July 2016 Newsletter from Srivatsa Ramaswami—Asana Names
In July I will be teaching two programs. The first one is a 15 hour weekend program at Yogashala in CT.on Patanjali's Yogasutras Here is the link
Then I will be teaching a 100 hour Vinyasakrama Yoga Teacher Training Program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California. ^0 hours of Vinyasakrama spread over 30 sessions, 20 hrs of Yoga sutra and 20 hrs of Pranayama, mudras and yoga for the Internal Organs. This will be the only 100 program I am doing in USA. Here is the link
I have already taught this program in Chennai and New Delhi in India. I will be teaching the same program in Madrid Spain in September and again in Chenni in February 2017 and in Sydney Australia in April 2017
Asana Names
I started studying with Sri Krishnamacharya when I was 15 years old. I had done some vedic chanting when I was about 10 years old and had some understanding of asanas from teachers in my school and also from my father. At that time I had to study three languages. Tamil my mother tongue was the first language, then English (Indglish if you wish) which was introduced in my seventh standard. I had just started learning sanskrit as the third language and it was the most difficult language. So when I started my yoga lessons with Sri Krishnamacharya it used to be mostly asanas in the beginning. He would instruct and say the names of so many of those asanas and I had difficulty in remembering the names of the asanas and also had difficulty matching the asanas with their names as they were all in Sanskrit. When I started learning Sanskrit formally in school and then in college it became a little easier to know the meaning of the asanas and it became lot more sensible
Firstly we find that asanas are named after several creatures. This group of asanas are named after many creatures. It is a well known saying “asanani ca tavanto yavanto ivarasayaH” There are as many asanas as there are creatures, and according to puranas there are 8.4 million creatures. Many hatyogis of yesteryears used to observe several creatures and tried to take their forms and named such poses after the creatures. Many many asanas can be found in this group. Some of them are striking. Dog stretch poses-- the upward and downward dog poses-- are a favorites duos of contemporary hatayogis. A dog stretches the posterior portion and then the anterior portion or vice versa. In the adho mukha svanasana or downward face dog, the posterior portion of the body gets stretched and during the beautiful upward face asana, the anterior portion of the body is stretched The dog ahter complete stretching of the body appears to be completely refreshed by such a complete stretch which helps the blood circulation by stretching a comprehensive stretch of the body. The yogis could learn something very useful from a dog which acts instinctively.
One other creature asana is simhasana or lion pose. There are a few poses which look like lion pose. One position is a variation from Vajrasana, the majestic lion pose. Then it can be part of lotus pose sequence where you have the picture of a pouncing lion. There is another seated pose as Narasimhasana or man-lion pose. All these named after lion are very energetic looking poses and one has to feel like a lion in these. The posture alone is one part of it. The yogis were using their breath to roar like a line, a very long exhalation roar, and the gaze focussed on the middle of the eyebrows like a lion focus and gaze.
Another posture is that of a camel, every hatayogi is familiar with ushtrasana. It shows the prominent camel hump. However my Guru would make a variation of this pose . One would keep one leg forward and then bend back for usshtrasana holding the rear heel. This gives the picture of a lion walking. By gently rocking the yogi can create the impression of a camel walking and get vigorous massage
Let us take one more creature, the cobra. Bujangasana or cobra pose is done be keeping the palms on the floor, press through the palms and try to raise the torso and bend back a little. Sri Krishnamacharya would ask us to keep the palm together behind the back, raise the head and pull back the torso with the hands kept together. He would say that this is cobra pose as cobra does not have hands. Interestingly the word bhujanga would mean “that which has the body (anga) as its arms (bhuja)'
Yet another cute subsequence created by Sri Krishnamacharya is Khagaasana or bird pose. It resembles a flying bird landing on top of a tree branch or on the ground. From Tadasana one gets to Ardhauttanasana or half forward bend position with the arms spread out. With the feet kept together, it would resemble a flying bid. Then with bahyakumbhaka one would gently hop forward and land in Utakatasana. The sequence is reversed to get to the flying position. Children and many adults love this sequence. Now why is the bird called 'khaga?' kha would indicate 'space' and ga would indicate the 'mover', So khaga would mean mover in space or a bird. Incidentally khaga is also one the names of the sun a mantra used in suryanamaskara. Khaga would also mean the sun as it moves (appears to) in space.
The yogis apart from creatures poses developed asanas resembling several inanimate objects, created or naturally appearing. The well known asanas are Tadasana or tree pose and Parvataasana or mountain pose. In Tadasana one stands like a tree usually with feet together. Parvatsasana is where one sits with a broader and firmer base like in Padmasana and then stretch the arms upward keeping the palms together in anjali mudra or interlock the fingers and turn them outward to give a good stretch to the torso. Parvatasana was one of my teacher's favorite teachings. He would ask you to pull up the waist. Perhaps one of the important seated postures is Dandasana or stick or staff pose. It usually is the starting asana for almost all the seated poses, and in Vinyasakrama method one gets to Dandasana from the standing Tadasana and goes through a number of sequential vinyasas like uttanasana, utkatasana, caturanga, urdhwamuka and adhomukha before gently slide into dandasana. Dandasana is a posture that helps to keep the danda or merudanda or the spine erect. Dandasana even as it is called stick pose it actually is intended for the spine the merudanda. One of the obsessions of the olden day yogis was to keep the spine straight slowly reducing the four natural curvatures of the spine. Ostensibly it helps the easy passage of kundalini along the sushumna for the kundalini yogi or the integrated prana to move with facility along the sushumna all the way to sahasrara, the crown.
Likewise there are a number of asanas that are names after different objects. We have catushpada pitam
for posture that looks like a four legged table, Then we have dvipadapitam or one with two legs which will be desk pose. In India many business people sit on the cushioned floor in front of a desk in front of them to work and make a huge amount of money. Padmasana or lotus pose is one more in which the cross legs resemble a blooming lotus.
Then we have many asanas which actually describe the posture or the effects succinctly. The famous one is paschimatanasana. Tana is to stretch. Paschima is posterior. So paschimatanasana means posterior-stretch pose,which is the effect of this pose. One is required to stay in this posture for a an amount of time say 5 to 10 mts to get the full benefits of the pose. Hatayogis and kundalini yogis interested in the arousal of kundalini consider this pose as very important. Then we have the easier counterpose for this asana. It is purvatanasana. Purva is anterior so this asana is anterior stretch pose. Likewise there are many more asanas which are known by the effects they produce in the body. Parsva bhangi or side stretch pose. And the we have sarvangasana also known as shoulder stand to many contemporary yogis. Sarvangasana would mean an asana that is beneficial to all parts of the body-- the occipital region of the brain all the major joints as the ankles knees, hips, the entire spine all the internal organs as heart lungs stomach intestines uterus and others. There are many more like this in the asana system
There is another group of asanas which are names after the olden day rishis or sages. Who is a rishi? According to one school rishi is one who after deep meditation comes out with his/her finding in the form of mantra. Brahma is said to be the one who brought the famous pranava or 'OM' mantra to ordinary people like us. Then we have Viswamitra who is credited with the great gayatri mantra which has become part of the sun worship ritual in India from time immemorial. Then the seven rishis, atri, bhrugu, kutsa, vasishta, gautama, kashyapa, angirasa associated with the seven vyahritis which form part of the pranayama routine. Then there is Vamadeva credited with the discovery of the gayatri avahana mantra. So a rishi is defined as a seer and revealer of a mantra as the saying “rshayah mantra darsinaH”. Mantras are highly potent. There are considered :truth”. So there is another definition of rishi. Rishis are 'Truth speakers” King Amara in his famous sanskrit thesaurus Amarakosa defines rishi as 'rshayaH satyavacasaH'. The names of several rishis can be found in the vedas and puranas. While rishis have been associated with their great sayings, seldom one finds rishis associated with invention of asanas . However Sri Krishnamacharya revealed several asanas named after the sages like Vishvamitra, Kasyapa, Richika, Kapil and others seldom found in other texts, but In Krishnamacharya's Yoga Makaranda. Many could be extension vinyasas of Vasishtasana and Ekapadasirsasana
It will be good for serious yoga students to know the names and the correct meaning of asanas.
These and more in my forthcoming 100 hr Vinyasakrama Teacher Training Program at Loyola Marymount University starting this July 23rd to August 7, 2017. Here is the link.