Asana. In the practice of Yoga, Asana denotes the art of sitting still[1] and also any posture useful for restoring and maintaining a practitioner's well-being and improving the body's flexibility and vitality, cultivating the ability to remain in seated meditation for extended periods.[2] Such asanas are known in English as "yoga postures" or "yoga positions".
Any way that we may sit or stand is an asana while a posture used in yoga is called a yogasana. Modern usage includes lying on the back, standing on the head and a variety of other positions.[2] In yoga asana refers both to the place in which a practitioner (yogin or yogi if male, yogini if female) sits and the posture in which he or she sits.[3] In the Yoga Sutras, Patanjali defines asana as "to be seated in a position that is firm, but relaxed".[4] Patanjali mentions the ability to sit for extended periods as one of the eight limbs of his system, known as Raja yoga,[5] but does not reference standing postures or kriyās.
Benefits[edit] Pranayama. Prāṇāyāma (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) is a Sanskrit word meaning "extension of the prāṇa or breath" or "extension of the life force".
The word is composed of two Sanskrit words: prana, life force, or vital energy, (noted particularly as the breath), and ayāma, to extend or draw out. (Not "restrain, or control" as is often translated from yam instead of ayāma). It is a yogic discipline with origins in ancient India. Etymology[edit] Prāṇāyāma (Devanagari: प्राणायाम prāṇāyāma) is a Sanskrit compound. V. Breath, respirationThe breath of life, vital air, principle of life (usually plural in this sense, there being five such vital airs generally assumed, but three, six, seven, nine, and even ten are also spoken of)[2]Energy, vigorThe spirit or soul Monier-Williams defines the compound prāṇāyāma as "(m., also pl.) Macdonell gives the etymology as prāṇa + āyāma and defines it as "m. suspension of breath (sts. pl.) ".[8] Hatha and Raja Yoga Varieties[edit] Bhagavad Gītā[edit] Medical[edit]
Khecarī mudrā. Khecarī Mudrā (Sanskrit, खेचरी मुद्रा)[1][2] is a yoga practice which is carried out by placing the tongue above the soft palate and into the nasal cavity.
In the beginning stages and applicable for most practitioners, the tip of the tongue touches the soft palate as far back as possible without straining[3] or placed in contact with the uvula at the back of the mouth.[4] Variant spellings include Khechari Mudra, Kecharimudra,[5] and Kechari Mudra.[6] Mudrā (Sanskrit, मुद्रा, literally "seal"), when used in yoga, is a position that is designed to awaken spiritual energies in the body.[7] The Pali canon contains three passages in which the Buddha describes pressing the tongue against the palate for the purposes of controlling hunger or the mind, depending on the passage.[8] However there is no mention of the tongue being inserted into the nasopharynx as in true kechari mudra.
A tantric Saiva text, the Mālinīvijayottaratantra, warns: See also[edit] References[edit] Bhattacharyya, N. Jalandhara Bandha. Etymology[edit] Jālandhara bandha comes from Sanskrit.
Jāla Sanskrit: जाल means web[4] or "net" and dhara (Sanskrit: धर) means "holding".[6] Bandha (Sanskrit: बंध) means "bond; contracting". Description[edit] It is performed by extending the neck and elevating the sternum (breastbone) before dropping the head so that the chin may rest on the chest. Meanwhile the tongue pushes up against the palate in the mouth.
References[edit]