Asana should also be upasana: consistent meditation on a positive transformation.

You all know the “tree pose.” You stand on one foot and raise your other foot, placing it on the inner thigh of the standing leg. You also raise your arms above your head, maybe bringing your palms together.

When we call this a tree pose, we are connecting with the idea of a tree. This can bring an additional dimension to the practice—a deeper feeling of being rooted, or connected with the earth, or stable even when we are on one foot!

Sri Krishnamacharya once used this asana to make a further point about deepening the feeling in asanas, referring to the story of Bhagirata, a famous king in Vedic mythology. Bhagirata’s forefathers were performing a ritual known as the asvamedha, in which a horse (asva) played an integral part. The horse mistakenly ended up at the hermitage of a sage, and the forefathers disturbed the sage greatly in retrieving the horse, so he cursed them, reducing them to ashes.

To revive his forefathers, the story goes, the river Ganga (Ganges) would have to be brought from the heavens to the earth, to flow on their ashes. Bhagirata took it on himself to achieve this, a task his father and grandfather were unable to do. Leaving his kingdom, Bhagirata went to the forest, and practiced deep meditation, seeking the grace of Brahma, the Creator. Brahma told Bhagirata that he had no objection to the Ganges’ flowing down to earth but that Bhagirata would have to ask the Ganges herself.

So, Bhagirata returned to his meditation again, praying to the Ganges, who appeared before him and agreed to flow down to earth. But, she said, the earth would not be able to bear the force of her descent, so Bhagirata must first find someone to bear the force. Bhagirata next did meditation on Shiva, asking him to bear the force of the Ganges. Shiva appeared before Bhagirata and agreed.

Finally, the Ganges descended to earth, but while doing so, she was overcome with pride in her own power and thought to display her might by washing Shiva away by landing on his head. Knowing what the Ganges was thinking, Shiva imprisoned her in a lock of his hair and would not release her to earth. Bhagirata undertook meditation once more, requesting Shiva to release the Ganges. Shiva appeared before him again and agreed to release the Ganges, which then flowed along the earth

 Again, reveling in her might, the Ganges swept past the hermitage of the great sage Agastya, causing havoc in the surrounding area. Seeing that his disciples and other living beings were distressed, Agastya drank the entire Ganges in one sip, as he would do with a handful of water in his daily ritual. Yet again, Bhagirata meditated and prayed, requesting Agastya to release the Ganges. Agastya granted his wish. At last, the Ganges flowed over the ashes of Bhagirata’s forefathers. In all, Bhagirata spent thousands of years in austerities and meditation with unwavering concentration, never discouraged by the numerous obstacles he faced.

What does this story have to do with bhagiratasana? Bhagirata was supposed to have meditated for all those years standing on one leg—like in the “tree pose.” Krishnamacharya used to say that a name like bhagiratasana is beneficial because of the values and feeling (bhava) it brings to our mind. The deep principle of the story of Bhagirata is the endless perseverance, tireless effort, and steadfast concentration that he displayed. He faced one setback after another, but he never faltered in his steady pursuit of his goal. Like that, when we practice a challenge in asana, it is wise not to make just the physical asana the challenge. Instead, we should also focus on cultivating the deeper quality of steadiness, or other values and beneficial feelings, through the asana.

Fundamentally, asana should also be upasana: consistent meditation on a positive transformation.