Yesterday while I was in the shower (I always come up with my themes for class either in the shower, in my car, or in my sleep), I heard a strong voice saying, "Sthira sukham asanam."
Translation: My connection to the earth (or my body) is joyful.
Another translation: The posture should be steady, comfortable, and grounded in joy.
This balance is something I'm constantly reaching for, on my yoga mat, and everywhere else. I saw it show up for me in my eating this week, so no wonder I felt compelled to share these words in my teaching.
Now that I'm trying to go with the flow a little bit more in my eating, I see the need to balance my grounding commitment to health (steadiness/sthira) and the lightness and ease (sukkha) I want to feel in body, mind, and spirit. I want to be strong and remain focused in my effort to eat a clean diet, but I also want to enjoy my life and allow flexibility to be present.
This might sound easy and light-hearted....but it's not, at least not for me. I tend to go in one direction, toward sthira. I'm pretty much all earth element over here, so I can get really heavy sometimes. Sometimes I find that I'm over-grounded, which can show up in my tendency to pull back, restrict, and think that I have to be 100% perfect and deliberate in my food choices all the time. Not very much room for ease.
It's been fun watching it all unfold this week. I see moments where I really do need to be strong and stick to my guns, and other moments when I need to chill the fuck out and relax.
What about you? Where could you be a little more steady, and where could you invite more flow in?
Have a lovely weekend, everyone! :)
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