Twenty-Four Haṭha Yoga Āsanas
A System of Body Tuning and Preparation for Meditation
RESENTED HERE ARE EIGHT SETS OF THREE POSTURES TO BE PERFORMED IN SERIES. THESE RELATIVELY EASY ĀSANAS CONSTITUTE A BALANCED SYSTEM FOR DAILY USE. EACH POSE IS TO BE HELD IN RELAXED STILLNESS FOR 30 TO 120 SECONDS, WITH-OUT STRAINING. As maximum stretch and flexibility are achieved, subtle stimulation of the physical and psychic nerve system occurs.§
Perform the postures daily in the privacy of your own room, without drawing attention to yourself. Naturally, they should not be performed after meals. Don’t worry if you can’t perform the poses perfectly, or if some are difficult for you. Do the best you can. Progress at your own pace. With practice, you will find the body becoming more supple, reflecting the mind’s flexibility, alertness and freedom from subconscious repressions. By controlling breath we control thought and life energy, or prāṇa. Yogīs call this prāṇāyāma. The prāṇāyāma for these āsanas is simple: breathe in for nine equal counts (ideally counting with the heartbeat), then hold one count, breathe out nine counts, hold one, and so on.§
Each set includes a color visualization to quiet the mind and intensify healing. The color described at the top of each page is the color to visualize while in the poses on that page. Mentally fill your body with that color, from your head to your toes; or imagine yourself suspended in space, surrounded on all sides by the color. If you discover tensions in the body or mind, visualize them flowing away as you exhale. At the end of your yoga session, sit quietly and plunge into meditation. Tradition sets the best times for haṭha yoga at dawn, noon and twilight. Minimally, only twelve minutes of time is needed.§
Cautions: Anyone with neck or back problems should abstain from poses that place strain on the spine, such as the headstand and the shoulder stand. For best results, haṭha yoga should be taught by a qualified teacher. The instructions given here are a rudimentary aid.§