How can we help each other remain stable and firm in our resistance and resilience without giving up the sweetness of soft moments of surrender, interpersonal tenderness and compassion? I’ve been practicing yoga and meditation for decades, but as a member of the LGBTQI community in the U.S., finding that balance in each moment currently seems to require more consistent, mindful effort as 2017 wears on. The eight limbs of ancient yoga invite us to be mindful of the outward and inward principles of integrity that guide being in right relationship to our environment and ourselves, including but not primarily focused on physical postures and mindful breathing, in order to focus so that senses and eventually even one’s own thinking no longer distracts the mind from unity and interconnectedness with All That Is.
My favorite verse of yoga’s most ancient text, Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is simply “Sthirasukhamasanam” (Book 2 Sadhanapadah, Verse 46). Every time I practice, spiritually and physically, in each pose, in teaching, and even in breathing, this ancient principle invites me to seek a balance of two seemingly opposing dynamics — sthira (alertness and strength) and sukha (relaxation and softness). Sthirasukhamasanam describes the spiritual and physical balance and wholeness we seek through each moment of yoga practice. Yoga is a way to find that balance through moment-by-moment adaptation and flexibility to the way things are right now -- without judging, recoiling, or dominating. Yoga helps me to accept myself and others where we are -- one moment at a time: “Yoga is now,” as the ancient text’s very first verse begins.
The dynamic relationship between these two forces of sthira and sukha, stability and sweet surrender, change not only in each moment but also over time In physical practice, in each breath, and with our ever-fluctuating health and strength. (I’ve personally experienced this most powerfully by literally and unexpectedly “finding my voice” — exploring the ever-changing stability and firmness of mindful breath control while mindfully softening throat, tongue and palate as my singing has dropped to a low bass late in life.) Cultivating our own ability to find balance between sukha and sthira as our external and internal circumstances inevitably change is vital to resisting oppression (ill-being, suffering) by enhancing our own and each others’ well-being (fullness or abundance of being).
In both my own practice and in relation to others, I try to feel and explore sukha and sthira within each pose and each breath — the surrender in letting go, breathing out, and the strength that comes from inhaling, that feeling of being filled with an energy from outside oneself (air, ruach, prana, whatever one wants to call it). Breathing and moving mindful of this ongoing fluctuating interplay between sukha (yielding, acceptance, softness) and sthira (force, strength, powering through) builds resilience in any situation that may push us off balance spiritually -- difficult relationships and stressful experiences, for example. Every human being can seek and find this balance of both qualities, sukha and sthira, each in our own way from moment to moment. To seek a balance of these qualities at all times, in every situation, empowers me to overcome the false opposition of “masculine” as defined over and against “feminine”: This ancient sutra reminds us that every person needs a balance of sukha (softness, receptivity, and yielding) and sthira (strength, stability, firmness), regardless of our individual identity or our usual role in mutual and harmonious relationships. Striving for an ever-changing balance of both qualities allows all of us to embrace our full humanity and to be both giving and receiving, mindfully aware of our interconnectedness.