All the yoga poses
A friend asked me - can you do all the yoga poses? The question took me aback and got me thinking. What would it mean to be able to do “all the yoga poses” and is that even a thing? In his iconic 1984 Master Yoga Chart, Sri Dharma Mittra (45 years old at the time, worth noting) photographed himself in 908 main yoga poses and many variations. This chart is a familiar item in many yoga studios, inspirational if rather overwhelming to most of us. Some of these poses - including his signature unsupported headstand - seem to defy gravity or at least impossibly challenge the typical human anatomy, not to mention the average level of strength and flexibility. But even this extensive, truly master-level list, doesn’t fully answer the question to me. Are these all the yoga poses? If I were able to do all of them, would that be the pinnacle of my yoga achievement?
And the answer is no for one simple reason: yoga is a journey, not a destination. Beyond each pose there is a myriad of possible amplifications, each harder than the other, or an entirely new pose that perhaps has not been named yet but someone, somewhere, some day will perform. That’s not what yoga is about and if you find yourself feeling you’ve entered a competitive sport, find a different teacher or studio. Physical practice, or asana, is just one of the eight limbs of yoga. It is a tool, not an end in itself.
Asana (आसन) in Sanskrit means “sitting down” and in the times of Patanjali when yoga was young a comfortable seated position was the only pose. Why? Because the objective of yoga as a philosophy is to look inward and seek connection with deeper truths about ourselves and the universe. The only asana needed for that is to be able to comfortably sit in meditation. All other poses evolved over time from that perspective as a way to keep the body supple. Yet, the objective stayed the same. It’s not about how much pretzel-like you can make your body. It is about why you’re doing this and about the process more than the end result. That said, if you practice regularly, you will discover that yoga transforms your body, but as importantly it transforms the mind. Whatever yoga poses get you closer to that mind-body connection are all the poses you need on any given day.