Emotional Balance through Asana & Meditation
We all know the value of meditation in our busy lives and the serenity and peace of
mind that comes after turning inward and becoming very still. Ideally we come away from
meditation feeling emotionally balanced and quiet. Asanas affect our emotional body as
well and when we understand this connection, we know which sets of asanas to practice
at certain periods of emotional instability.
The benefit to our emotional body of Standing Poses is that we become more
grounded, more centered, less prone to emotional upheavals. The standing poses
promote strength and stability in the lower body physically so that the upper body (heart
area) can open; this happens emotionally as well. When we are strong and centered,
even in times of terrible news or emotional crisis in our lives, somehow we can stay in
touch with that source of inner strength.
Headstand, as an inverted pose which brings healthy blood directly to the brain,
enlivens us with mental clarity and the ability to make correct decisions in our lives.
According to Shri B.K.S. Iyengar, “Regular practice of Sirsasana (Headstand) develops
the body, disciplines the mind and widens the horizons of the spirit. One becomes
balanced and self-reliant in pain and pleasure, loss and gain, shame and fame, and
defeat and victory.”
Backbends and chest-opening poses encourage our hearts to open. We may even
feel more gregarious, more open and optimistic as a result of the back bending practice.
Stimulating backbends are those where we must use muscular strength to push up into
a backbend. This physical effort requires will power and produces will power physically,
and emotionally in our spirits. Sarvangasana (Shoulder Stand) when held alone is
tremendously beneficial to our inner strength, and when done as a restorative pose with
the use of props is probably the most emotionally balancing pose of all the asanas (it is
also called the “Mother Pose”). Restorative chest opening poses