Indian Philosophy v2.c24.s37.2

v2.c24.s37.2

The Yoga realises that our body has a dignity of its own, as much as the mind. Āsana, or posture, is a physical help to concentration.¹ We cannot fix our attention on an object when we are running or sleeping. We must settle ourselves down in a convenient posture before we begin to meditate. Patañjali simply mentions that the posture must be firm, pleasant and easy. The commentators have elaborated details about the different kinds of postures. When a recent critic of Indian culture assured his readers that Indian philosophers think that sitting cross-legged and contemplating one's navel are the best way of sounding the depths of the universe, he had in view one of the postures of the Yoga.