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Adhvasana- Prone Position |
The ultimate object of asanas in any position is to awaken the kundalini, the psychic centers that exist in every individual. Each position of the yoga asanas has the decided advantages. There are a number of asanas associated with each type of position. In prone position, generally your forehead touches the ground. You initiate any asanas in the prone position, with a specific pre-position. You lie on the ground, your forehead touches it and then stretch your hands forward and join them ahead of your head. Now, stretch your legs in opposite direction, relax all your muscles. All through this position, continue normal breathing.
Some of the important asanas in the prone position are:
• Vakra Hasta Bhujangasana (Backward bending curved hands)
• Saral Hasta Bhujangasana (Backward bending with straight hands)
• Shalabhasana Complete
• Shalabhasana Half
• Noukasana (Backward bending)
• Dhanurasana (Backward bending)
• Adhavasana
• Makarasana
One important point to remember about asanas in any position is that they are not physical exercises alone. They are done with a more deep and profound purpose. Attainment on the spiritual level is the ultimate goal. A perfect and healthy body is also a requirement for spiritual discipline. It is part of your education and is not related to sports alone. By doing the asanas in the spirit of exercise, you may get the benefit, but you will not reap the real spiritual harvest.
So, yoga asanas are the means to an end. They are not end in themselves. Sage Patanjali, the father of the yoga asana system, was not a physical instructor. He was a 'Realized Soul', a physician, had thorough practical knowledge about the various asanas, i.e which asana is capable of curing which disease. The whole concept of yoga exercises is to be understood in this context. They are the panacea, ultimate medicine for all types of human ailments, at all levels- the physical, the mental, the intellectual, and the spiritual.
Yoga is a process through which you attempt the union of the body and the mind with the spirit. It is the union between the individual soul and the omnipresent soul. |
