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There are three stages to a yoga posture

1)      Going into the pose.

We always move into a posture from a previous posture while we are working in sequence during the yoga session. This helps in maintaining a flow in posturing. The only exception to this rule is the first posture. It is also important to note that there are foundation postures and variation postures. Foundation postures are poses like Tadasana, salamba sarvangasana, sirsasana. All foundation postures are important in preparing us for inter mediatory stages that we arrive at between performing normal postures.

Before we go into yoga posture it is important for us to envision what it is that is required of us while we are in the posture. The posture as we see it is just an external construct and we need to prepare the pose to be in synch with the laws that are governed by that particular frame of reference.

For example if we are doing a pose in the yoga studio, the external environment is

measured by the dimensions of the studio i.e. the length, the breath, and the height of the studio. The center of gravity has to pass through the body in such a way as to prepare us to be balanced in the pose with the right equilibrium.  We also need to prepare the body to perform the task that is expected of us while we are in the pose.

Let me explain: If we were doing tadasana, then gravity would need to pass through the center of the head (the brahmarendra) and the perineum. The lateral sides of the body would need to be equally balanced for the pose to be correctly held for an extended period of time.

Also the weight on the balls of the feet should match with the heels in such a way that the dorso-ventral alignment is properly achieved. We may do this by lifting the medial part of the feet about 3 to 4 inches off the floor and having pressed them strongly against each other we push them towards the floor, simultaneously drawing the knees inwards and upwards. The weight on the lateral sides of the feet needs to be equally balanced in such a way that the lateral alignment is properly achieved. In order to get the right alignment in the vertical dimension we draw the lower abdomen inwards and upwards while simultaneously dropping the energy of the shoulders down to the fingertips.

Another example would be trikonasana.  The purpose of doing this pose is to create a rotation in the hips of the rear leg. Hence we would need to maintain a rotation even before going into the posture so that we can reap the benefits of trikonasana while we stay in the pose.

2)      Staying in the pose.

In order to stay in the pose it is important to understand the inner dynamics of yoga posturing. There are a lot of little adjustments that need to be constantly attended to in order to derive maximum benefits while we stay in the pose. Let us take for example the standing triangle pose (trikonasana).

While we are in the pose we need to make sure that the weight is equally placed on both the feet, more specifically:

a) The ball of the big toe

b) The ball of the pinky toe

c) The inner heel

d) The outer heel

2)      Observe the arch of the foot and draw the ankles inwards and upwards paying special attention to the inner ankle of the rear foot.

3)      Create a ventro-dorsal rotation in the rear hip

4)      Hit the left hip forward

5)      Contract the quadriceps

6)      Draw in the lower abdomen

7)      Get a posterior rotation of the torso

8)      Move the shoulder blades towards each other

9)      Open the chest till you can feel the skin of the sternum

10)  Rotate the head upwards and look up at the thumb of the outstretched arm.

There are many other subtle movements that need to be attended to as the sadhaka progresses in the art of yoga posturing. The most important thing to observe, however, is the dorso-ventral alignment of the body. This can be confirmed by placing the back of the body against the wall and making sure that both the buttocks and both he shoulder blades do not lose contact with the wall. There is also the tendency to collapse the side of the body on which you are descending. One needs to maintain the stretch on that side of the body as one descends until one has returned back to the original posture

2)      Coming out of the pose.

The most important thing to remember when coming out of the pose is to bring along with you the fruits of the posture. The process of posturing entails the rejuvenation of the body at the cellular level and as we work on the body while we are in the pose there is a biochemical and bio magnetic change taking place in all the cells of the body. More often than not we tend to collapse the body and lose the lessons learnt in the posture as we come out of the posture. This way we will only benefit from the pose for the duration of stay in the pose. As we advance in our posturing abilities it is important to bring back with us the experience that we have in the posture and apply it to our daily physical movements in every day activities. Most students who study yoga will find that as they pick things off the floor they begin to do so without bending their knees. This is because of the practice of uttanasana. Application of the posture in day to day activities is as important as performing the posture in class.

Swamiji speaks with a different take on the same issue in what follows......

There are 3 stages to posturing.

1)      Going into a posture

2)      Staying in a posture

3)      Coming out of a posture

1)      Going into a posture

 When we go into a posture it is important to make sure that we are properly grounded in the pose. For example when we are doing trikonasana we need to look at the placement of the feet before we descend laterally down into the pose. We will follow the following procedure:

Make sure that the weight is equally placed on the four points of the foot i.e. the ball of the big toe, the ball of the pinky toe, the inner heel and the outer heel. We then rotate the hip that is on the opposite side to the one we are descending on and stretch the hands out creating a maximum stretch on the skin of the hands.

4)      Staying in a posture

The three stages of development in a yoga posture are connected with the three bodies of the practitioner We know that the body is classified into three, based on the subjective experiences of the sadhaka.

1) Karya sharira: This is the outer physical body and is made up of the anamaya kosya or the sheath of nutrition.

2) The Sukshma sharira is the middle body and is called Sukshma, meaning subtle. This is made up of sheaths,

a) Pranamaya Kosya (the sheath of breath)

b) Manomaya Kosya (the sheath of Mind)

c) Vijnyanamaya Kosya ( the sheath of intelligence)

3) Karna Sharira: This is the inner most body and is made up of bliss.

 The three stages of development are directly connected to the three bodies.

Initially when the student practices yoga, he/she connects with the physical body only. It is in this state of yoga practice that the student is totally engrossed in the different adjustments that one is supposed to make while one is in the pose.

Take for example trikonasana. The student will go into this pose and then start focusing on trying to keep the weight of the whole body equal balanced on the four points of the two feet. It is also very important to make sure that the heel of the out-turned foot is in line with the arch of the rear foot else the student may fall backwards when he or she gets the pose right. He then tries to hit the hip of the outturned foot forward and rotate the hip of the rear foot ventro-dorsally towards the sacrum. He is in a constant state of fine tuning the body. Most of the awareness in this stage rests on the physical dimension.

In the second stage of development of the posture the student focuses on the breath. This leads to zoning in on the subtle body In reality the subtle body is made up of the mind alone. When the mind connects with the inner most body of bliss, the intelligence is created and when the mind connects with the physical body, breath is created. The ability to focus on the breath is the first stage of psychic development in yoga. It helps the aspirant to 'in volute' and withdraw from the outer world of the senses

Eventually he may even learn to channel the breath into specific parts of the body and heal himself. This is the stage when the student is ready to learn the fourth stage of Yoga,  Pranayama. If the student is able through many years of practice to stay centered in the yoga posture, he will dovetail into the fifth stage of the yoga Sadhana which is the withdrawal of the senses. This is called Prathyahara. Once the student achieves this stage he is automatically transported into the inner world of sense impressions. He looses himself beyond the thousands of sensations in the microcosm of the human being. Everything that is happening outside is only a reflection of what is actually happening inside of us . This is the realization that dawns on the student and he remains lost beyond that world. He is now ready for the last three stages of  dharna dhyana Samadhi.

The third stage of development in a yoga pose is the antaranga sadhana of concentration, uninterrupted concentration eventually leading to Samadhi.

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Video: J. Krishnamurthy