The Asanas, or the physical postures we practice in yoga, are the 3rd limb (of 8 limbs!) of yoga. One of the biggest myths of yoga is that it is ONLY the physical practice! Even though the physical practice is incredibly powerful and important, there is a lot more to learn and experience about yoga as a practice or lifestyle.
The postures matter in even more ways than just the obvious stretching or strengthening we see on the surface. Our bodies are always changing, short-term from things like other forms of exercise, acute injury, maybe where a woman is in her cycle, what your physical repetitions are due to work or other hobbies, and long-term due to things like age, nutrition, genetics, chronic stress, surgery or childbirth. Our minds are always evolving, challenged, and busy. The asanas stay the same and are familiar and grounding, always available for us in any state of body or mind. We can use them to steady our ever-changing daily lives, reaching for the comfort they provide, or digging for the challenges they can create in our balance, flexibility, and strength. We can keep coming back to the practice, keep coming back to our mat, as the calm to the storm, and the familiar among the chaos.
Sometimes the repetition of the postures sounds boring, or monotonous, but it provides us an opportunity to think less and move more. A moving meditation technique! It gives us a chance to learn, build and develop the shapes and then come back to them again as practice to focus on something new or different when we return.
Suddenly we realize our internal dialogue has changed, and we find ourselves strong and capable of sticking with something and finding personal growth.
Historically, the physical yoga shapes were used to move the body, shift energy and loosen up tension to be able to sit still for meditation. In today's more modernized yoga styles, we keep that honor and tradition alive with our mindfulness and stillness at the end of class with Savasana, the ultimate asana, giving yourself time to let all of the good that you created inside rise to the surface.