How many times should you do a posture?

I was wondering how many times should you do a posture if it doesn’t say. In the book I have they tell you how many to do on some postures but not all of them. Should you just do those postures one time?

I generally hold a pose for about a minute, about five breaths after I positioned myself properly, if the instructions doesn’t say otherwise.

I also hold for five to eight long breaths.

I generally don’t set rules or times for holding postures. If it feels right, your breathing won’t alter and you feel like you can stay there all day. If you breath rate speeds up you are probably working the pose too hard.

Listen to your body and it will tell you when to hold and when to release.

I guess how long you hold some postures will determine how many times you can do them. I usually don’t do more than 3 or 4 back bends per session. I suppose if I didn’t stay in it as long, I could then do more.

The answer, from me that is, depends on the effect you are seeking. The response should vary based on efficacy, among other factors. Therefore there isn’t “an” answer but rather several answers.

By “how many times” are you asking about repeating the same posture within the framework of the same asana practice? If so what is the reason for doing a posture more than once? I’m not asking about a defense for the repetition generally speaking but rather asking about why you are repeating them.