"Iyengar notes that by executing the many different 'permutations and combinations' of the asanas, we stimulate increasingly wider areas of the motor and sensory cortex in the brain. We also 'improve the range of movement in each muscle' to promote 'proper alignment of bones and joints and ultimately perfect balance between the left and right sides of the body.'"
"This physical balance of our two sides—which personify the receptive, witnessing masculine and the active, creative feminine faces of our authentic self—reduces stress and strengthens our body, priming us to stay the course, to persevere through the rigors of our practice."
"Such unshakable composure is regarded, says Georg Feuerstein, as the 'greatest spiritual process and establish the final goal of our virtue' and a 'precondition for success in yoga.'"
Yoga encompasses a vast number of asanas, with traditional hatha yoga counting 840,000. B.K.S. Iyengar emphasizes that practicing different asanas stimulates brain areas and improves muscle movement. Achieving physical balance between the body's sides fosters stress reduction and prepares practitioners for perseverance. This balance is a step towards equanimity, where one remains composed in both pleasure and pain. Georg Feuerstein describes this composure as a vital spiritual process and a prerequisite for success in yoga, highlighting the significance of asanas as meaningful expressions of our connection to the world.
Read at Yoga Journal
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