“While you are disturbed by your body, your nerves will become disturbed and you cannot concentrate the mind.”
Vivekananda, Patanjali Sutras, 2:46–48
Yoga asana is one part of the
eight limbs of yoga.
Often interpreted as yoga posture, asana is built upon spiral
and arch forms.
Learning to maintain the integrity of these spirals and arches
within the muscular and skeletal structure is fundamental for
beginners and advanced practitioners alike.
This somatic knowledge is central to yoga therapy,
including our online yoga therapy classes, where
students explore stability, breath and internal awareness through
guided practice.
On a psychological level, the body becomes a doorway to the
present: a tool for focusing attention and releasing past
impressions (samskaras) held in the mind and body.
As students focus on the minute details of each pose, the
vritti, or activity of the mind, quiets. The nervous
system begins to relax, physical tension may soften, and
attention shifts from the past and future into the here and now.
This inward observation connects asana with
pratyahara:
turning attention inward.
Asana is often interpreted as posture, though its meaning is
rooted in the idea of a seat. Practice should focus on
stability, rather than the complete external
execution of a pose.
In asana and pranayama, even minute adjustments can help a
student experience the physical and psychological benefits of
yoga more fully. Pain and discomfort should be communicated
so the practice can be modified.
Think of asana as a stable seat, not “nose to toes.”
The purpose of asana is to prepare the body for pranayama and
the experience of dharana, dhyana and
samadhi. At first, there may be resistance as the mind
and body learn new patterns and begin to release familiar tensions.
As students persevere, greater stability in the body creates a
foundation for greater stability in the breath and mind.
The arch is a powerful form of support found in both nature
and architecture, and it inspires the name
Karmuka Yoga. The geometric form of an
arch achieves strength and stability through a balance
between opposing forces.
In Karmuka Yoga, we explore six main arches that sit one
above another and support each other through opposing,
isometric actions:
Observing these relationships offers a way to explore space
through the central channel of the torso, where breathing,
digestion and the activity of the nervous system take place.
Accidents, trauma, stress, genetics and postural habits can
alter how we organise and support ourselves. In practice, we
investigate where these patterns create compression, discomfort
or restricted movement, and how greater support can create
a sense of space.
These arches are supported by the spiralling, isometric
actions of the muscular system, beginning in the feet.
Stability in the feet supports stability in the
pelvis, the fulcrum of movement and balance.
From the feet and pelvis, we explore how support translates
upward through the ribcage, the base of the skull and the
cranium. Internal spiralling actions help us discover a
balance between opposing tensions.
“There is no such thing as motion in a straight line.”
Vivekananda, Patanjali Sutras
Spirals appear throughout nature, from flowers and shells
to the structure of DNA. In yoga, spiralling actions offer
a way to explore movement that combines stability with expansion.
Yogic descriptions of prana evoke this same imagery: energy
moving through ida, pingala and the central
channel, sushumna. Kundalini is pictured as a serpent
coiled at the base of the spine, waiting to unfold through practice.
In Utthita Trikonasana, or Extended Triangle
Pose, the spiralling tripod action of the feet presses down
and outward in opposing directions. This action supports the
arches of the feet and carries a sense of lift into the pelvis.
From this foundation, students explore length through the spine
and space through the ribcage and the base of the skull.
The intention is to experience the ribcage in all directions:
360 degrees of internal space.
This combination of grounding and lengthening invites less
tension, greater freedom in breathing and clarity of attention.
The relationship between opposing tensions, flexibility and stability
can be explored in every asana. Rather than simply reaching farther,
we look for length through the spine and width through the ribcage.
Practised with attention, these actions can support fuller breathing
and a more stable, adaptable physical structure. They also prepare
us to sit for meditation and carry focused, relaxed attention into
everyday life.
Social media and a fascination with external physical forms
can overshadow the therapeutic depth of yoga. Students may
move quickly from one posture to another without enough time
to explore the internal actions and sensations that give
the practice meaning.
The art of relaxed action is lost when we focus only on
what a pose looks like, rather than how it feels. At the
other extreme, a loosely guided practice may offer little
opportunity to explore how posture influences breathing
and our overall state.
A therapeutic approach invites both
attention and participation: enough action
to create support, and enough sensitivity to recognise when
effort becomes unnecessary tension.
In Karmuka Yoga, we observe skeletal support through the
arches described above and explore the internal spiralling
actions of the muscular system.
Awareness of these opposing forces brings balance and
unity to the body, breath and mind.
This balance echoes the traditional symbolism of Hatha Yoga:
ha, associated with the sun and pingala;
tha, associated with the moon and ida;
and yoga, understood as union.
When students first begin Karmuka Yoga, it is common to feel both
amazed and overwhelmed by new information and sensations.
With practice, however, they discover that
the internal actions of basic postures are repeated
in more complex forms.
Understanding these actions through direct experience brings greater
stability and enjoyment to asana. Breath and internal awareness
become part of the practice, offering a way to approach daily
activities and interactions with greater attention.
Come and experience Karmuka Yoga in your own body.
Our online classes offer guided exploration of the internal
actions that connect posture, stability, breath and awareness.
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