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The Yoga Sutras and Asana: Looking into the physical practice of yoga |
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  When thinking of a Yoga Class, it is the physical postures of Yoga – or the asanas – that typically come to mind. Derived from the Sanskrit root as meaning “to sit”, “to stay”, or “to be established in a particular position,” the term asanas refers to aligning the body in a particular posture with total involvement and focus of the mind. A stepping-stone toward meditation, each asana is designed to unite the body, the breath, and the mind. The Indian Yoga philosopher Maharishi Patanjali talked only briefly of asana in his Yoga Sutras – often called the most definitive text on the philosophy of classical yoga - which Patanjali compiled around the 3rd or 4th century BC. In Patanjali’s work, he refers to two important qualities to any asana: sthira and sukha. Sthira is steady alertness, while sukha describes the lightness and comfort of being. Patanjali says that an asana is properly performed when - in the muscles and the mind - there is stability and alertness without tension as well as relaxation without lifelessness or heaviness. An example of sthira and sukha given in the book The Heart of Yoga by T.K.V. Desikachar illustrates this concept through Indian mythology: “The story tells of Ananta, the king of snakes, floating on the ocean, his long snake body coiled to form a comfortable couch on which the god Vishnu lies. The snake's thousand heads reach up and out like a protective umbrella over Vishnu. On the umbrella rests the earth. The snake's body is soft and gentle enough (sukha) to serve as a couch for a god and at the same time is firm and steady enough (sthira) to support the whole earth. We should endeavor to bring those same qualities of gentleness and steadiness to asana practice, all the while making sure that we exert progressively less effort in developing them.” To begin or to deepen your own asana practice, work toward maintaining your body in a particular posture for a longer and longer duration while achieving stability of all of your muscles, whether stretched or relaxed. As this steadiness is achieved, seek to find comfort in the posture. It is important to remember that, even if you can achieve the “picture perfect” form of an asana, but must leave the posture quickly and shake out your muscles, there was no asana achieved. The awareness of alignment must be coupled with the lightness and comfort of sukha for a certain length of time. As your muscles progressively relax, you will be able to achieve greater comfort in the asana. This will allow your mind to calm and relax making it easier to introvert or focus internally. A mind that is easily focused is a mind ready for meditation. It is through meditation that you can access higher states of the mind and the mere physical level of the practice of yoga is transcended. The goal of any Yoga practice is union with the self and with God or your Higher Power, and this happens through meditation. Developing the steadiness of sthira and the comfort of sukha in your asana practice is a great way to guide the physical body toward becoming more open and more receptive to the benefits of meditation |
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