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I have been asked many times by people who intend to get into yoga: what are its benefits? I could type a meter-long, single-spaced list in five minutes. The list of benefits may range from simple ones, like being able to hop into a vehicle with greater ease, to more serious ones, like controlling your blood sugar or managing depression without drugs.
The beauty of yoga is that it is able to address individual, immediate, and long-term needs. In the words of BKS Iyengar, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured, and to endure what cannot be cured.” And all you need, really, is about 3 sq m of practice space
Having said all this, being perfectly healthy should not prevent someone from trying yoga. One can walk into a class with the goal of trying a new experience, and seeing where it may lead. Yoga may be theoretically discussed, but one never quite understands it until one experiences it. Participation is essential—just like falling in love. One will never really know what the “big deal” is all about until one is actually in it. Yoga becomes an adventurous walk into your physical realm.
I have seen it all too often: people come in with curiosity, and stay because the subject is so vast that one never gets bored. The possibilities are as endless and as varied as each day of the year. Life is as organic as our bodies, bodies that are forever changing, depending on the circumstances we are faced with.
You come to a yoga class to learn about postures called asanas, and a breathing system called pranayama. As the lessons progress, the learning deepens. One starts to recognize the connections between the sequences, the reason for certain sequences, and how they address different needs. The “take-home” learning becomes richer, more textured, more valid and real as your body opens up. The deeper you go, the greater the impact on mind, breath, and body—the “holy trinity” of health.
“To each his own” is a phrase we commonly hear, and one that applies very much to yoga. Each day presents itself differently. So, as you delve into the practice, you learn the tools to be able to decide what you would like or need to do for the day.
For example, today I am tired. I will do an active restorative practice, starting the sequence with Adho Mukha Virasana (child’s pose). I kneel with my knees wide enough for my torso to fit between them, sitting on my heels, with the top of the feet on the floor. I extend my arms out, with my hands and arms shoulder-width apart, resting my palms and forehead on the floor in preparation for the practice to come. Next, I go into Adho Mukha Savasana (downward-facing dog), placing my palms flat on the floor with all five fingers facing forward, hands shoulder-width apart and soles of the feet flat on the floor. I will turn my heels out very slightly, placing them about 18 inches apart. My buttocks are pushed up from the strength of my hands and feet. My torso and legs must form an inverted letter V.
I next go into Adho Mukha Vrksasana (full arm balance or handstand), against a flat vertical wall. From Adho Mukha Savasana, with the hands about six inches away from the wall, I walk my feet closer to my hands, lock my elbows, press my palms very energetically and kick my legs up, allowing my entire body to come up, my back supported by the wall, and balancing on my hands.
Then I go into Salamba Sirsasana (headstand). Kneeling on the floor, I place my elbows on the floor about shoulder-width apart, interlock my fingers to form a cup, then with the elbows, forearms, wrist, and outer edges of the palm of the hand pressing firmly on the floor, I place the crown of my head in my hands. I curl my toes and straighten my legs to walk the feet closer to the torso until I can lift the legs up into a headstand.
I then end with Salamba Sarvangasana (shoulder stand) on the edge of about three blankets, neatly folded and wide enough to accommodate my back. I lay down on the stack of blankets with the edge of my shoulders about an inch from the edge of the blankets. I lift my legs over my head and rest my toes on the floor behind me in Halasana (plough pose). I support my middle and upper back with my hands, and with my shoulders and elbows in line and parallel to each other, I lift the legs one by one up towards the ceiling.
All these poses have the head lower than the entire body. They become restorative, because they bring a rejuvenating supply of blood to the brain cells. They enhance clarity of thought, increase concentration, improve attention span, and sharpen the memory.
On a jampacked day, when one is feeling a bit lethargic and only has 20 minutes to spare, Surya Namaskar (Sun Salutation) is a worthy alternative that gives mobility, alertness, freedom, and energy. Surya Namaskar is a continuous cycle of linked asanas done in quick succession, originally done to greet and salute the sun god Surya. The basic cycle consists of 12 asanas: Samasthiti, standing with feet and knees together, chest upright, arms extending downwards; Namaskarasana, inhaling and folding palms into prayer position in front of the sternum; Urdhva Hastasana, exhaling, releasing the hands, inhaling, and stretching the arms up either shoulder-width apart or with hands still together in Urdhva Namaskarasana; Uttanasana, exhaling and lowering the arms and trunk down, keeping the palms by the side of the feet, and inhaling and exhaling before bending the knees and walking or jumping the feet to Adho Mukha Savasana; then inhaling, lowering the hips to the floor, raising the chest, and looking up in Urdhva Mukha Savasana.
Next you go into Chaturanga Dandasana, exhaling, lowering the chest to the floor with the elbows bent and close to the torso, keeping the pelvis, thighs, and knees above the floor. From here, return to Adho Mukha Savasana, then inhale, look forward, and with bent knees, exhale and jump or walk the feet between the hands. Straighten the legs, taking the head towards the shins, in Uttanasana. Inhale, raise the trunk and arms upward, shoulder-width apart or in prayer position, Urdhva Hastasana or Urdhva Namaskarasana. Exhale, fold the palms in front of the sternum, then end in Samasthiti, exhaling as you release the hands, placing them at your side, and extending fingers and hands down.
This cycle can be repeated three, six, or 12 times. It can be extended by inserting other postures, making the cycle longer or shorter, depending on individual needs.
For depression, open the chest with postures like Urdhva Mukha Savasana or Urdhva Dhanurasana (upward-facing bow): lie down on the floor, bending the knees and placing the feet close to the buttocks, palms of the hands on the floor next to the ears with the fingers pointing towards the shoulder. Inhale, exhale, and lift the hips up by simultaneously pressing the feets and the palms of the hands on the floor, lifting the torso with the hips up to the ceiling, the body resembling a bow. Stretching and opening up the muscles of the chest that tighten and sink in when one’s mood drops is a boon, reversing the slow and gradual withdrawal that often marks the onset of depression.
There are also menstrual sequences that help a woman deal with the onslaught of hormonal changes. While sitting in a plane, car, or train one can sit in Padmasana (lotus pose) or Vajrasana (sitting on the heels, knees bent) to relieve the legs.
The asanas and their possible sequences are as endless as the needs of human beings. The ability to recognize these needs, and being equipped with the tools to address them, is one of the many values that yoga offers.
The most amazing thing about it is, all of this can be done almost anywhere. All you need is about 3 sq m of space to practice yoga—and free yourself from afflictions of the body and mind.
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