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Hatha Yoga asanas and their benefits

Swastikasana (Auspicious Pose)
Gomukhasana (Cow face pose)
Veerasana (Hero's pose)
Kurmasana (Tortoise Pose)
Kukkutasana (Cockerel Pose)
Uttanakoormasana (Stretching Tortoise Pose)
Dhanurasana (Bow Pose)
Matsyendrasana (Spinal Twist Pose)

When I first began practicing Ashtanga Yoga, it wasn’t under the instruction of an authorized teacher or within a traditional Mysore program. The studio offered two semi-guided Mysore style classes a week. The owner connected with an authorized teacher who wanted to help guide the program to offering a traditional Mysore program. The teachers still had yet to understand the importance of moving slowly through Primary Series. I was instructed to practice full primary series and had knee pain that became increasingly worse through forcing myself into poses. I came close to quitting the practice until I met a couple of authorized teachers along the journey who changed my approach to the practice. One teacher in particular scaled my practice back to just a little after “half primary”. She had me stop and work on “Supta Kurmasana” for about a year. I moved to her city to seek consistent instruction from her grow my practice. Every time I came to my mat and practiced the sequence I would get to Supta workcthe posture 3–5 times with vinyasas in between. It was very very little almost unnoticeable practice daily. There was even a time that my teacher pounded on my back vigorously to release whatever built up tension had solidified itself in my body. It took almost two years for me to be able to bind my hands and feet on my own in this posture. I began to think it was impossible for my body to achieve the full variation. When I did master this posture to this best of my ability I realized very important lessons along the way: patience, perseverance, hope and release. If I ever am stuck in an unpleasant situation, I am aware that it takes effort will to get through it eventually, and I’m not phased by time.

tortoise pose yoga

Goes there a wise saying! Even If you go to Kasi, the karma will not leave you. So also my conditioned routine morning waking habit, irrespective of my sojourn at various places, I could not escape, even when I was in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Unlike other cities, I saw people getting up as early as 0500 hrs rushing to wipe out their prarabdha.During my walking, I crossed a huge ground overpopulated by aspirants who want to enhance their vitality, stamina and enthusiastic happiness, if not to attain Immortality, under the mike-guidance of a middle aged guru, demonstrating all asanas to the best of his ability and knowledge, seeing among the crowd not a single soul could imitate his acrobatics. Releasing as much as gas as possible, due to uneasy postures, the crowd withered away after an hour or so with sense of some achievement, proceeded to step up their daily routine work.
What is this going on of late obsessing the Indian mind? What do they understand by these “Exercises” and what they would like to get out of it?
I could trace the above puzzle to Patanjali’s Yogasutra wherein he enumerates the Astangha yoga, its features, health benefits and the summom bonum of life as such. Academicians and those who suffer from Egocentric predicament often discuss about the identity of Patanjali- out of the 3 historical Patanjalis who is the author of this yogasutra-whether it is original treatise or a patchwork from other systems like Vedas, Upanishads, Buddhism and Jainism. Since mostly I find the one who knows, propagates and markets this product, does not practice and the one who knows not, practices correctly or not, follows it blindly. Hence, I focus more on the pragmatic benefits, its relevance to health- mental or physical or both- and one’s spiritual aspiration, if at all any.
Though Ashtangha yoga-the 8-limb yoga- consists of 8 components, the first 2 are just for theoretical interest and the last four are for marketing purposes at some remote resorts and hence the so called astangha is reduced to merely 2 components consisting of asanas and pranayama.
History reveals that the first 2- yama and niyama constitutes the minimum standard or the eligibility rudimental to acquire a mental apparatus to attain spiritual mode, whereas the last 4-pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi are the prerequisites to have a spiritual infrastructure to elevate the aspirant to liberation, the goal of Astangha yoga.
In between the first 2 and the last 4 components, the asana and pranayama act like a bridge for a smooth passage from the empirical mode to spiritual plane.
Apart from Patnajali, save Buddha and Mahavira, no one could practice, though they all preach- yama and niyama, pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi- as they are basically un-indian in character.
If one looks at the ingredients of yama-ahimsa, satya, asteya, brahmacharya and aparigraha- wherein the DNA of an average Indian is made out just the opposite, any bio-chemical artificial change with the aid of technology will result in loss of identity beyond recognition.
Same is the case with Niyama-Shaucha, Santosha, Tapas, Svādhyāya, Iswarapranidhana-out of which Svadhyaya examination is passed by all pouranikas and pundits by half-way mark.
Realizing the bitter truth that neither the teacher nor the taught will pass the acid-tests of yama and niyama, the modern Indian guru of astangha yoga restrict himself only to asana and pranayama.
Needless to say the last 4 components- pratyahara, dharana, dhyana and Samadhi! Either they are in the text books or in our dream about caves in dense forest and mount Everest, if not in Kailash!
Buddha, Mahavira and Patanjali adapted these techniques as a mode of transport to liberation; Gandhi used it as a political weapon against a noble cause.
In the absence of any noble cause, it has become a mockery at the hands of politicians and ahimsa is said to be recognized only on invoke of Article 356.
Precipitated from 8-limb yoga to fragile 2-limb yoga, asanas and pranayma, bereft of the basic yama and Niyama, the 2-limb-yogasana, with some exemptions, turn out to be only a mild exercise, probably most suitable for the elderly, if not for the patient to while away boredom.
Thus, the original Patanjali-Yoga implying rest, rest with one’s own identity, diversifying later in to a more religious subtle meaning of union with God boils down to restricted union with one’s own good health and fleeting happiness.
Taking the age, financial condition, ailment, interest, leisure time, any one is coached by any self-styled guru for a few hundreds to few thousands rupees, depending upon the needs of the guru or the institution. Even certificates are issued to mark the level of the aspirant to open his own shop at a distant zone.
Asanas are grouped under 3 categories depending upon the physical postures, like sitting, standing and motion modes. There is no chronological or logical procedure, since much depends upon the learner and the skill of the teacher to impart. Most of these asanas are overlapping one another in their order due to mobility and modality.
A few fundamental asanas 1-5 in sitting mode followed by other 30 types are thus:-
1. Padmasana: Lotus
2. Siddhasana: Adept
3. Svastikasana: Crossed leg
4. Vajrasana: Adamantine
5. Simhasana: Lion

1. Tadasana: standing aright
2. Trikonasana: Triangular
3. Sarvangasana: Shoulder stand
4. Matsyasana: Fish
5. Halasana: Plough
6. Paschimothasana: Posterior
7. Bhujangasana: Serpent
8. Makarasana: Crocodile
9. Salabhasana: Locust
10. Dhanurasana: Bow
11. Chakrasana: Wheel
12. Ardhmatsyendrasana: Lateral spine twist
13. Yoga Mudra: Yoginee’s sealing
14. Mayurasana: Peacock
15. Sirshasana: standing on head
16. Astavakrasana:astavakra pose
17. Bakasana: crane
18. Bekasana:frog
19. Bhujangasana:cobra
20. Eka pada koundiyasana 1,2 poses
21. Garbasana:fetus
22. Garudasana:Eagle
23.Kukkutasana:cockrel
24. Kurmasana: tortoise
25.Natarajasana: Pose of Lord Nataraja
26. Padmapinyamayurasana: feather of peacock
27.Rajakapotasana:King pigeon
28. Sasangasna:rabbit
29. Surya namakara: 12 postures-facing the Sun
30.Shavasana (Mritasana): Relaxation

Pranayma is conscious control and regulator of one’s breathing which takes 9 forms thus:-
1. Sukha purvarca- easy comfortable breathing
2. Nadi shodhanam- alternate nostril breathing
3. Deep breathing- rhythmic diaphragmatic breathing
4. Bhastika- rapid movement like that of bellow
5. Sitali- cooling
6. Sitkari- sound producing
7. Ujjayi- Loud sound producing
8. Bhramari- Bee breathing
9. Kapalbhati- Skull cleaning