The two qualities in every yoga pose

The two qualities in every yoga pose

The Sanskrit word ‘asana’, translated into English as ‘pose’ or ‘posture’, means to sit, or to stay, or to be in an established, comfortable position. That’s one of the reasons your yoga teacher will often ask “where is your breath”, because you cannot be in an established and comfortable posture if your breath is laboured or strained in any way. It’s a very useful signpost for whether you are in the pose or on your journey towards it.


Once you are in an established and comfortable pose, it has two essential qualities, known in Sanskrit as ‘sthira’ and ‘sukha’.


Sthira represents that sense you have of being firm, steady, strong, steadfast, alert and determined.


Sukha is the ease, lightness, calm and comfort in that moment, that feeling that you could stay here forever.


In those moments when you can sense the presence of both sthira and sukha equally strongly at the same time, that’s when you are established in the pose, that’s when a yoga pose becomes an asana.


And if we do not yet experience these two qualities in a particular pose, if we are still on the journey towards that state, we do NOT beat ourselves up about it. We are where we are, and we celebrate that moment without self-criticism or judgement.


Stepping away from your yoga practice, when you are living your life off the mat, how can we use these qualities in our everyday life?


Can we practise sthira and sukha in our relationships? Can we fully appreciate the strength of the bond we have, at the same time as sinking into the ease and comfort, turning off our tendency to nit-pick and winge about our nearest and dearest?


Can we practise sthira and sukha when we consider our health, acknowledging where we are strong, where we are less strong, and basking in the comfort of any good health we have?


Can we use these two qualities to examine areas of worry or anxiety we are experiencing? Can we look at our concerns and see our strength, our ability to cope, as well as the calm which descends as we acknowledge that we are where we are?


Whether on or off the mat, can we find that space inside us which is strong and simultaneously surrender to the present moment, accepting that there are many things we cannot change?

Where is ‘the work’ in your yoga practice?

There is something that everyone practising yoga shares. Whether you are a complete beginner in your first class or an advanced yogi with decades of experience, you know where the ‘work’ is when you practise.


The beginner may be struggling with wrist pain or tight hamstrings, unable to stay in Downward Dog for more than a few breaths, and the advanced yogi may be struggling to get that left knee behind the head which is really frustrating because the right one only took 10 years to get there . . . . .


Whatever your work is, that’s where the yoga takes place.


Observe the point where the work is, examine your reaction to it, because this is where the real yoga occurs.


Yoga doesn’t happen when you ‘master’ a pose, whatever that means. Yoga happens when you accept your body is not yet ready to get into positions that your mind wants it to go.


Yoga happens when you push your body hard enough so it learns what might be possible one day, but steps back from causing yourself an injury. You take it right to the edge, but no further. Knowing where that edge is, that’s yoga. To use Erich Schiffman’s terminology, when you can ‘flirt with your tight spots’, that’s yoga.


By observing yourself closely at these points you are practising:

• ahimsa (non-harming)
• satya (facing the truth in the moment, being honest with yourself)
• svadhyaya (studying your own reactions and learning about yourself)

and it is an opportunity to practise santosha (contentment and satisfaction of being where you are, without judgement).

So the next time you are struggling, observe how your mind is responding to the physical challenge and dwell on this:


this moment is teaching you exactly the same lessons that you will learn again when you go to more advanced poses, so why get frustrated that you are where you are?