Amrita 6: Asana through the ages - Magazine - Page 39
The Purpose of Asana
being the earliest-named sana on
record. It is here that we find the first
mention of hatha yoga, “the Yoga of
Force” (10). Despite referencing the 84
lakh (100,000) postures taught by iva
to mankind, the section on hatha
yoga only describes “the best of
these,” the lotus, which “destroys all
diseases” (3.1.2).
sana, however, still played a limited role in the prolific material of this
period. More important were the rituals and the combination of fixed postures, breath control, locks and seals
that isolated the yogin’s body from
the outside: techniques designed to
reverse the signs of ageing, prevent
illness, prolong life and, ultimately,
render the practitioner immortal
through identification with his chosen deity.
The 15th century Hathayogaprdipik, a compendium of earlier
texts, broke new ground by adding
detailed descriptions of sana to the
existing armoury of bandha and
mudr of the hatha yoga corpus. The
status of sana is established from the
outset: “Prior to everything, sana is
www.yogaallianceprofessionals.org
“More important were
the rituals and the
combination of fixed
postures, breath control,
locks and seals that
isolated the yogin’s body
from the outside.”
spoken of as the first part of hatha
yoga” (I.17)9. Acknowledging the tensions between the meditative and
physical traditions, the author attempts to reconcile the practices “accepted by munis such as Vashishta
and yogis such as Matsyendranath
[the founder of the Nath tradition]” :
“There can be no perfection if hatha
yoga is without raja yoga or raja yoga
without hatha yoga” (2.76).
sana, though, was soon to fall into
disrepute, largely due to lurid travellers’ tales of graphic encounters with
fierce-looking wandering yogis who
sported “long hair, spindle arms, long
twisted nails” while displaying an ability to “assume positions altogether
contrary to the natural attitude of the
human body”10 This, coupled with
the common conflation of yogis with
Muslim fakirs and sideshow contortionists, contributed to a stereotype
from which educated Indians, most of
them products of the missionary system, were swift to dissociate themselves.
Prominent among these was
Vivekananda, the Swami who, in 1893,
AMRITA Issue 6 / Spring 2021 37
