Not Too Loose, Not Too Tight by Karen Allgire, MFA, RYT ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    There is a famous story in which the Buddha was asked by one of his disciples how the mind should be held in meditation. The Buddha answered that when tuning an instrument, the strings should be pulled neither too loose nor too tight. In meditation, he said, the mind should be held in the same way.

     In the practice of yoga, the practitioner also attempts to avoid all extremes and live in a state of balance. This concept is expressed in Patanjali's Yoga Sutra II:46 “Sthira sukham asanam.” Sthira means firm, steady, fixed and steadfast. Sukha means happy, delightful, joyful or comfortable. Asana is posture. Thus the sutra is translated by Alistair Shearer to mean, “The physical postures should be steady and comfortable.” TKV Desikachar's translation says, “Asana must have the dual qualities of alertness and relaxation.” This sutra communicates the idea that our yoga practice must be neither too loose nor too tight. The practice should be alert, rigorous and disciplined while also maintaining the qualities of relaxation and inner quietude. Practicing yoga challenges us to balance action and awareness, effort and ease.

    Action without awareness does not result in learning or growth but mere repetition of what is already known. The purpose of yoga is to take us from the known to the unknown and to penetrate our experience more deeply. When practicing yoga postures, self-observation is of prime importance. Only with a steady mind of reflection can we notice what we are doing and adjust the pose for the maximum extension with the minimum effort. At the same time, we must allow ourselves to move with rhythm and exhilaration. Being overly cautious changes self-awareness to self-consciousness, which stifles growth and creates anxiety. A balanced approach is needed in which action and awareness work together to create increasing spaciousness of body and mind.

    Yoga also asks us to balance effort and ease. In order to bring physical health and vitality, the postures require exertion. By toning and balancing our muscles, we gain improved posture, ease of movement and may avoid future pains and injuries. Yet if we overwork, imbalances are made worse as some sets of muscles work too hard and others too little.

Dean Lerner, senior Iyengar instructor, does Extended Triangle Pose with a balance of action and awareness and of effort and ease.

    How can we find the balance of work and relaxation in a yoga posture? Two approaches can be helpful. The first is to relax all the sensory organs while doing a pose. For example, in the basic standing posture Mountain Pose (Tadasana) the arms and legs stretch completely, the sides of the waist lift and the chest becomes broad. These actions require muscular work. At the same time, the eyes and tongue should remain completely soft. Students often find that the eyes are tense and that the tongue is pressed to the roof of the mouth. When the eyes and tongue relax the entire nervous system relaxes. This is because so much of the brain is devoted to vision and to speech. When the eyes, tongue and all sensory organs are kept relaxed, a state of tranquility becomes available.

    Another approach is to observe the breath. Often in a moment of exertion, the breath is held and the throat and facial muscles become tight. Mindfully watching the breath and letting it be smooth and soft is a good way to stay relaxed while doing a yoga pose. Of course the catch is that when we relax the eyes and the tongue or soften the breath, we may lose the muscular tone and action required to sustain the posture. So we must again firm the muscles, extend the limbs and align the body.

    BKS Iyengar calls this process “pose and repose.” This phrase has a beautiful double meaning. When we “re-pose” we adjust the posture based on our observations. We then go into a state of ”repose” by relaxing the eyes, the tongue and the breath. With practice, the process of balancing sthira and sukha becomes the way we approach not only yoga asanas, but also the activities and challenges of daily life.

Karen Allgire, MFA, RYT, is a Certified Iyengar Yoga Instructor. She has been teaching dance and movement since 1983 and yoga since 1998. Karen is co-director of Green Tara Yoga & Healing Arts in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. You can reach her at info@greentarayoga.com or (216) 382-0592. Visit her website at www.greentarayoga.com.