Asana

(“bodily posture”) In the ashtanga
(“eight-part”) yoga first codified by
Patanjali (1st c. C.E.?), asana is the
third of the eight elements of yoga
practice and involves different body
postures. In his text, Patanjali asserts
that one’s physical position should be
stable and comfortable, since the
ultimate end of these postures is to
enable one to concentrate without
physical distractions. A series of positions for developing and training the
body evolved from this text. The most
familiar of these is the lotus posture
(padmasana).
These physical exercises are the
best-known feature of yoga and are
often confused with the larger practice of yoga itself. Although these
postures have definite physical benefits, such as increased bodily flexibility, their ultimate purpose is to
enable one to sit for long periods in
meditation without physical distractions. As such, they are a necessary
element for progress on the spiritual
path but should not be confused with
the end goal.
In a more general context, the word
asana can refer to various ways of sitting, and by extension to the thing
upon which one sits. In general the
object upon which one sits—particularly for meditation or any sort of religious practice—is believed to be
charged with power because of its
association with spirituality. Many of
these objects, especially animal skins,
are believed to confer certain powers
and thus have symbolic meaning as well.
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Asamanjasa
A man practices the fetus position.
This asana, or bodily posture,
is one of many that are used in yoga.
In the context of worship, asana is
the second of the sixteen upacharas
(“offerings”) given to a deity as a way
of treating the god as an honored
guest. In this case asana refers to offering the deity a place to sit, one of the
most basic acts of human hospitality.