Sthira Sukham Asanam | Mark Whitwell on Yoga Sutra 2.46

New York City NY

25 January, 2021

3:35 AM

Description

Mark Whitwell | Heart of YogaIn Patanjali Yoga Sutra the quality of asana is described in the beautiful phrase Sthira Sukham Asanam (YS II.46). Sthira means strength, alertness, energy and intensity and sukha means softness, comfort, openness and serenity. Right asana practice should have the dual qualities of sthira and sukha present in equal measure as a balance of opposing forces. How do we do achieve this? We want to practice with open hands and to keep a gentleness in the fingers. Let all the joints be at ease. In standing asana, keep the front of the feet active and the musculature of the legs engaged (no dead weight through the heels). Move from the strong centre of the body and avoid placing tension on the outer limbs. Now, simply participate in the natural receiving and releasing process of the breath. Asana facilitates the union of the inhale with the exhale, that’s all. So start where you are with simple asana and be with your breath. There can be a challenge as you explore the range of your breath capability but never so much that you are straining for breath. Your practice should be pleasurable and energizing rather than stressful and depleting. Mark Whitwell | Heart of YogaRemember, Yoga is not physical or spiritual gymnastics and there is no goal. Don’t worry about trying to do impressive asana or to practice like anybody else. We are deeply programmed to take up disciplines like Yoga in order to try and change ourselves into an ideal person. Practice without this burden as a pure pleasure, as your intimate connection to Life. Nobody has to be like anybody else. You are flower blooming in your own garden. The openness and ease of sukha enters our practice when we accept who and what we are. If we have shoulder problems or are restricted in the breath, we start from there and move intelligently. These qualities flourish in us less when we impose them on ourselves and more when we let the natural, intrinsic intelligence of the body function. Read the full article here: Mark Whitwell About:  Mark Whitwell was born in 1949 in Auckland, Aotearoa/ New Zealand. In 1973, he traveled to India and began a life-long study of yoga with Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (1888-1989) and his son, T.K.V. Desikachar (1938–2016). Mark Whitwell’s simple mission is to give people the principles of practice that came through Tirumalai Krishnamacharya to make their Yoga authentic, powerful, and effective. Mark Whitwell is the founder of the Heart of Yoga foundation and the Heart of Yoga Peace Project, an organization dedicated to developing yoga communities in conflict zones around the world. Mark Whitwell lives between New Zealand and Fiji.