kuryāttad āsanaṃ sthairyam ārogyaṃ ca aṅga lāghavan |
“Āsana Practice brings steadiness, reduced illness and a lightness of limb.”
– Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā of Svāmi Svātmārāma Chapter One verse 17

“This verse is commenting on the development of Āsana
as a foundation or accessory for more subtle practices.
Better not to confuse the vehicle with the direction.”

I am reminded of a quote from Srivatsa Ramaswami:
“I studied with Śrī Krishnamacharya for a number of years.
I do not remember a single Yogāsana class which did not have
a decent dose of Prāṇāyāma and Ṣanmukhi Mudrā in it
and short prayers to begin and end the session.”

‘Āsana brings steadiness, health and lightness of limb.’
“For me, still to this day, one of the finest, simplest, direct and most succinct definitions on the purpose of Āsana within the processes and practices of Haṭha Yoga, is the definition offered in the Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā Chapter 1 verse 17. It is a definition valid for any situation, or presentation, or as a response to questions from any background or level of interest around why we practice Āsana.
It can also be a springboard to discussing physiological qualities such as the relationship of Agni to the energetic qualities of health and lightness of limb. Or it can be a springboard to discussing psychological qualities such as the relationship of the Guṇa, Rajas, to mental qualities such as steadiness.”

Links to Related Posts:

The Viniyoga of Āsana Part 1 of 15 – Āsana according to Haṭha and Rāja