Sthira and Sukha

Sthira means strong, connected, stable, unmoving.

Sukha means ease, relaxation, comfort, softness.

Practicing yoga is balancing these two opposites.  How many times have you heard the cue, "relax into the pose," and think to yourself, "How in the hell am I supposed to relax without collapsing?"

Patanjali describes the practice of asana only briefly in his description of yoga in the Yoga Sutras.  He uses the term "sthira sukham asanam" (Yoga Sutra 2.46).  Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati translated that as:

• The posture (asana) for Yoga meditation should be steady, stable, and motionless, as well as comfortable, and this is the third of the eight rungs of Yoga. 

I like the fact that he refers to asana practice as meditation postures.  Asana practice has always been a way to overcome our "mind-stuff" and allow for greater concentration and focus on the present.

You have to have strength in order to hold a pose like Warrior III or Handstand.  But how do you find the ease and comfort?  I focus on my connections to the ground.  That's where my stability, unmoving, and stable aspect comes from.  I pull energy from the ground to keep my whole body strong.  Then I allow myself to sink into the posture as I exhale.  My muscles may not relax, but my mind relaxes as I feel the pose.  I take notice of what I'm feeling and where-- I let thoughts pass through my mind like clouds passing in the sky without getting stuck or hooked by any train of thought.  

For me, this principle makes so much sense on the mat.  I love this aspect of practicing yoga.  I start to stumble and fumble with this principle when it comes to life off of the mat.

As a mother of three, it seems like a constant battle between sthira (read: mom's need for control) and sukha (read: chaos reigns) as opposed to a harmonious joining of the two.  Even in that last sentence you can see my experience coloring my description--- I feel like when I stop controlling things, all hell breaks loose.  

And that's just not true.  We can be strong and in control without being controlling.  We can be relaxed and at ease without being lazy.  In theory....right?

That's my goal this week--- find the ease and comfort in my planning.  Find a moment to sit back and enjoy those things that I have planned.  Then find the strength to get back up again and do what needs to be done.  

My favorite part about training with Syl at Bodhi Yoga was learning the "power in a slow approach." I feel like it was my introduction into the principles of ease and strength working together.