I appreciate what Paramahamsa Nithyananda is saying but I don't think I can strengthen my back by just thinking about it.

AHA!!!

I knew it!!!

(heeheehee)

Yoga is practice is a technique, but it is not the end goal. Optimal health is not even the end goal. The experience of Awareness of our True nature is the end goal. There is nothing that we can do to add or take away from that which we already are. Yoga is about doing to go beyond doing and experience being.

It is wise not to get stuck in the doing along the way (c;

Do not look at the finger pointing at the moon, BE THE MOON!

HA!!!

Namaste LOVE,

Rafa
OmBliss Tantra Kriya Yoga Workshops and Retreats
Visit us at www.OmBliss.com

I agree with Paramahamsa that optimal health can be achieved without an asana practice! (By the way, I am a yoga teacher) It is great to be engaging in all the wonderful things we do for ourselves that can be seen on the outside, ie. asana, going for a walk on the beach, receiving a massage, eating well, etc. However, if our inner dialogue does not match what we are trying to demonstrate on the outside, optimal health may not be achieved. If our inner dialogue has intention and aligns with our truth, and this then drives, or matches our outer activity, this, I believe will bring us flow, or true optimal health.
Having said this, asana is a wonderful tool for helping us get there, through connection and awareness to our physical body and to our breath. But it is not necessary.

I definitely agree! Although I love yoga and the poses provide a great structure for me, the practice has taught me to take a moment to just breathe - and this helps me throughout my day! I'm at my computer a lot and I find that I start to lean in toward the monitor. My husband has caught me with my face inches away! Now I'm very conscious of my posture and every once and a while will stop, breathe, sit up straight and soak in the fresh air. It's relaxing, invigorating and a huge relief!

My teacher from India basically said the same thing. He taught physical yoga asana, actually a practice that opened the body using bars and tree stumps...but believed meditation is the primary practice, and that asana only works to build the ego. He also stated that yoga asana should be used over a period no longer than 8 years to achieve ultimate transformation in the body, thus clearing the mind.

This one is tough to swallow, but I suppose if the intent is all that matters then it makes sense. However, I do think that the special case of modern society makes asana practice a helpful tool in the "cessation of the mind stuff" because many of us are so far off the quiet path that the movements and metaphors inherent in each asana help. Also, while spiritual aspects are undeniably important, it is difficult to deny the physical perks of yoga as well; the holistic benefits are one of the best aspects of yoga practice.

All very insightful comments. Thanks!

These are incredibly thought-provoking comments. I both agree and disagree. I disagree that there is "nothing" to be gained from asanas. The tangible benefits of a physical practice are well documented and accepted by health care providers and yoga practitioners alike. However, what is not documented is the intention itself. You can quite simply quantify the tangible effects of a physical posture. How can you possibly quantify the intangible essence of an individual's intention?

So, perhaps he is right in stating that intention is all. After all, most yogis and yoginis would agree that the main purpose of asana is to bring us to focus on the breath; to open us up to the beautiful awareness of who we already are.

When we are opened up to this, do we still need asana? I think the process is different for everyone. Some people are going to need the physical postures to remind them to come back to the breath. Others will only need to sit still and breathe. We cannot dictate for another person what his/her yoga practice should involve. We can only practice what is right for us in any particular moment.

What we sometimes forget is that a yoga practice is not confined solely to our sticky mats a few times a week. The practice itself, over time, begins to pervade each and every area of our lives, continuing its beautiful unfolding of our own truths and awareness. Nithyananda's words are a wonderful reminder of this.

Namaste.
http://lifeinapose.blogspot.com

Oh I love it!

I can believe it... but to get to the place where I can believe it, asana practice is useful!

And on a purely practical level, before I began yoga, my body was tight that it was impossible for me to sit with an erect spine. It's taken a few years of practice to make a meditative posture comfortable. For this reason, asana has been crucial for my overall yoga practice.