The whole body is involved in this process, with the senses, mind, intel-
ligence, consciousness and self.^42He describes ̄asana’s two aspects as pose and repose. Posing is acting to
arrange the body in a particular posture. Reposing is reflecting on the
pose and readjusting it:
... so that the various limbs and parts of the body are positioned in
their places in a proper order and feel rested and soothed, and the mind
experiences the tranquility and calmness of bones, joints, muscles, fi-
bres, and cells.^43
Health of the physical body at the level of the ‘body (literally, ‘sheath’) of
breath or life-force’—pra ̄Ónamaya ko ́sa—is, according to Iyengar, gained
at the level of the cells, which he regards as possessing memory and intel-
ligence. To perform asanas ̄ properly entails the elimination of dualities
between body and mind, mind and puruÓsa. Through the health of the
body, the mind and puruÓsaare brought closer. The purpose of asana ̄ is
“to lead the mind from attachment to the body towards the light of the
soul.”^44 In Iyengar’s “Tree of Yoga” ̄asanais symbolized by branches in
their various positions. The roots of the tree represent yama(the moral
self-restraints), and the trunk is niyama(the moral commitments). The
fourth part of Yoga is expansion of the vital energy, pr ̄aÓna,through con-
trol of the breath. Pra ̄Ón ̄ay ̄amais represented by the leaves of the tree,
which permit the tree’s respiration.^45
Swami Vivekananda (1863–1902), who was instrumental in intro-
ducing Hinduism to the West, gives brief consideration to ̄asanain his
lectures on classical or R ̄aja-Yoga. He recommends that one choose a
meditation posture one can maintain for a long time, with the spinal col-
umn held straight and free, and the weight of the body supported by the
ribs. Vivekananda compares asana ̄ in classical Yoga to HaÓtha Yoga,
which emphasizes the health and strength of the physical body. Health in
R ̄aja Yoga, he reminds us, is only a means to an end, since an unhealthy
or unfit body is the first of the obstructions to Yoga practice.^46
The effects of ̄asanaare subtle and powerful. Practice of asana ̄ in-
clines one toward more wholesome pursuits. The awareness and vitality
granted by ̄asanainfluence a person’s choices in avoiding debilitating in-
fluences in a range of contexts, for example, unethical dealings, impure
foods, and the extremes of sloth or excessive activity and stress. Cultiva-
tion of good habits, which in turn improve one’s future dispositions, is
well exemplified by asana’s ̄ soteriological role for the Yogin. Another
classical yoga as a religious therapeutic 115