Asana Postures as Yoga

Thinking that asana postures is yoga is like thinking that a human skeleton is a complete human body. That is not the case. Asana postures are more about toning the physical body than it is for anything else related to yoga. But toning the body is not a fault and doing asana postures only is a credit for anyone who becomes proficient at that. Still postures are not yoga. They are part of yoga. Their benefit is mostly physical with some subtle improvement as a byproduct.

In contrast to a sick body, a healthy one enhances the practice of yoga. Hence asana postures are part of the yoga syllabus. Besides the physical system there is the subtle body which is targeted in pranayama breath infusion. That may be done in one posture or in various postures one after the other.

It is interesting that most people who make a claim about doing yoga, hardly do pranayama breath infusion. Many feel it is unnecessary and that to do some postures and to sit to meditate is enough.

Some meditator have no concern about a physical or subtle body. Some do postures, then sit to meditate. Some do no posture but only sit or recline to meditate. Hence there is a question:

Why do pranayama breath infusion practice?

One reason is that it allows you to target the subtle body, to improve that form. Just as people do asana postures to tone the physical system, one may do breath infusion to enhance the subtle body, to upgrade it, to cause it to resonate with higher dimensions.