While the asanas give immunity to resist all types of ailments and eliminate toxins and tension, at the same time, the graceful movements and gentle breathing affect the mind -- making it peaceful. Ultimately, the aim of all the Yoga practices is to make the mind calm. Instead of trying to approach the mind directly, we work first through the body. One means of calming mental agitation is by calming the agitation of the body, because the body is an expression of the mind. We work from the gross to the subtle, from the body to the mind.

The aim of the Yoga asanas is to accomplish one steady and comfortable posture -- which is a meditation position. Only in a steady posture can you have good meditation. A body filled with toxins, weak muscles, and jumpy nerves will not be able to stay quiet for any time. But the Hatha Yoga postures eliminate the toxins and give strength and steadiness. When the body is healthy and supple, we can easily sit with the mind still and peaceful. As we begin to control the body and its movements, this will carry over to the mind.

Try this yourself. Any time the mind is agitated, just sit quietly, not moving at all. Let the mind be as agitated as it wants. If your body is still, very soon the mind will calm down by itself. Why? Because when there's no physical movement, the breath becomes slow; and the breath is the interconnection between the body and the mind. As the breathing slows down, the thought-making process also slows down, and the mind becomes calm.

Please remember that our spiritual realization does not depend on the body. The purpose of all these practices is simply to keep the body healthy, so it will cooperate with us -- nothing more than that. These practices are enough to keep the body well in control, well-relaxed, and properly healthy while training the mind as well.

Learn to live a natural life. First be physically at ease; mental peace will automatically follow. Live in a way that makes your body light, healthy, and more supple. Then when you sit in meditation you won't feel aches and pains, and spend all your time meditating on them. Meditation needs all these aids. You can't just eat anything you want, then go sit and meditate. The body will say, "No, I won't allow it." You need cooperation between the body and the mind. That's why you train the body in doing all kinds of Hatha postures and breathing practices. Then, when the time for meditation comes, you can meditate on whatever you like with ease.

Source: www.yogaville.org