Can we begin to appreciate how the body physically bends into beautiful shapes, as well as being still, uncovering the depths of who we are? As a collective, we celebrate the flexibility of the body as form, forgetting that more often we require a more flexible mental perception to get us through the everyday. The mind learns tools and techniques to bend towards or away from situations, and the refinement of that awareness begins with becoming still enough to experience internal silence.

Each morning I wake up and move from the bedroom, to the bathroom and then to my yoga room. Sometimes I do a simple asana practice to facilitate my “perfect seat”; siddhasana, where I can sit and meditate in stillness.  It is no wonder that as we progress in our yoga practice our sadhana shifts from hours of external dynamism to the awareness of being still.

Is there anything waiting for us once we are proficient in a posture? We may think now we can move on to next, more challenging variation. Siddhasana doesn’t have a more challenging variation physically. The next level is to experience your Self, beginning with the physical body.

A comfortable seat requires some preliminary work; you can add up all your dynamic asana points for siddhasana. Our bodies need ease or sukha in order to receive a perfect seat without pain in the lower back, knees or ankles.  The muscles that support curves of the vertebral column should be strong enough to embody sthira, or stability.

When we find the balance of sthira and sukha we embrace our own personal yantra (body) or tool for spiritual worship. Similarly, when meditating with a physical yantra we are inspired by its shape and beauty. Eventually we start to move more towards the middle, only to realize our center is the embodiment of the divine. We experience the same with siddhasana.  When we allow effortlessness to be ever-present, siddhasana offers a path towards our very own bindu center, experiencing all that we already are.

Aloha,
Chanti

Learn more about Rod Stryker and ParaYoga at RodStryker.com 
Read The Four Desires book review on Elephant Journal.
The Four Desires: YouTube talks with Rod Stryker
Read other discussions about The Four Desires
Instructions: How the book club works
Rod Stryker travels to the largest spiritual pilgrimage in history in 2013. I’ll be there. Will you?