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ASANA
In this context the word “Asana” means a posture, a steady position of the body.
There are special methods of working with one’s body in order to prepare it for
further stages of the spiritual work. Systems of asana and other exercises of this
stage of work are collectively called “Hatha Yoga”. They also help one acquire
initial concentration skills and provide an entry-level development of energetic
structures of the organism.
One should start doing Asana only after developing and maintaining a healthy diet.
Practicing Hatha Yoga without switching to a healthy diet leads to a coarsening of
one’s energy and to an accumulation of coarse power, and this in turn leads one
astray from the true Path.
The best time for doing Asana is early morning - approximately 5 a.m.
Each session should be followed by Shivasana — a deep relaxation of the body and
mind while lying on one’s back for about 20 minutes. If one does not do this, one’s
energy is not “grounded” and other problems may manifest.
To do Shivasana you should lie down on your back with your eyes closed. Make
sure you are comfortable in this position. Nothing should distract you. Relax the
body starting from the toes. Imagine that a giant “energy sphere” starts moving
through the body from the toes to the head, leaving no tension behind.  All parts
of the body that are enveloped in the sphere are completely “relaxed” and
“healed”.  If a part in the sphere does not “feel” relaxed or healed, move the
sphere through this section once again. After the sphere has passed above the
head and completely enveloped you, you might experience the following states:
The first state: consciousness (self-awareness) vanishes. You fall in something
resembling a deep sleep, but this is not a sleep. Consciousness is regained in about
18-20 minutes. You feel thoroughly rested, as if after a long deep sleep. This is
quite a blissful state. You do not have to stand up abruptly, just enjoy it.
The second state: consciousness remains, but absolute peace comes down. You may
scan the entire body with an “inner sight”. You may enter the inner space of your
body from below. You may see light and dark regions. Gray or black colors are
disorders on one of energetic planes, which correspond to active or still latent
stages of diseases. With your “inner sight”, try to gather all dark stuff in heaps
as if with a rake and throw it outside the body.
When doing Shivasana we may also experience involuntary exits of the material
body.  We may suddenly feel ourselves in our usual form but in an unnatural
position.  For example:  soaring above the floor, standing on the head and so on.
There is nothing to worry about this.  Once we feel like getting back into the
body, we find ourselves there right away. But under no circumstances should one
encourage oneself to perform such exits.  These are still exits into a coarse space
dimension; into the so-called “astral plane”. One should learn how to exit
immediately into the highest space dimensions but the methods for doing this are
different.
One also needs to understand that Hatha Yoga (practicing Asana to invigorate the
body) is just a part of the actual Yoga path.