Human beings are cyclic in nature, which implies we are continuously in a state of flux and our requirements are ever-changing. Our yoga practice offers us a constant platform in which to honour this malleability, support our circulation of prana (energy, vital force) and take the knowledge with us off the mat.
The qualities of yin and yang
Yoga Sutra 2.46, sthira sukham asanamapproximately equates to “a constant and comfy seat” or “resolutely abide in an excellent area”. The significance of sthira is “to be steady or company, mindful, present and alert”, which is complementary to the significance of sukham, “to be soft, at ease, unwinded, relaxing and comfy”. While this Sutra was traditionally a direction for your meditation seat, we can approach all of the yoga postures, even our practice as an entire, with this belief.
The dichotomy of sorts is an event of holding opposing qualities simultaneously– extensive yet contractive, fixed yet vibrant, yin yet yang– a dance in between effort and ease. “We match the qualities of engagement with letting go … sthira and sukha form a state of balance (sattva) that is without agitation (rajas) or inertia (tamas),” composes Deva Parnell, creator and director of Discovery Yoga.
Mindfulness and the breath
Mindfulness and the breath play such an essential function in harmonising our circulation of prana and cultivating the abovementioned sattvic state. Author and yoga instructor Erich Schiffmann explains the breath as “the main ca