You probably already know my passion for cultivating the balance between flexibility and stability in Asana practice. What you may not know is that finding balance is one of the most common themes in all Yoga Literature.
We all know and love Sthira Sukham Asanam: from Patanjali’s Sutra: Asana is steady and spacious. Also from Patanjali: Abhyasa and Vairagya: practice without expectation.
Let’s recall this from the Bhagavad Gita: (Bg 2.48)
Perform action, O Dhananjaya, being steadfast in Yoga, abandoning attachment and balanced in success and failure! Evenness of mind is called Yoga.
I guess what thrills me about this is that for those of us who love Asana, all of these spiritual ideals can be known and trusted in our bodies, and will then lead us to make balanced choices in life. So as you choose to practice your poses with stability and an eye towards longevity and thus perhaps not an extreme expression, you are releasing ego attachment and finding SAMATVAM, evenness of mind. Yay! Healthy joints and a calm mind.
