Our Seat

Our seat: 

asanas are only mention three times in the Yoga Sutras, an entire book that's considered to hold the essential teachings of our practice and our most favored aspect is barely discussed at all. However, the directions for proper use of asanas are explicitly stated - sutra 2:46: sthira sukham asanam, that our posture should be steady, stable, and comfortable. Patanjali had meditation in mind when he wrote this, the word asana is translated as seat in English, and his instructions here offer us the advice of finding comfort in our seat, not just on the meditation cushion or yoga mat. 

but holding our seat within the world as well. 

finding comfort exactly where we are. 

wherever that might be. 

with this advice in mind, life becomes our practice, every moment is an opportunity to find our proper seat, a position of steadiness and peace even as the world seems give reasons for our sway. The objective here is acceptance, that our true comfort isn't dependent upon external circumstances, we take our seat wherever we find ourselves and commit to a stable position, and this could even be through the highest winds of emotional turmoil - we remain steady in our inner seat. 

the point to remember is that yoga is our practice and that it takes place through all of life, not only on the mat or meditation cushion. Asanas are a trial run of tension and relaxation, sitting in meditation is the process of observing the interactions of the mind and easing our way through whatever conflicts they present until completely absorbed in silence. 

steady, stable, comfortable. 

we take our seat within the world. 

~

Peace, Eric