Balancing Ease With Effort in Yoga • Yoga Basics
One of the most quoted lines of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras is sthira sukham asanam . You may have heard your yoga teacher discuss this concept of creating a “steady yet comfortable posture.” This balance between stability and ease can be difficult because it requires one to balance two dynamic opposing forces. While attaining sthira and sukha in a seated asana is one of the eight limbs of Patanjali’s path to samadhi and enlightenment, modern yoga teachers also consider them important qualities to strive toward in all of the hatha yoga poses. Learning to incorporate sthira sukham asanam into the practice of yoga leads to an understanding of the purpose and deeper nature of the poses. What does Sthira Sukham Asanam mean? In Yoga Sutra 2.46, “sthira sukham asanam” is defined as “the posture for meditation should be steady, stable, and comfortable.” The word “sthira” translates to steady, stable or still. Sthira can also mean to be firm, compact, strong, steadfast, static, resolu...