Preparing for Meditation
- INNER PEACE YOGA
- Feb 20
- 2 min read
Restor Pose
Why do asanas (poses)?
Meditation requires a passive and stable posture
Our body, breath and mind are connected. Pain in the body makes it difficult to approach silence.
In order to move towards meditation, we practice asanas to prepare the body so that the breath and the mind are connected. If the body is stiff, the movement of the joints is restricted, and in order to keep the spine straight, a lot of effort is required to stretch the spine, so the breath naturally becomes shorter and even the diaphragm cannot move. This makes it impossible to connect the breath and the mind. Therefore, the emphasis is on practicing asanas to prepare the joints, muscles, and spine using asanas.
Holding restorative poses longer allows for deeper physiological benefits of the posture and stretch.
A more restful practice calms the nervous system, quiets the mind and brings mental clarity. Letting go of the need for effort places the mind in the present, receptive space.
It is a stepping stone to deeper levels of meditation.
Meditation in action
Why do we Asanas?
Meditation requires a passive, stable posture. If the body is not prepared in the proper way we can't connect with the breath and mind. Stability of the body is a must so we can connect with the breath and mind. The reason why asana practice is necessary to move toward meditation is that stiffness in the body restricts the movement of the joints, requiring a lot of effort to keep the spine straight, to stretch the spine, which naturally shortens the breath and even the movement of the diaphragm is not possible. Therefore, the emphasis is on asana practice to prepare the joints, muscles, and spine with asana. The longer restorative postures are held, the deeper physiological benefits of posture and stretching are achieved. A more restful practice calms the nervous system, soothing the mind and bringing mental clarity. Letting go of the need to exert effort allows the mind to be present and in a receptive space, a stepping stone to deeper meditation stages.