Asanas. Dharma Mittra

      rejuvenating powers of yoga, but the changes in Dharma’s body, or in his ability to execute the poses, are barely visible.

       One more thing: Only after spending months with Dharma, dissecting and categorizing each posture, did we realize that he had originated many of these postures himself. As a true yogi, he takes no credit for his achievement, stressing instead the value of egolessness, or in yogic terms, “no I.” While he may insist that he did nothing to create the work, that the postures just flowed through him, we believe otherwise.

       The Editors

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       GUIDELINES FOR PRACTICE

      Relax on your back for two or three minutes before the first posture.

       Do all postures very slowly, without pain or straining. Breathe through the nose in all positions (except Shavasana).

       Do not over-hold the breath or over-inhale. Do not overhold any posture.

       Break posture whenever it becomes uncomfortable.

       Practice on an empty stomach, four hours after heavy food, two hours after light food, 10 to 15 minutes after liquids.

       Before doing a posture check the illustration carefully for angles, shape, exact position of fingers, hands, arms, toes, ankles, legs, and head. Beginners should not practice without guidance.

       If you are pregnant, or have recently had surgery, or have heart, spine, joint, or high blood pressure problems, ask the teacher which postures to avoid.

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      Do postures on a mat in a well-ventilated room.

       Relax after every posture until fatigue has been eliminated.

       If there isn’t time to do all the poses, choose one standing, one abdominal, one or two forward and backward bends each, one twist, and one seated pose. Later, or the next day, do the remaining.

       End asana practice with a relaxation pose, such as, Shavasana.

       For rapid progress, be guided by a qualified teacher, not by books alone. Try to be a vegetarian and meditate at least five minutes daily. Be reverent and obedient to the teacher.

       Be nice to all.

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       INTRODUCTION

      When I first left the ashram of my guru, Swami Kailashananda, in 1975, I was very enthusiastic, in good shape, and spiritually intoxicated. I wanted to give the guru something in thanks as an act of devotion, so I set to work on the Master Yoga Chart of 908 Asanas.

      At the time yoga wasn’t as popular in the United States as it is now so I had to work out how to do many of the postures myself — some were explained in texts, but not all were illustrated. I gathered information from my guru, from books, and from students who had come from other teachers. I mounted a Nikon camera and a video camera with a monitor so I could see the correct angle when I was in the pose. Once in position I clicked with a wire remote, a little pump. In many poses I had to hold the pump in my mouth and activate it by biting. I had four seconds to spit it out before the flash popped.

      Every morning I would shoot two or three rolls of film. I did about 1,300 postures in less than three months, then I cut them out and pinned them on a big piece of cardboard. I knew that if I made the chart, one day it would be a success, just like a painting that is done 100 years before it is recognized.

      It is said that yoga takes the shape of all of creation.

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      There are an infinite number of poses — this is what makes yoga a living tradition.

      Three thousand years ago yoga started with one meditative pose, Easy Lotus. The word asana originally meant “meditative posture.” Then the masters introduced Cobra Pose to keep the spine flexible. In their quest for physical health they developed the eight most important poses to insure the health of the body and glands. From there it grew. Even today dozens of new poses are created each year by true yogis all over the world. There are many different schools, each with their own variations, but basically all yoga comes from the same set of classic asanas. In the 35 years I have been teaching I have developed many poses, but in yoga no one puts his or her name on a pose because in reality I didn’t do anything. I am just a body through which the intuition has passed.

      Many of the newer and more popular variations of yoga are geared to getting into a sweat and burning calories. They require a lot of movement and people tend not to worry about concentrating in the pose. The way I learned, you relax and concentrate on the third eye or, if you’re not feeling comfortable, on the point of stress. This calms you down, helps diminish desires, and focuses energy. But here’s the truth: while there’s a different style for every kind of person, all yoga, if practiced properly, achieves the same ends.

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      Still, even with books like this, students should have a teacher available. The guru has gone the route. He or she knows the journey and is able to guide others. He or she will know which poses are good for you and which to avoid. As students grow spiritually and improve their mental patterns they’ll attract better teachers. Unfortunately there are many certified yoga instructors today who don’t know anything about yoga. But students needn’t worry — everything has a divine purpose. Instructors who don’t know anything attract students who don’t deserve the truth yet. There is a natural order in the world.

       Yoga is beneficial to so many physical conditions, but the ultimate reason to practice it is to find the truth. Asanas are only one part of an eight-stage process in the search for enlightenment. They prepare the body for meditation. The great yoga master Iyengar said, “My body is my altar, and my postures are the prayers.” Only when you’ve learned the postures and the ways to control the mind, the breath, the senses, and the emotions, are you ready to enter the temple. Yoga means yoke, or union, with the spirit. Some people think, “I’m in this pose so I’ve achieved godliness.” They’re not even doing yoga yet. Unless you’ve surrendered to the Lord, or to the Divine Spirit, or to whomever you may call God, you’re only doing something for yourself. To find that

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      union you must surrender. Then you can achieve samadhi, that deeper consciousness in which you become identified with the object of your concentration. You need to go beyond the individual mind and join the ocean of consciousness.

      I know that sounds like a lofty ambition — most people come to class to improve their figures. But as they practice they gradually and automatically start changing their ideas. They start thinking more about the spirit. Automatically it begins to have another effect, something that’s learned less from thought than through experience.

       Students often ask me how they can go deeper into a posture. In a way they are asking the wrong question. Form, breath, and focus are much more important than range of motion. As long as you’re aligned and breathing, don’t worry about how far you can go.

      That said, you must learn to relax in the pose in order to master it. The first few times you cross your legs