The Hidden Benefits of Yoga Asanas

The Hidden Benefits of Yoga Asanas

Bio-psychology is the best thing since sliced bread, that’s for sure, as it adds a whole new dimension to asana practice.

What exactly are the benefits of the yoga postures according to Rajadhiraja yoga? Here  are defining for the Hidden Benefits of Yoga Asanas.

Let’s first take a look at the more obvious benefits:

Asanas in yoga strengthen muscles, increase flexibility, and enhance posture and spinal alignment. Asanas, or yoga postures, serve primarily as a lubricating regimen for the body's joints, muscles, ligaments, and other tissues, thereby improving circulation and flexibility. The initial emphasis of yoga postures is on increasing bodily flexibility (your body is as youthful as it is flexible). They emphasize the health, flexibility, and strength of the spine. The spinal column contains the vital nervous system, the body's telegraph system. By maintaining the flexibility and strength of the spine through exercise, circulation is increased and the nerves are supplied with oxygen and nutrients.

Despite the fact that these are essential aspects of asana practice, they are only superficial. The majority of yoga schools end their investigation of yoga asanas here. There is much more to asanas than initially greets the eye.

The peculiar effect of the asanas on our inner organs and glands

All organs function flawlessly under the intelligent control of the mind in a state of health. Yoga is the only known form of exercise that massages the internal organs and endocrine glands, thereby balancing the hormones that regulate our emotional states. Asanas of yoga prevent the manifestation of negative emotional states such as anxiety, melancholy, hopelessness, and defeatism, replacing them with enthusiasm, pleasure, a positive outlook, and tranquility. Take the thyroid gland as an illustration. Over-secretion of the thyroid and parathyroid glands results in insomnia, emaciation, and irritability, whereas under-secretion has the opposite effect: lethargy (abnormal need for sleep), obesity, and sluggishness. A combination of yoga asanas are prescribed to balance the hormonal secretion of the glands. This is its own science.

What is the ‘Full Yogic Breath’?

To fully comprehend the profound effect of asanas, we must also comprehend the significance of appropriate breathing, as the two function together synergistically. The deep abdominal, diaphragmatic breathing employed in yoga is also known as the "full yogic breath." Deep, slow, and regulated breathing provides a constant intake of oxygen that has the ability to mitigate the lactic acid buildup in muscle fibres that is most common in vigorous movements that result in extreme muscular development.

Please observe the movement of the thorax in the anatomical image above: pay close attention to the movement of the diaphragm, chest, and abdomen. When the diaphragm is used properly during inhalation, it causes the expansion of the abdomen and thorax. In contrast, when the diaphragm relaxes during exhalation, the abdomen contracts and the thorax relaxes and contracts.

Irregular Breathing = Restless Mind

Pranayama refers to the regulation of prana, or vital energy, in yogic breathing exercises.

Prana is the subtle essential energy necessary for our survival. The pulmonary movement is the largest manifestation of prana in the human organism. This lung movement functions as the flywheel that sets in motion the other forces of the body. Thought is the most subtle expression of prana. Consequently, respiration and thought are linked. Rapid breathing inhibits clear thinking, whereas sluggish and deep breathing facilitates clear and profound thought. When we concentrate and regulate our respiration consciously, we are able to store more prana. People with an abundance of prana emanate vitality and power. Asanas also regulate the passage of prana, the vital energy required for profound meditation. A restless and agitated mind, which is a sign of prana traveling erratically throughout the body, prevents access to deeper meditative states. Therefore, it is essential to regulate prana through the practice of asanas and the prescribed respiration that goes along with the practice.

Also read: 8 Yoga Poses for Beginners

Purification of Nadis and Activation of Spiritual Energy

Precision in the practice of asanas is essential for achieving the greatest possible benefit and purification of the nadis (subtle nerve channels) in preparation for Samadhi, the eighth and highest limb of Ashtanga Yoga (total absorption in cosmic ideation).

There are specific asanas designed to aid in the awakening of the kundalini (the spiritual energy latent in the root chakra) through the spinal column. These asanas purify the nadis, cleanse the susumna, ida, and piungala nadis pathways, and liberate the chakras (psycho-energetic centres).

Asanas are potent because they operate on the entire physico-psycho-spiritual system by assisting in the formation of an extremely subtle body and mind, which is the foundation of spiritual ascent.

In our yoga teacher training courses, we teach aspiring teachers how to make the connection between movement and breath, as well as a very specific system of breathing during the execution of asanas and a certain way of holding the postures that benefit not only the outer physical body but also the inner organs, glands, chakras, and subtle body.

Hope the above topics of the Hidden Benefits of Yoga Asanas will be very helpful to you