Sanskrit Word of the Week : Asana

Asana is the Sanskrit word for yoga posture.  You often hear it at the end of the pose names, ie. Trikonasana (Triangle Pose) or Vrksasana (Tree Pose).  Each yoga pose has a Sanskrit name and an English name. 

Asana can also refer to the actual practice of doing the physical yoga poses collectively. If you were doing your asana practice you would be doing just the postures, without the breathing and meditation that together make up the practice of yoga.  The purpose of asana practice is not just to keep the body strong and flexible but also to get the practitioner ready for meditation, controlling energy and bringing calmness and peace. 

There are hundreds of different asanas.  When the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a very early yoga manual, was written in the 15th century there were under 20 poses, all of them seated, but over the centuries the number has grown hugely.  There is a famous poster of yoga master Sri Dharma Mittra that shows him performing 908 asanas!