Patch Blog: How to be Comfortable and Steady

Sukha and stira are the words for comfortable and steady in Sanskrit. 

If there was a goal in yoga, it would be just this. The yoga postures gradually get more and more challenging and yet we strive to have the same comfort and steadiness in each of them, whether or not they are beginning or advanced.  In a step by step process (krama) we work toward calm and steady breath, calm and steady postures and ultimately a clam and steady mind.  These are the teachings of the Hatha tradition, or classical yoga.

Sure we want flexibility.  Sure we want toned muscles.  And we want to have fun. But comfortable and steady leads to happiness.  Sensationalism is just that.  Over stimulation or over-indulgence do not foster calm and steady.  These things just add to our addiction to adrenalin.  Over-stimulation eventually burns us out. Some styles of yoga and fitness can contribute to the addiction, leaving us temporarily 'high'.  But what we want is a lasting steadiness. A peaceful calm that allows us to access our wisdom, a clear mind and comfort in our own skin.

One of the ways that we can do this is by practicing longer holds in the postures. Concentrating on the steadiness of the muscles and breath.  You see we need to train the mind to be comfortable and steady.  In our fast paced world, it is no longer a natural state.  It is a choice.  A choice that we must work on everyday. From that calm, we make good choices for ourselves, wise choices.  We can create a life of harmony.

See you in class ready for some calm and steady.

Namaste, Rene

Owner, Yoga Madre