Amrita 6: Asana through the ages - Magazine - Page 3
EDITOR’S LETTER
“A common thread
running through the
centuries is asana as a
tool for transformation,
be that the search for
immortality or a
technique for selfrealisation”.
THERE IS CURRENTLY a lot of research into the origins and development of non-seated asanas. Sometimes it feels that these origins are slowly and steadily being pushed
further and further back in time. Some of the earliest stone carvings depicting complex postures can be dated to around the 13th century. The 15th century saw a proliferation in the detailed descriptions of asana, a trend which continued up to the burgeoning of asana in the early 20th century. There has been what could be construed
as an evolution in both the number and complexity of asanas.This begs the question:
if it is an evolution, where is it heading? Another big question is why asana was practiced in the first place. Can we assume that the reasons given today would apply to
eight centuries ago?
This issue of Amrita presents a cross section of asana through time, beginning with
an interview with Jason Birch, one of the scholars involved in the Hatha Yoga Project.
Donna Gerrard provides us with an overview of the origins and development of Hatha Yoga, and Rose Mary Busto speculates on the purpose of asana, reminding us that
a common thread running through the centuries is asana as a tool for transformation,
be that the search for immortality or a technique for self-realisation. It is worth mentioning the tension that has existed between meditative practice and physical practice
since early times; a tension illustrated by people like Blavatsky and Vivekananda, who
dismissed asana as a crude and lowly practice, not leading to spiritual growth, an
opinion still held by many today. One man who redressed this balance was B.K.S.
Iyengar, and Ruth White fondly recollects her experiences with this great pioneer of
asana. In his thought-provoking and insightful article, Jamie Blowers sounds a note of
caution regarding the hijacking of asana to serve gender politics. A trend curiously
coopting essentialist traditions, as it gathers momentum.
Science and yoga have been intertwined since the early 20th century, particularly
in the field of health and the treatment of common illnesses, pioneered by Swami
Kuvalayananda. One area which has flourished is yoga related anatomy, and several
articles look at this from different angles. Firstly we interview the popular anatomy
teacher Andrew McGonigle who discusses Somatic Movement practice taking the
place of externally motivated movement.
Over 50 years ago the biochemist and founder of Structural Integration, Ida Rolf,
made the statement ‘Fascia is the organ of posture’. Her groundbreaking work into the
structure and role of fascia laid the foundation for recent developments, two of which
are discussed by Laura Gilmore in ‘A new movement vocabulary’, and Karen Kirkness
in ‘Pull yourself together’. It may be too early to speculate, but could this be a glimpse
of the shape of yoga to come?
Further contributions cover diverse topics such as the power of just standing still,
the continuing prevalence of the mind-body split in schools, and the rationale behind
the gradual breaking down of the one size fits all rigidity of postural yoga practice. A
Brian Cooper PhD
www.yogaallianceprofessionals.org
AMRITA Issue 6 / Spring 2021 1
