Yogasana refers to the postures that make up the physical aspect of yoga, specifically hatha yoga. It improves flexibility, strength, and cardiovascular health, but yoga also encompasses spiritual, moral, and social aspects.
Yogasana, pronounced with an emphasis on the second syllable, is a term for the various postures that make up the core of a yoga workout. Different yoga training systems require different postures. However, in all yoga systems, the postures are only one aspect of overall training, because yoga encompasses more than just the physical aspects of an athlete’s health.
The term yogasana consists of two Sanskrit words: yoga and asana. Translating these terms into English can be difficult, but yoga is an ancient knowledge consisting of six branches that collectively cover aspects of the physical body, spirituality, morality, and even social relationships. The term asana translates as “posture” or “pose.” Yogasana, then, is the term for the postures that comprise the branch of yoga that focuses on the physical body. This branch is called hatha yoga.
However, it is important to realize that there is more to hatha yoga than just the poses. Maintaining proper breathing and meditation practices is also crucial to most forms of yoga. Some styles of yoga, such as ashtanga yoga, also place an emphasis on movements that connect the different poses. Yogasana, then, is only one particular part of hatha yoga, which, in turn, is only one of the six branches of yoga.
However, yogasana is, for many athletes, the aspect of yoga that receives the greatest amount of focus, because it is the poses that provide the most direct physical benefits of hatha yoga practice. The wide range of different yogasanas ensures that an athlete can derive various benefits from practicing yoga.
The benefit of yogasanas that often gets the most attention from the athlete is increased flexibility. Many yogasanas require the practitioner to bend the body in very unusual ways. This causes the muscles and tendons to be stretched at a variety of angles and, with prolonged practice, this can lead to substantial benefits to the practitioner’s overall flexibility.
However, the benefits of yogasana extend beyond the benefits to an athlete’s flexibility. Many yoga poses require an athlete to hold difficult positions that require the practitioner to work against gravity, against the natural curve of the body, or both. These resistance items provide a muscular workout that can increase overall strength and muscular endurance.
Yogasana also provides cardiovascular benefits. Your regulated breathing while dealing with physical stress causes the body’s respiratory system to become more efficient. This, in turn, leads to an improvement in cardiovascular health.
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