Swamiji's asana question

[Guest guest]

Point of view is everything. From the point of view of a devotee,

the purpose of asana would be to help in the realization of God. The

purpose of a hatha yogi would be for health and longevity. The

purpose of a Hindu priest would be to more effectively perform his

service of the Divine in mankind.

 

Asana is also defined as applied to the different levels: physical,

emotional, mental, and spiritual. Shankara (and perhaps Steve) define

asana as being established in the Self-the Atman. The sage Narada,

speaking from the emotional\mental, would call asana the unbroken flow

of feeling\thought (i.e. love) to God, so that the least forgetfulness

of God would make one unbearably miserable.

 

Age is a factor also; Physical asana may be of less emphasis for an

old person with infermities, whereas, for a young person it may be the

very foundation of one's spiritual life.

 

Tanmaya