Should yoga improve our bodies?

I gave blood on Friday. Fitting it in to my day meant I  didn’t have time for a yoga practice on my mat. But poses (asanas) are only one aspect of yoga, so I started wondering how an act such as donating blood fits with the other seven limbs of yoga. Which is such a complex idea that I’m not sure where to start with writing things down! I’d love to hear your thoughts about it.

Another idea was about how giving blood does not ‘improve’ my body - indeed, one could argue that it temporarily diminishes it - and yet it has value to me as well as to others. This line of enquiry got me thinking about whether asana practice should improve my body. Given that asana is the most physically visible of the eight limbs, physical improvement (strength, flexibility, stamina) is often perceived as the purpose of yoga classes that prioritize asana. Yet the traditional view of yoga is that asana helps to prepare the body for meditation, with mental clarity being the desired outcome. In the Accessible Yoga podcast, Jivana Heyman and Amber Karnes frequently reference the difference between advanced yoga and advanced asana. It’s a really valuable frame for thinking about our lives in and beyond our bodies. 

Here are some questions that I’m still thinking about:

How does my body feel when I approach asana with a focus on preparing the mind? 

How does my mind feel when I approach asana with a focus on improving the body? And how do I consciously and unconsciously measure this improvement?

How do both my mind and my body feel when I approach asana with a focus on accepting my body?

I suspect that each of these outlooks has value at different times. And that I will benefit when I start to apply them with more care to particular situations! 

I’m planning to explore yoga practice beyond asana in future classes and blog posts, so look out for that if you’re curious about the ‘the other seven limbs.’ Find us on Facebook and Instagram, or visit the Yoga For Every Body website to sign up for our newsletter.