Asana is one of the eight limbs of Yoga. "Asana" means staying or abiding. It is through asana that an individual achieves the unity of body and mind. In the west, asana is commonly called "posture" or "pose". The Yogic asana (postures) have been devised for the purpose of comfort and steadfastness during meditation and pranayama. The ideal asana for meditation is the one in which a person is seated in an upright posture.

When a person is performing an asana there is a corresponding mental balance between his movements and stillness. In his famous Yoga Sutra, Patanjali says that each posture reflects a mental attitude, whether that attitude be one of surrender, or the strengthening of the will or the creation of a physical prayer with the body. Through the performance and practice of different asana, one is able to learn the handling of difficult situations. This is possible because we are in a better position to know our body. We have already mentioned that the greatest advantage of asana is that it helps us get used to different situations and be able to cope with different demands.

Another important aspect of asana is that it can temporarily bring peace and free the mind of all worries. The quieting of mind promotes the balancing of the mental functions of the individual. This soothing effect of asana on the brain has been verified by EEG data of brain during meditation. It proves that asana have great healing implications. According to Patanjali, the asana and the pranayama practices bring about the desired state of health in an individual. It also helps in control of breath. In a nutshell, asana (bodily postures) harmonize the flow of energy in the organism, thereby lifting the spirits of the individuals practicing