Strong Yet Supple

What a wild few weeks it’s been—weather delays, schedule shifts, and plans upended. If you missed class last week due to the storm, know that you weren’t alone. These are the moments when life throws us just enough off-kilter that we’re called to practice what we teach.

This month’s theme of sthira, the yogic principle of steadiness, continues to guide our practice—on the mat and beyond. In our most recent class, we explored not just the physical act of balancing but the deeper wisdom behind it: How do we hold steady in a world that constantly pulls our attention, tests our resolve, and throws curveballs our way?

What Yoga and Ayurveda Teach Us About Balance

Yoga offers us tangible tools—like tree pose, warrior sequences, and mindful transitions—to experience physical balance. But it also reminds us that balance isn’t just about the body. It’s about mind, energy, and intention.

From the perspective of Ayurveda, balance is achieved through the principle of opposites. Cold is balanced by warmth, dryness by moisture, overstimulation by calm. You’re likely already doing this instinctively—seeking warmth on cold days, rest when you’re overextended. Ayurveda simply brings more awareness to this wisdom, offering guidance on how to respond in ways that are truly nourishing.

The Sutra That Holds Us

A guiding thread this month has been Yoga Sutra 2.46: sthira sukham asanam—”asana is a steady, comfortable posture.”

This ancient teaching reminds us that any posture worth practicing, whether it’s on the mat or in life, must contain both sthira (steadiness) and sukha (ease). This sutra isn’t just about handstands or lotus pose—it’s about how we hold ourselves through life’s challenges.

One of the translations we reflected on explains that if a posture is rigid, it can break us. But if it has suppleness—like steel that can bend when heated—it becomes both strong and resilient. This is our aim in practice: to become steady, yet flexible. Grounded, yet able to adapt.

What Does That Look Like in Practice?

This past week, we worked through standing postures, lateral balances, and transitions that tested our physical steadiness. But we also paid close attention to our mental posture.

• What happens in the mind when the body wobbles?
• Can we meet imbalance with curiosity rather than critique?
• Are we able to steady our breath even when we feel off-centre?

As we moved through postures like Tree Pose (Vrikshasana), Warrior One (Virabhadrasana I), Triangle (Trikonasana), and Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana), we practiced not only the outer shape but the inner experience. We played with props, explored movement from the floor to standing, and remembered that each posture—each moment—is a chance to recommit to presence.

A Reminder from the Mat

Every time we fall out of a posture and choose to try again, we’re embodying sthira. Every time we soften our jaw, re-root our feet, and re-align our spine, we’re practicing the balance of effort and ease.

As I said in class: “We only do these postures so that we in our mind and in the field of all of that thinking have the capacity to be flexible, to learn and comprehend something new—but not to get lost in the shuffle of it.”

Balance isn’t about perfection. It’s about remembering who you are in the moments when life tries to make you forget.

Here’s to standing tall, wobbling with grace, and returning again and again to centre.

With love,

Michelle