ASANA ~ The Third Limb of The Yoga Sutras ~ LIVE SESSION

“The quieter you become, the more you are able to hear.”
– Rumi

Join me back on the path as we explore the third limb of yoga.

When asana is looked at as a state of being rather than a mere posture, its significance and meaning shifts our perspective.  Asana becomes a means by which the senses are turned inward and the mind and body become a oneness with the divine.

We think of asanas as physical poses, however the true meaning of asana lives within you.

It is what you experience in the balance between ease and effort.

The secret of this gem asana is revealed by the attention you give to cultivating a state of peace moment by moment.

Some questions that we’ll cover in this ‘live’ session:

1. What is the true meaning of asana?

2. How can you / What do you need to (find and) live in the deliberate balance of life far more of the time?  (Hint: Begin with presence, then to be aware and awake ~ to notice what is in the absence of judgment.  Isn’t this what we call meditation?)

3. How does the mind and body live as one in harmony?  (When you feel moments of this, what does it feel like?)

Most of us first discovered yoga through the physical practice of yoga postures which have the name asana. However, this is one small aspect of a much deeper and richer practice, as explained in each of the eight limbs of the Yoga Sutras.

In previous live sessions, I’ve taken us on the journey of the first and second limb – the Yamas and Niyamas.  As we learn about the third limb here – Asana, we answer questions as to the true purpose and teaching of yoga ~ beyond how we in the western world think of it as a series of physical postures.

In fact, asana sets us up for the mastery of future limbs or paths of the sutras ~ one of which is the practice of meditation and the subsequent journey of our life.

I recall a time in which I would teach meditation following the practice of yoga.  After the instructor had led the students to the final posture ~ savasana ~ she would call on me to the front of the class and those that wished to continue would join me as I would guide them in meditation.

Truly the experience of meditation after rigorous physical movement was a perfect opening to the stillness that naturally followed ~ and to experience the nirvana of alignment as the body and mind would drift into oneness with the sanctity of each present moment.

It was and always will be some of the most incredible experiences of meditation that both I and others have experienced.

You can create this for yourself on any given day as you practice asana as a state of being that begins with your ability to find your inner calm. 

(For example, you can arrive at asana after the physical practice of yoga and as you ease into the oneness of mind and body and soul aligned.  You can also practice asana directly as meditation whether in a posture of stillness, in a walking meditation, or at any time you are fully present in now.)

As you are able to direct the mind and still the body ~ to experience the posture of meditation ~ of calm serenity ~ think of asana as a state of being ~ that can exist in everything that you do and as many of you know who have practiced meditation regularly (daily), its effects transcend the mind and body.  You become attuned with your surroundings, your breath, this moment, and you can also exist in the oneness with all of life …as a prevailing state of being.

Asana as a state of being is both the ‘seat of meditation’ and I liken it to a state of being that you live in ~ that you become because of your deliberate nature to choose this ~ to live in the balance between effort and ease, alert and relaxed.

The root meaning of asana translated from the Sanskrit word ‘aasa’ which means ‘to sit’.  Originally there was only one asana ~ a stable and comfortable posture for prolonged seated meditation.

Here I share a different way of thinking about asana as a series of physical poses whether practised at home or in a class setting ~ because asana may be experienced as a state of mind and body that transcends the physical.

As a seated posture on your mat, or a chair or the earth ~ you can witness the richness of meditation within the body and mind as you merge with the bliss of eternity into both nothingness and oneness with all of life.

This is how I see it.

The physical Asana practice is important as it helps to keep the body healthy. As the body is the vehicle for the soul, looking after the physical body is vital for spiritual development. Asana postures help to increase flexibility and strength, whilst stimulating physiological systems of the body, such as the circulatory, immune, digestive and nervous systems.

Source: yogapedia.com

Regular asana practice will develop mindfulness, discipline and concentration, in turn preparing the mind for pranayama and meditation. On a subtle level, asana can help to stimulate the energetic body, opening the chakras and nadis in order to allow prana to flow freely.

The seat of meditation is a metaphor for sitting in the practice of asana ~ for being of the present moment. You may bring this into everything that you do and experience ~ including your posture, your position, your mindset, your courage, your feelings, and all of the moments of your life.

Feel, experience, witness the promise and the ease of the present moment. Lean in. Let the magic you witness here be the metaphor. Find this truth in all that you do and in all that you are.

If you would like to close your eyes with me…

Let my words flow into your consciousness.  Let them provide you with the wisdom and grace to live a state of being of oneness.

Each one of us has the ability to initiate calm and peace from within. It includes both stillness and movement. For example, in meditation, we typically hold stillness in our body ~ our breath in constant motion is one focus that leads us into the present.

In yoga, we move between movement and stillness ~ moving into a posture with care and awareness and attention to the subtle experiences and then for wherever we arrive and reach we hover, we live in this space again and in the presence of our breath and in what more we notice.

Everything in life has a similar pattern. We can give our attention to how we approach each moment in the metaphor of being seated ourselves – in being present, open, attentive and calm; or we find ourselves ‘unseated’ in varying states of chaos, of confusion, emotions overriding and distracted. This is when we feel separate from the greater whole and from ourselves.

Each one of us has the ability to reinstate calm and balance. It begins with our awareness of ourselves and also our preferred state of being. To return to balance, to regain posture and calm is an ongoing state of awareness. When we are in balance ~ mind and body ~ we feel at peace. We are in a state of oneness.

One of the ways in which to find your innermost calm is through stillness and to hold the desire and commitment to live inside the present moment – to breathe here – to acknowledge the steps and the process that gives you ease and comfort.

The effort is in the willingness to let thoughts pass, whilst you hold attention into now and to know ‘Why is this important?’ ‘How can I witness this situation, event, and other person from a higher perspective?’ ‘What is this teaching me that I need to learn?’

When we contemplate everything as having a purpose we hold an active role in our destiny.

Whenever you want to contemplate the greater meaning and purpose of your life, begin with the awareness of mind and body in the present. Live attentively to this space and time and let the wisdom of the experience find you.

Stillness in the body gives us ease in which to be alert, to be aware ~ to be attuned to the sounds that open our senses to the world and as we may make micro adjustments in our body – to our posture – to our mindset – to our breath ~ to allow in what contributes to our desired effect ~ more calm, more peace, greater presence and the certainty in which to know ~ to know that it is perfect and in the sacred blessings of life to be consumed with now (the present) ~ to be open to this moment as the portal to the next moment and the next and to hold here in the grace of everything that lives awake within you.

You are not the fervent wandering of your mind. You are the inner expression, boundless and free of this human dwelling space and of your free will to choose much beauty and happiness. The practice of asana then becomes the practice of stillness in mind and body both in meditation and inside the posture of yoga.

If it has been difficult or impossible for you to feel at peace ~ to feel quiet and comfortable ~ to feel and sense that you are so much more than the physical body that you live in and the mind relentless ~ let your stillness be the action of love and the divine that pours through every cell, every fibre, every internal space and form that lives within you.

Hold your presence here and into infinity.  Let your focus be on the miracle of each present moment.

In meditation, during yoga as a physical practice ~ in all of your waking moments, witness the balance between ease and effort as you remain in the presence of each moment. Choose the inner resolve of life flowing through you. Your breath, the conduit ~ the message, the inspiration ~ the love that lives for you and of this moment.

For the week ahead ask yourself:

Where in your life can you experience the perfect nature of living in balance?

How can you live in peace in the midst of contradiction?

Can you find a state of zen in all situations?

Would you like more? Have a listen to the podcast episode on ASANA ~ The Seat of Meditation.

More love, more Asana here: