Are Asanas A Recent Creation?

This is the final part of our series ‘Yoga in 2020’. We are going to look at the 3rd limb of Pantanjali’s 8 limbs of Ashtanga, Asana. Here you can read Part 1 and Part 2, if you haven’t yet.

Asana in the Sutras and Bhagavad Gita

The literal meaning of asana is “seat.” Today it is widely used to describe the physical postures carried out during a yoga practice. Pantanjali mentions asana in his Sutras. It can be easy to assume that the physical movements we know today are just as old as his writings. Philip A. Mass from the University of Leipzig, Germany, assesses the Sutras to be dated at 400 BC^1. This is based on his research on tracing the commentaries on the Sutras published in the first millennium CE. As well as this, he used a review of extant literature.

In the Sutras, Patanjali says the following about asana (Sutra 2.46). स्थिरसुखमासनम् ॥४६॥ – Sthira sukham asanam: Steady and with ease should be the asana. He refers to the seat, the meditation posture, which should be able to be held with ease and steadiness for a period of time. At this point in time, he does not list any of the other asanas which we know today.

Āraṇya translates verse 2.47 – प्रयत्नशौथिल्यानन्तसमापत्तिभ्याम् Prayatna saithilyananta samapattibhyam – as, “asanas are perfected over time by relaxation of effort with meditation on the infinite”. This combination and practice stops the quivering of body.² The Bhasya commentary attached to the Sutras is now thought to be by Patanjali himself. It suggests twelve seated meditation postures.³

The Twelve

Padmasana (lotus). Virasana (hero). Bhadrasana (glorious). Svastikasana (lucky mark). Dandasana (staff). Sopasrayasana (supported). Paryankasana (bedstead). Krauncha-nishadasana (seated heron). Hastanishadasana (seated elephant). Ushtranishadasana (seated camel). Samasansthanasana (evenly balanced). Sthirasukhasana (any motionless posture that is in accordance with one’s pleasure).

Looking at the Bhagavad Gita, the term asana appears infrequently on Lord Krishna’s lips. But when it does, it refers to “the place where one sits for spiritual practice”. He does not give a technical description of physical postures.⁴

The asanas of today

So where did the physical practice we love and practice all over the world begin? And how did all of the different styles that exist today develop?

Probably the first known scriptures about further asanas can be dated back to the 10th or 11th century. These were written by Goraksha Sataka. In the 15th century came the more famous Hatha Yoga Pradipika. Both identify 84 yoga postures. The Hatha Ratnavali of the 17th century proposes a different set of 84 postures. In many spiritual traditions 84 is considered a sacred number. It represents the harmonious relationship between the individual and the Universe. Today most yoga traditions are teaching more than 84 asanas.⁵

Asanas gained more popularity in India around 1920. It is assumed that the bigger following of physical culture is due to the Western colonization. Due to this, there was a struggle for national independence.⁶ It was said that building stronger bodies would make them a “better” nation. It was thought they would be more successful if they were to encounter a violent conflict with colonizers. Over time the name yoga became widely used to describe this new strength building regimen. One of the original teachers was Tiruka. He travelled the country to teach strength and combat techniques to potential revolutionaries. A teacher named Rao began blending those Indian techniques with European gymnastic and weight resistance exercises. Swami Kuvalayananda, one of the most influential yoga teachers of his time, was a student of Rao. In the 1920s Kuvalayananda and Sri Yogenda started blending indigenous Indian physical culture with the latest European techniques of gymnastics and naturopathy.

Gaining Momentum

Due to the support of the Indian government, the teachings spread quickly over the whole country. Better known today is Krishnamacharya who studied at Kuvalayananda’s institute in the early 1930s. Krishnamacharya held degrees in all six darshanas. These are the philosophical systems of orthodox Hinduism. He was also educated in Ayurveda (the science of life). He is known to have become the father of physical yoga as we know it today. His work built upon the series he was taught to establish a dynamic asana practice. It was intended mainly for India’s youth. This was very much in line with the physical culture zeitgeist in the country during the 1930s. He was so revolutionary that his style was unseen in practices previously. His efforts grew into contemporary yoga styles with the most commonly known as Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. His student Pathabi Jois is credited with developing the popular Mysore style. This style can be seen as the foundation for modern power yoga, vinyasa and flow based yoga styles.

Connecting the dots

There was a new practice due to Krishnamacharya and his students like Jois, Iyengar or Devi. It connected the dots between Pantanjali’s eight limbs again. The training of the mind is just as important as the strengthening of the physical body. This created the asana practice we know today. For this reason, you will now find pranayama and meditation sequences taught together. Besides the physical aspects you might find your teacher talking about the other limbs. You can combine them in your yoga practice and transfer that knowledge into your daily life. In addition to many other benefits, this can work to end mind-made suffering; including stress, depression and anxiety.

Modern Asanas

Another aspect of our modern times are new poses in the yoga practice. These are often introduced to bring more fun and variety to the modern, demanding yogi. Some students prefer to stick to the original 84 poses or even fewer. Some very instagramable postures have found their way into the studios. These are not related to the original practice. One example is headstand (Salamba Sirsasana). It is considered to be part of original yoga sequences. In contrast is the handstand, which is more an exercise found in gymnastics. We will likely bear witness to even more variations of new yoga systems going forward. Do you wonder what differentiates gymnastics or calisthenics from yoga? Keep in mind the original meaning of yoga. It is the cessation of the fluctuation of the mind. Does a physical movement combined with a certain placement of gaze and breath support this journey? If yes, then you might be actually practicing yoga.

Fast forwarding to 2020, we have had a major transformation in how physical our modern lives are, compared to 100 years ago. The boom of the fitness, beauty and wellness industry can be seen as motivation to start a yoga practice for some. Our lives have become less physically demanding. From working on farms, many have transitioned to sitting down all day in offices. So even if the goal isn’t to gain strength to be prepared for a revolution, yoga can tremendously benefit your physical health. It can help reversing the damage of an inactive lifestyle. Chairs only came into more common use during the renaissance. They have huge negative effects on our flexibility and spine health.

References

1 Maas, Philipp A. (2006), Samādhipāda. Das erste Kapitel des Pātañjalayogaśāstra zum ersten Mal kritisch ediert. (Samādhipāda. The First Chapter of the Pātañjalayogaśās-tra for the First Time Critically Edited)., Aachen: Shaker
2 Hariharānanda Āraṇya (1983), Yoga Philosophy of Patanjali, State University of New York Press, ISBN 978-0873957281, page 229
3 The Yoga-darsana: The sutras of Patanjali with the Bhasya of Vyasa GN Jha (Translator); Harvard University Archives, page 89
4 Krishna
5 Huffpost
6 Yoga Journal

About the Author

This blog post is written by Julia Grässer, Doron Yoga Teacher alumni, who did her 300h yoga teacher studies at Doron Yoga & Zen Center. As part of her thesis she writes articles about the practical implementation of yoga in our modern times.
This series of Yoga Philosophy blog posts provides a taste of her theoretical studies. Please feel free to comment and share your thoughts here, email Julia directly at julia@warriorprincessyoga.net or visit her website.