The physical practice of yoga, asana, is only one of yoga’s eight tenets. In India, asana is considered the basest aspect, but a necessary part of practicing the other seven principles. Certainly asana is the easiest and funnest aspect of yoga. We get to show up on the mat and exercise. Endorphins are released. We become physically stronger and more supple. Aches and pains disappear. After an hour or two, we roll up the mat and don’t have to think about it again until tomorrow.
It’s tempting to consider the practice of asana a complete yoga practice. But, asana is just a stepping stone to the other yogic principles. Through the physical practice of yoga we purify our bodies, readying them for the more rigorous yoga practices. Only healthy, supple bodies can sit in meditation for long periods of time. And that’s really the purpose of yoga.
Yoga’s roots date back approximately 5,000 years, as described in the Vedas and Tantras. Ashtanga Yoga, the eight-fold path, is set forth in Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras (circa 400 BC). The first principle, Yama, is broken down into five components:
- Ahimsa—the principle of nonviolence
- Satya—the principle of truthfulness
- Asteya—the principle of non-stealing
- Brahmacharya—the principle of celibacy
- Aparigah—the principle of non-hoarding or non-possessiveness
