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Āsanas have many meanings. The singular is āsana; the plural is āsanās. It is good to know the differences. As a practitioner of Yoga in Daily Life, the mat or blanket on which you sit is known as an āsana. This is your āsana. Whether it is plastic or any other material, the surface on which you sit or practice your yoga exercises is called your āsana. The blanket on which you sit or the mat on which you practice is your āsana. Generally, no one else should sit on your āsana, as it holds your energy. If someone else sits on it, their energy mixes with yours. However, as a gesture of friendship or courtesy, you can offer, "Please come and sit." Wherever you go, it is good to have your own āsana, which can be a simple piece of cotton cloth. You spread it and sit on it—on a sofa, a chair, the ground, or anywhere. At least do this in private or in a yoga class. Your bed, where you sleep, is also called an āsana. If someone asks, "Where is your āsana tonight?" or "Where will be your āsana tonight?"—as mentioned in yoga texts—it means, "Where are you going to sleep? Where is your bed?" If someone asks, "Can I have an āsana?" you should understand they are asking for a blanket or mat to sit on. Sometimes, āsana also means your house or residence. "Where is your residence? Where is your āsana?" Is that clear? Furthermore, āsana means a comfortable posture. Whether you are lying, standing, or sitting—any comfortable posture. This could be sitting in a chair, on a sofa, on the ground, in a meadow, or on a rock, wherever you sit and relax. That relaxing posture where you feel physically and mentally comfortable is called an āsana. It refers to the posture in which every creature resides, sits, or rests. It is said there are 8.4 million different creatures, which also means 8.4 million āsanās. We do not know all of them, so some people take the major āsanās, about 84, and from these come many variations. Most āsanās you exercise and perform are taken from nature; they are the ways creatures rest or make themselves comfortable. For example, after long sitting, a cat may feel bored or stiff. It gets up and makes a movement with its back, which we call the cat pose, Bidalī Āsana or Marjārī Āsana in Sanskrit. When you drive for two or three hours without moving, you may take a break, get out of the car, and stretch. After a long flight in economy class, sitting for nine or ten hours, your body needs movement. This is how āsanās arise naturally. The meditation posture is also called an āsana. So, āsana means a comfortable position or movement where your body feels good. Every movement influences our joints, muscles, ligaments, nervous system, glandular system, organs, intestines, digestive system, and circulatory system. These are the most important parts of the body, and every āsana influences these organs, joints, muscles, or glands. There are many organs in the body we do not know about, but they are very faithful to us. For example, our heart beats constantly from within the mother's body. Your heart is one of your best friends or servants. It does not matter what you are doing—running, sleeping, sitting, talking, dancing, driving, riding, swimming, drinking alcohol, or playing—your heart is very faithful. When you are tired, you rest, but your heart never rests. If your heart were to rest, it would be forever at rest. So, what do you do for your friend or servant? Have you thanked your heart? People sometimes call their wife, friend, or mother "my heart," but that heart may disappoint you. Your physical heart might say, "Are you stupid? I am here, not there." What are you doing for your heart? If it takes a little rest, you will become very restless. The heart is just one example; there are many things in the body. Therefore, every movement, posture, and āsana has a very practical and concrete effect on the body. Our breathing is another example. Whatever you are doing, your respiratory system is there. Can you imagine suddenly being unable to breathe? You would be like a fish out of water, suffering. Therefore, do not eat fish. Do not take them out of their life element, the water. Doing so is a great sin. It is not about whether you can perform difficult āsanās or not. The difficult ones can also be made easier. These are the different aspects of āsana in yoga. --- Recording location: Czech Republic, Strilky, Summer seminar