In the Asana Patanjali Yoga Sutras, "Sthira Sukham, Asanam" is defined as 2.46. Asana in Sanskrit means a stable and relaxed posture. This sutra actually says a lot about asana. One of them is Sthira, which we can explain as constancy, stabilization, power and stability.
Thanks to the principle of rooting in asana practice, we have the opportunity to experience being in the body by combining the body and mind on the same alignment. Since this integration takes place at the level of conscious awareness, by centered on the breaths, asana with the expressed expression teaches us to gain the ability to stay still in a posture in the first step. Staying still is the first step towards focusing on something. While the asana makes it possible for multiple dynamics to work in harmony as parts that make up a whole and to maintain this stability within the stability it provides, practice does not ensure specialization in just one stance, thanks to the introspection that occurs. Every cell of all body parts that perform that posture takes part in making this stability possible. It is to find the outer handle of the door to the consciousness of being beyond the inner wisdom of this body and start to connect with it. Mastering posture takes time and effort. Therefore, continuity and stability in asana practice are very important for long-term development and transformation. In the first place, realizing a stance as a whole requires a great deal of effort. Through the physical execution of the event and the mental development of understanding, a wholeness and stabilization, the steadiness, that is, the principle of Sthira, takes place. It is not enough just to make a physical effort in this regard. The mind also needs to move away from the area of resistance in this effort and to cooperate with the effort of the body. Thus, it is possible to be present by providing body and mind integrity and to exist in a constant and stable way in asana.
The asana practitioner becomes without identity and adjective in the stance that he/she physically performs. This allows him to be both a practitioner and an observer. Introspection and focus are possible thanks to the Sthira principle, that is, the stability in the applied posture. Only in this way, the person connects with the consciousness of being, which performs his own practice, observes the body wisdom, and develops the ability to witness his own practice, and achieves the experience of being himself. The body finds the opportunity to realize itself with its holistic existence beyond identities and adjectives, and relaxes and relaxes in the state of realizing the stance it performs. In this way, the other dynamic that makes up the asana, namely Sukha, that is comfort, emptiness and enjoyment, pure joy and enthusiasm for existence begins to emerge spontaneously. Sukha is a combination of sanskrit meaning water good, easy simple and kha emptiness. Good space brings relaxation and relaxation. Thanks to practice, it is possible to get rid of the tension and congestion in the body. Thanks to the good void spaces we create within the body, we connect more deeply with the consciousness of being, which is our essence. This brings us enthusiasm for life, joy and peace. Only in this way is the calming of the mind possible. By fixing the mind on a focal point, it will also enable the relaxation of the mind, the sukha principle, by mastering the Sthira principle. The practice of asana makes it possible to be in movement with conscious awareness, and this process is the first step in preparation for meditation.
Sthira and sukha dynamics in asana practice are also the dynamics that make up the body. When we examine the systems that make up the body anatomy, we can see that it exists in all our cells as a more internal dynamic. The most basic configuration area in our body is the bones and skeletal system. Thanks to the bones, the infrastructure, namely stabilization, or sthira, is formed in our body. This infrastructure makes a formation possible by integrating itself with the sukha principle. Bones are composed of mineral and collagenous structures, and since their outer surfaces are covered with bone membrane, they have a hard and stabilizing (sthira), structuring structure. However, the inner surface of the bone structure has a more spongy structure and there are cavities (sukha) in this spongy structure. In this way, the principles of shtira and sukha, that is, stability and emptiness, form the essence of the most basic structure that makes up a whole. By observing my own practice and my students, I can say that I have come to understand more and more how miraculously this principle exists. If your bodily structure is stronger (Sthira), you will find yourself more comfortable in asana in the areas of stabilization and stability. Your desire to do power poses is triggered, and you are generally more stable and closed to change in your life. If you are physically flexible (Sukha), you can easily perform postures that require flexibility. However, you have difficulty in making decisions, stability and stability in life. In order to allow this to serve our lives more deeply and to provide a balance in this regard; We need asana practice in order to integrate strength with flexibility and stability easily in balance and harmony.
Asana means to exist at the same time when the meaning of the word is examined. When stability and comfort are integrated in balance and harmony, the joy and exuberance of existence is presented to us. Here there is no longer a Warrior or a combatant. The enthusiasm, happiness, joy and joy of being here flows into all our cells as the wisdom of life. The feeling of being physically whole is necessary for perceiving holism.
Asana is also defined in ancient texts as the place where yoga practice is done and it is mentioned that this area is a clean and empty space. In other words, a very simple definition has been made as a fixed field, Sthira, and Void, that is, sukha, the only thing that offers you the opportunity to exist at the same time. Here, the definition of the area where yoga is practiced in this way summarizes for us what kind of stability and what kind of space it should have.
Patanjali expressed more than one thing with a single sutra. After that, we have to practice and internalize this issue.
With love, light and love,
Namaste
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