
Ideally you would have union when in asanas, so yes, asanas are yoga, yoga is asanas so if one wants to play a word game they can say that asana is yoga, yoga is asana.


or yoga is asana?
as a straighforward answer, no
but again, someone can play word games with you and trap you in that question
asanas yoga or yoga asanas

everything is yoga but since the mind seperates ourselves we are not in the union, but then we can never be out of the union or something like that.

[Prascina]

Isn't it that as long as the body exists .. turbulent or calm,the mind is there in the strongest or mildest form of EGO?

[pinky11]

Hello Prascina

what is yoga practice?

Yoga practice is meant for the union of soul with supreme conciousness. For more information, you can read more about "ashtanga yoga" and "yoga sutras of patanjali". You can have a look at this site, there is lot of free information available.

what is asana practice?

Though aim of yoga is spiritual upliftment of soul, hatha yoga techniques can be used as exercise for maintaining a healthy body and peaceful mind. Yoga asanas are one part of ashtanga yoga. Yoga as such is a very vast philosophy.

Hope it helps

[Prascina]

Talking to a person who has been practising yoga for last 9 years and we happened to mention the part of ashtanga yoga..swadhyaya..study of the self.It is the practice of self inquiry that Ramana maharshi followed to reach the path of liberation.

[InnerAthlete]

Yoga practice is a practice based on the vast body of wisdom from the Vedas, the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, the Bhagavad Gita, the Upanishads, and Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.

Asana is a physical practice which, in some schools of yogic thought, is part of that vast body of wisdom mentioned above. However, as I understand it, asana was shunned many years ago as it was believed it would aggrandize the Ego - and so it has.

You've already defined the word yoga. And you've provided a very literal sanskrit translation of the word. And while you are correct about "union" and "yoke" I do not use those terms to convey Yoga to my students. Here in the west it is, unfortunately quite common to define yoga by translating the sanskrit to english. I think that's a failing which does not do yoga, the vast body of wisdom, justice.

One correction from above please - Patanjali's Eight Limbs are sequential and therefore they are, by their very nature "in order".

[Prascina]

It's so nice that yoga is becoming popular in this world..west or east..north or south.Physical health is a beautiful by product of the practice ;the Inner peace which is core of its vast wisdom can bring about more happy smiling faces.

[justwannabe]

Originally Posted by InnerAthlete

Asana is a physical practice which, in some schools of yogic thought, is part of that vast body of wisdom mentioned above. However, as I understand it, asana was shunned many years ago as it was believed it would aggrandize the Ego - and so it has.

.

IA, a couple of my thoughts
the moment we shun something we are not accepting of it, if we are not accepting of it we become divided and when we do that we are not in union a perfect example is thatI know you dont use union but I do like that term and therefore I use it, I would not want to shun you for being and believing different and I hope you would not shun me either. Yoga in my opionion is not about what pantajalia said, even though it is, but rather about my life and how I can live the best I can in this world, in this day, and in this moment. How can I be at peace with all that is created, be accepting of all, and have love for all. How can I be a light shining from the inside.

When I first started this "yoga" I took it very seriously and wanted to know the "exact" right way/path, only to find out that there are many paths and I could do circles in the woods searching for the "right" path, the "true" path or I could look for the sun and find a path that goes in that direction and follow it. When the path turns away from the sun/light I may stay on it a while longer but if it continues for too long away from this light then I may go back in the woods to look for another path that goes in the direciton of the sun.

the terms and words of yoga, I believe yoga is beyond those and we can never explain it right but hopefully we can live it to the extent it is right for us. I have a very serious side of me that I wish to loose/forget some would say it is embeded in my samskaras but I dont care where it is embeded, I just want to go towards the light.

just thoughts
Neil

[InnerAthlete]

"The moment we shun something we do not accept it" is certainly one level of truth. However it is possible to accept it (when it is an it and not a whom) but discern it is not of this path for the person. So on one level, the personal level it is "rejected" but on the universal level it is accepted.

In this particular case I am not advocating shunning asana. I was merely pointing out a fairly well know component of yoga's history. One can take that history and do as they please with it.

While all things are of the Divine they still have their place. One would not put cow dung in one's bed sheets though both cow dung and bed sheets are clearly "of god".

Your thoughts about light align with my own path and perceptions though I may not hold them in the same way you do.

Thank you for sharing. It was beautifully composed. Quite refreshing.