Find Steadiness and Comfort in Yoga (and Life): Balance Effort and Ease

Easy seat sukhasana in a chair

"Asana is a steady, comfortable posture."

-Yoga Sutras 2.46

So says Patanjali in the Yoga Sutras (circa 200 BCE - 200 CE). It's a minimal sentence with a lot to unpack. This fundamental sutra challenges certain misconceptions about yoga. Concepts about how physically challenging yoga can be. About how you have to have the flexibility of pretzel dough. And have an able, youthful and slim body. Then there's "no pain, no gain." These concepts have no home in accessible yoga for everybody.

Try it! How to practice a steady, comfortable posture

Yoga teachers offer suggestions for alignment with options (based on safety), and you make decisions for yourself. Sense your own energy and body (considering any injuries or surgeries) and take the posture that's right for you. Find the posture that's not too hard and not too easy. It's like Goldilocks tasting the porridge: too hot, too cold, just right. Optimally, you find the just-right middle ground between too intense and too lax.

It may help to label your effort and the sensations you feel in the postures with a number on a scale. Notice whether the effort is minimal or "a one" on the scale. Or "a seven" which means too intense (marked by pain, ragged breath, or panting). That's when you pull back and ease up.

OK, this is personal, I admit it. I had to learn this lesson for myself when I noticed my habitual striving and perfectionism in yoga class. Finding balance between the effort of steadiness and easeful comfort in the postures has been a journey.

Once I realized that trying really hard and looking good are inconsistent with yoga philosophy, my practice changed from my feet, up. Now, when I notice striving in my practice, I try to gently let go and do what feels just right for me.

Balance effort and ease in life

When applied to life outside of yoga class, this asana guidance gets really interesting. Life can be so challenging that sometimes we have to be made of steel. At the same time, we have to find the just-right effort. We need to balance our core values and boundaries (steadiness) with inner and outer peace (comfort).

You might think about it this way. Set roots in the ground. Know when to flex with the wind without breaking.

Interested in reading more? Find a related article, "Balance, Can I Get Some More of That?"