asana
Let an agent explain asanas and their categories, relay history and traditional sources with attribution, describe general practice and safety guidance, and route to qualified teachers and clinicians for personal practice.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent explain asanas and their categories, relay history and traditional sources with attribution, describe general practice and safety guidance, and route to qualified teachers and clinicians for personal practice.
A body posture in yoga, originally a seated position for meditation and in modern practice any of hundreds of standing, sitting, reclining, kneeling, balancing, inverted and twisting poses, together with flowing sequences such as the Sun Salutation; asanas are described in medieval hatha yoga texts and were greatly expanded in the twentieth century, and are practised for flexibility, strength, balance and wellbeing, with attention to safety and contraindications.
What it is for: Yoga practice for body and mind.
It can be explain categories and examples; relay history and sources; relay general safety guidance; route personal practice to teachers.
Distinguishing features
Yoga context
Categories by position
Traditional and modern forms
Sequences and flows
What it looks like
Held or flowing body positions on a mat.
Physical character
asanas in Hatha Yoga Pradipika: 15 count - medieval text
asanas in modern catalogues: hundreds count
How it is recognised
Yoga posture
Seated, standing, reclining, kneeling, balancing, inverted, sequences
Pranayama is breath practice; stretching exercises outside yoga are not asanas
Related models
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in registry terms
is a kind of - in registry terms
is part of - the practice
In practice
Families and kinds
sitting asanas such as lotus
standing asanas
reclining asanas
kneeling asanas
balancing asanas
inverted asanas such as headstand
sequences such as the Sun Salutation
Standards and regulation
Yoga teacher training standards by yoga alliances
Health and safety guidance for exercise instruction
Failure modes and hazards
Injury from unsuitable or forced poses
Contraindications in pregnancy and conditions
Agents giving personal exercise or medical advice
Misattributing modern poses to ancient texts
Also called
+6
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Understand What asanas are.
Definition.
Definition
Definition and categories.
Definition
Definition.
- What is an asana, and how are asanas categorised? definition
- Is the question about asanas, breath practice or general stretching? boundary
Examples
Examples and sequences.
Examples
Examples.
- What are common asanas in each category, and how does the Sun Salutation flow? definition
- Which entry fits the specific pose? action
Practice Practice and safety.
Practice.
Safety
Safety.
Safety
Safety.
- What general safety guidance and contraindications apply to asana practice? provenance
- Is the user asking about personal practice with a health condition, which needs a teacher or clinician? boundary
Benefits
Benefits research.
Benefits
Benefits.
- What does research say about the effects of asana practice, with findings attributed? provenance
- Which sources are cited? provenance
History History and sources.
Attribution.
Texts
Traditional texts.
Texts
Texts.
- How do the Yoga Sutras and hatha yoga texts describe asanas? provenance
- Which references are standard? provenance
Modern
Modern development.
Modern
Modern.
- How did modern postural yoga expand asanas in the twentieth century, as scholars such as Singleton describe? provenance
- Which entry fits modern yoga? action
Context Styles and culture.
Context.
Styles
Styles.
Styles
Styles.
- How do styles such as Iyengar, Ashtanga and Vinyasa approach asanas? provenance
- Which entry fits the specific style? action
Culture
Culture and debate.
Culture
Culture.
- What debates exist about the cultural origins and commercialisation of yoga, with positions attributed? provenance
- Is the presentation neutral? boundary
What the second pass must settle
- Should Sun Salutation and major poses be separate entries?
- How should traditional texts be linked?
- The registry entry has merged aliases naming categories and a sequence; should they be split off?