Kali Yugas

[kralaro]

Originally Posted by kralaro

Patanjali's asana only means sitting posture for doing meditation. The stretching and bending asanas for physical exercise belong to Hatha yoga as one of the limbs of Hatha yoga.

I'm adding some references in support of what I wrote.

Patanjali's Yoga Sutra is available online. Hatha yogic texts Goraksha Samhita and Hatha Yoga Pradipika are also available online. One can oneself read them.

For example, in Hatha Yoga Pradipika , different asnas are explained as:

1.27
Having caught the toes of the feet with both the hands and carried them to the ears by drawing the body like a bow, it becomes Dhanura âsana.

1.32
Place the palms of both the hands on the ground, and place the navel on both the elbows and balancing thus, the body should be stretched backward like a stick. This is called Mayûra-âsana.

1.33
This Âsana soon destroys all diseases, and removes abdominal disorders, and also those arising from irregularities of phlegm, bile and wind, digests unwholesome food taken in excess, increases appetite and destroys the most deadly poison.

And more asanas are explained in the book.

It's written on Yoga article on Wikipedia that Patanjali's Yoga Sutra does not mention a single asana by name, merely specifying the characteristics of a good asana. Patanjali defines asana as "to be seated in a position that is firm, but relaxed".