Importance of an Asana Practice (Rali)

The importance of Asana

Most of human suffering comes from/is the creation of the mind. This is what I call needless suffering. If you just stop using your mind the way you are in this case you will no longer suffer. This is very easy for us to understand. At least logically if not experientially. There is another kind of suffering, however, and that is physical pain. Even sages like Ramana Maharishi feel bodily pain. Their reaction to it/their view of what is actually suffering might be different to most people, but nonetheless the thing that we call the body experiences pain. 

Pain is often the symptom of an unhealthy body. If we want the symptom not to appear then it would make sense for us to try our best to maintain a healthy physical body. One of the best ways of doing so is to “eat right, and exercise.” How do you eat right though? and what sort of exercise? Asana and a yogic way of life have traditionally been proven to be one of the best ways to do so. That is why they are an important part of the yogis arsenal.