Muni Kishan Lal
Description of 84 lakh forms of existence is found in universe. Every organism is different in shape and nature from others. The number of asanas corresponds exactly to the number of forms of existence which is 84 lakh! But neither is it possible to do all of them nor are all of them important.
Hence in total only 84 asanas are tabulated. Every ancient practitioner has formulated different number of asanas and sequenced them in order of importance according to him. Mostly a few special asanas like Siddhasana and Padmasana are given due importance. Although all the 84 asanas are important, but number of asanas a practitioner can perform correctly and efficiently are the ones important to him. Before performing asana it is important to perform "shuddhi" (purification) only then can "siddhi" (complete knowledge) be attained. In other words mind has to be calmed down before doing asana. Calmness is of two kind:
- Practicing asanas after calming down mind.
- Calm down mind with practice of asana.
These are the two sides of the same coin. Hence before commencing practice of asanas, a calm mind is essential. Asanas and pranayams are complimentary to each other and hence both should be practiced regularly with a calm mind.
