What Is The Yoga Asana For Joy Set?
I shall admit I was in a great rut. My usual cures, a brisk stroll, talking to my friends, were not working. That was when one of my friends, returning to the retreat in France, informed me about a certain series of poses. She named it the joy set asana of yoga. I was skeptical.
Is it possible that by using the way my body moves I produce happiness? Curiosity led me to immerse myself into the practice and do a research on the French born practice and above all, attempt it myself after two weeks. What I learnt was totally a changed view of my understanding about mind and body relationship.
Beyond the Mat: Beyond Stretching.
Before we dive into these individual poses it is important to explain why this works. I always believed that yoga is primarily about flexibility and perhaps some stress relief. I was not aware of the strong physiological chain reaction that can be caused by a determined practice.
The joy set is not just some set of random poses. It is a well taken sequence that is meant to do a handful of very specific things to your body:
Rub down the Vagus Nerve: This is a mega-nerve, running down through your brain, down through your chest and abdomen. It is a major component of your parasympathetic nervous system- still rest and digest in your body. Once it is turned on, it gives your body a signal to slow your heart rate, reduce the level of blood pressure and reduce stress hormones. Some backbends and chest-opening poses are a marvel to this.
Discharge Endorphins: The natural chemicals in your body that make you feel good. Consider them as in-built pain relievers and mood boosters. Powerful, moving movements can also cause an endorphin rush or a runners high.
Stimulate Oxygen and Energy: You are in inversions, and your heart is above your head, and your brain is being pumped by fresh oxygenated blood. This will immediately make you awake, get your mind clear and get a sense of being energetic.
This is why this yoga set, which is called a joy set, does not merely have a beautiful name, it is a biochemical formula of happiness. The French yoga teachers that popularized this sequence realized that it is possible through a combination of these elements to be able to actively change your emotional state.
The Case to Joy, What the Science Suggests.
I am someone who prefers information and thus I decided to seek evidence other than my experience. Although there are few large-scale researches on this particular “French” set, the science behind the separate elements is strong.
An interesting study in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine was a follow-up of a population of mildly depressed individuals. They were divided into two groups with one group practicing a certain series of yoga postures and breathing two times a week, and the other was a waitlist group. The yoga group also showed much more depression symptoms reduction and more well-being and energy than control group after 12 weeks.
The researchers identified the combination of physical postures, controlled breathing, and mindful focus to be the major drivers. This is precisely what the “set of yoga asana of joy will contain. It is not a magic but a practical implementation of the known principles. This information allowed me to believe that I was not simply following a fad, but I was also practicing something that would have tangible, tangible advantages to my mental well-being.
The title of the book is Meet the Joy Set: Your Pose-by-Pose Guide to a Better Mood.
Alright, now down to business! This is the essence of a sequence of poses comprising the yoga asana of joy. It is not about perfection, but it is about being in touch with your body and your breath. Move slowly and deliberately.
Heart-Opening Camel Pose (Ustrasana)
This was a game-changer for me. Being a person who spends excessive time cowering over a laptop, this pose is a strong remedy.
Position: Sit on your knees on your mat with your knees spaced at hip width. Put your hands in the lower part of the back by keeping your fingers down. Breath in, press up your chest, and pull your elbows towards one another. Reach back and grasp your heels in a slow manner in case it feels good. Hold your neck straight or have your head drop back.
The Joy Factor: It is a superstar to activate the vagus nerve and make the heart and chest center open to literally breathe easier and more emotionally open.
Breathing Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
This is a posture that makes you lively. It is a kind of a wake-up call to your whole body.
How to do it: Lie face down. Flex your knees and draw your heels to your buttocks. Take your hands and reach round to the outside of your ankles. During an inhalation, roll your feet into your hands and lift your chest and thighs out of the floor. Gaze forward.
The Joy Factor: Bow Pose, gives a deep massage to the abdominal organs and it aids digestion, as well as a strong backbend that releases heat and energy, which leads to the release of endorphins.
Powerful Warrior II (Virabhadrasana II)
This is a strong, confident, and rooted position. Personally, I find this a mood-booster when I pose in such a position.
How to do it: Standing up, spread up your feet. Keep 90 degree rotation of right foot and slight inversion of left foot. Bend your right leg so that it is over the ankle directly. Bend your arms outwards parallel to the ground and stare ahead of your right middle finger. Hold, then switch sides.
The Joy Factor: It develops the strength and stability of the lower body, and this gives a person a feeling of being rooted and competent. The wide arm gesture expands the chest and inspires the sense of confidence.
Triumphant warrior pose (Viparita Virabhadrasana).
Consider this the festal version of Warrior II. It is a gorgeous, wide heart-opener.
How to do it: Starting with Warrior II, do not change the position of your legs. Turn your palm frontal and turn up your arm and come back with your hand and your eyes. Your arm may support your back on your leg or be behind.
The Joy Factor: It will provide the same amount of side-body lengthening to the basic power of Warrior II, but will add an even stronger sense of chest opening.
Inverted Legs-Up-the-Wall Pose (Viparita Karani).
It is the final cool down and rest of the nervous system. It is simply misleading but inconceivably effective.
How to proceed: Sitting sideways with one hip against a wall. When lying against the wall, place your legs on it, and straighten your back, making your shape an L. You do not need your sitting bones to be against the wall; settling somewhere comfortable. Rest your arms by your sides.
The Joy Factor: This mild inversion relaxes the nervous system, swelling in the legs and lets the blood flow freshly back to the heart and brain. It is extremely calming and stress relieving.
Weaving It All Together: Making your Happy Flow.
You do not just jump in and out of the poses. You should also attach them to your breathing to feel the full impact. I had a basic flow that I followed:
Begin with several minutes of warm-ups cat/cows and sun salutation.
Go on to Warrior II on the right side, 5-8 breaths.
Breath in Triumphant Warrior on the same side 3-5 breathes.
Go back to Warrior II then go to the top of your mat.
Get down on your knees and repeat 3-5 breaths of Camel Pose.
Slowly bend down, have a little rest and pass to Bow Pose taking 3-5 breaths.
Similar to the Warrior sequence on the left.
Finish with Legs-Up-the-Wall 5-10 minutes.
This sequence occupies me approximately 20-25 minutes, and the effect of relaxation and energy lasts hours.
My Intimate Experience with the Joy Set.
This was an eye opener to commit to this in two weeks. During the initial days, I was largely preoccupied with not losing balance during Camel pose. However, after day four or five something changed. I began to look forward to my practice. I could feel a slight but significant improvement of my mood on the days when I did it. When smaller stressors occurred, I felt less heavy, became more tolerant on the road, and more resilient.
It was not like a magic bullet on a bad day, but it was a potent weapon- a means of pressing a reset button on my nervous system. The three poses, strength (Warrior), openness (Camel, Triumphant Warrior), and release (Bow, Legs-Up-the-Wall) were a full emotional tune-up.
Your Joy Awaits
The simple and accessible nature of the beautiful set of yoga asana is what is good about it. You do not require any particular apparatus and much time. All you have to do is a mat and a desire to present yourself. This French-derived philosophy of well-being is a way to remind us that happiness is not something that happens to us, it is something that we can proactively bring about through a thoughtful, conscious action of our own. So why not lay up your mat and see with your own eyes? The happiness within you could be a few poses near.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1: I’m a complete beginner. Is this still possible to me – my yoga asana of joy?
Absolutely! A lot of the poses are modified so that they are beginner friendly. In the case of Camel Pose, you should be able to hold your hands at the lower back rather than to your heels. In Bow Pose, a yoga strap around your ankles would help you in case you cannot reach them. Never push your body beyond its limits but listen to it.
Q2: How many times a day should I do this sequence so that I can notice a difference?
It is more about consistency as opposed to time. My experiment with this order revealed that it worked best to repeat it 3-4 times per week to produce a change in my mood that was both evident and long-term. It will lift you up right now by doing it once and it will also make you resilient with time.
Q3: What time of day is best when doing this practice?
Personally, I enjoy doing it in the morning so that I can set a good tone of the day. Nevertheless, it is an excellent afternoon energizer when one is tired. Legs-Up-the-Wall pose is particularly nice in the evening to help relax before going to sleep.
Q4: I will not be happy after doing it.
That’s perfectly okay! The point is not to impose the feeling but to condition circumstances in which happiness stands a better chance of occurring. There are days when you will not be ecstatic but calm. The advantages are compounded and just making time to take care of oneself is a good thing. You should be gentle and tolerant of yourself.
Q5: Why does it have a connection with France?
Although the yoga postures are ancient, the version of this sequence as a Joy set is usually attributed to the contemporary schools and teachers practicing yoga in France, and which in particular are highly concerned with psychological and emotional aspects of the practice rather than purely physical.