Saptadhatus, Tridoshas and Trigunas

The last post described the Dashendriyas, which consist of the Karmendriyas and Jnanendriyas.  The Pancha Pranas were also listed.  According to Prashant Iyengar in, Alpha and Omega of Trikonasana, all poses begin to encompass all of these including also the Saptadhatus - the seven aspects of the body, the tridoshas and the trigunas.

The seven aspects of the body, or saptadhatus are:
- Skin (Tvak)
- Dermis (Charma)
- Flesh (Maunce)
- Blood (Rudhira)
- Bones (Asthi)
- Fat (Meda)
- Marrow (Majja)

Tridoshas (three chyles)
-Vata (gaseous aspects of the body)
- Pitta (the bile in the body)
-Kapha (the phlegm in the body)

Trigunas (three qualities of nature)
-Satva (substance of wisdom, virtuosity and luminosity)
-Rajas (substance of activity, kinetism and turbulence)
-Tamas (substance of inertia, torpidity and stupor)

This is integration in asana and as Prashant writes, it is "wholisation, wholistic and holistic".  At this point a pose is no longer DONE, but HAPPENS.

Patanjali writes this in the yoga sutras as:
II.47 prayatna saithilya ananta samapattibhyam

Translated by B.K.S. Iyengar in Light on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali as:
Perfection in asana is reached when the effort to perform it becomes effortless and the infinite being within is reached.

Namaste.
Pamela Nelson
www.plnyoga.vpweb.com