Asana is defined as "posture;" its literal meaning is "seat." Originally, the asanas served as stable postures for prolonged meditation. More than just stretching, asanas open the energy channels, chakras and psychic centers of the body. Asanas purify and strengthen the body and control and focus the mind. Asana is one of the eight limbs of classical Yoga, which states that asana should be steady and comfortable, firm yet relaxed.
When holding a yoga posture, make sure you can breathe slowly and deeply, using Dirga or Ujjiayi Pranayama. Go to your edge in the posture, holding where you feel a good stretch and/or your body working, but don't feel pain, strain or fatigue. If you have not practiced yoga postures before, please read our beginner's guide.
This pose is a highly effective strengthener for the legs and ankles. You have to sort of squint to see the half moon; try drawing a half-circle from the raised top hand through the lifted foot to the standing foot and supporting hand....
For Garudasana you need strength, flexibility, and endurance, but also unwavering concentration that actually calms the fluctuations (vrtti) of consciousness. ...
Hanuman literally means "having large jaws." Hanuman, a figure in Hindu mythology, is the semi-divine chief of an army of monkey warriors in India's great epic, the Ramayana....