<\/a>In yoga, life is considered a series of \u201cdukha\u201d or sufferings one after the other, but the lessons of yoga are principally about teaching us to cope with suffering through relaxations or \u201csukha\u201d. This is the art of relaxing and to yoga this means being comfortable and at ease. It means stillness (sukha) in the body and mind purposely practiced to counter act the opposite feelings of stress (dukha.) Therefore, the \u201ceasy pose\u201d is taught as a physical position to take when trying to relax. But for some people the \u201ceasy pose\u201d is anything but easy, so why is it called \u201ceasy\u201d?<\/p>\n

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The \u201ceasy\u201d translation simply means being the opposite of uneasy or busy and stressed. Although the specific sitting position known as the \u201ceasy pose\u201d is traditional, the mere act of sitting or semi-reclining and being motionless can be considered an easy pose. After all, not everyone can sit on the floor with their legs crossed at the ankles for an extended period of time. It would take human or mechanical intervention to get some of them back to standing contradicting the \u201ceasy\u201d part.<\/p>\n

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An \u201ceasy pose\u201d is one that allows us to be at ease with ourselves without the urge to fall completely asleep. Most of us are conditioned to begin snoring within a few minutes if we find ourselves lying flat on our backs. Happens all the time in yoga. Corpse pose at the end of class is regularly mistaken by some exhausted individual as nap time and the rest of us are serenaded by the heavy, unburdened breath of someone who has fallen asleep on the mat. That\u2019s okay, but as I\u2019ve said before, sleep is not meditation. Sleep is sleep and meditation is an easy, comfortable state of relaxed alertness.<\/p>\n

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In meditation we are without the normal business of our bodies and minds (thoughts, movements, sounds.) Instead we are physically still. The only movement is what\u2019s necessary to breathe. And our thoughts are fewer and slower. Thoughts are normal but they bring with them varying degrees of stress, so during meditation the fewer the better. It requires a low level of consciousness or awareness to \u201cquiet the mind\u201d as desired by meditation. The lack of thoughts equals fewer opportunities to be stressed by thinking which equates to feeling at ease\u2014without stress. An easy pose is one that is comfortable enough to bring on the sensation of ease without allowing us to fall asleep.<\/p>\n

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<\/a>Sitting cross-legged on the floor, a stack of blankets, or a meditation cushion IS a comfortable pose for some. Others may need to sit in a chair with feet flat on the floor or lie back on a stack of pillows or a bolster to keep the body from lying completely flat. As long as we are physically at ease, our breath and thoughts will eventually join in and calm down. This is \u201csukha\u201d or being without the suffering implied by the stress or \u201cdukha\u201d of physical movement and mental stimulation.<\/p>\n

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The honest challenge is developing the stamina to remain in this position of ease for a particular length of time. Practice, practice, practice and the body will gradually remember its state of comfort and be more cooperative when asked to be still. Remember our bodies and minds are very practiced at zooming all the time. The opposite is challenging (dukha) but rewarding (sukha.) This is balance.<\/p>\n

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What is your \u201ceasy pose\u201d?<\/p>\n

<\/a>Meanwhile, remember to look for a digital or print copy of Writer Wellness, A Writer\u2019s Path to Health and Creativity <\/em>at Who Dares Wins Publishing, http:\/\/whodareswinspublishing.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Have you subscribed to this Writer Wellness blog yet? Get email updates when a new post is added. Click \u201csubscribe\u201d and leave your email. That\u2019s it and thanks in advance!<\/p>\n

Be well, write well.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Joy E. Held<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In yoga, life is considered a series of \u201cdukha\u201d or sufferings one after the other, but the lessons of yoga are principally about teaching us to cope with suffering through relaxations or \u201csukha\u201d. This is the art of relaxing and to yoga this means being comfortable and at ease. It means stillness (sukha) in the Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19,28],"tags":[123,141,172,206,219,242,245],"class_list":["post-602","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-monday-meditation","category-relaxation","tag-hatha-yoga","tag-joy-held","tag-meditation","tag-relaxation","tag-stress","tag-writer-wellness","tag-yoga"],"yoast_head":"\n