~ by Pila Salazar

Asanas (yoga postures) comprised the third limb of Ashtanga Yoga. Although it is only a branch, it is what most of the western world conceived as “Yoga”. 

I started practicing in my early twenties. Although I was hooked from the first class, I didn't understand how all these postures could be somehow spiritual method. But even if I didn't seem to find the connection, there was something there to explore as I would experience certain magic and a sense of peace every time I practice. 

Sometimes to learn something new you have to let go on what you thought you knew, and this was the case. I grew up believing that my body, mind and spirit where all separate and through Yoga I had been able to realize this powerful connection, and that whatever we do in one area, affect all others. 

In the yogic view, the body has the capacity to storage past emotions and stress so when the body has taking up too much, it translates into disease.

So in order to find peace and health within ourselves, we need to purify our bodies continuously. 

The key of the practice of Asanas in Yoga relies in how we use every single pose to transform ourselves internally. The practice of Asanas is a way to restore our health, and to build firmness in our bodies, emotional stability and intellectual clarity as an attempt to establish a strong connection with that inner space of freedom and peace we all have inside.

As B.K.S Iyengar said “The serenity of the body is the sign of spiritual tranquility”.

INFO: Pilar Salazar - http://www.bodhisurfschool.com