The Art of Being Grounded

“Sthira sukham āsanam.”

Yoga Sutra II.46 is often translated as “the seat should be steady and comfortable,” but another way of understanding it is as a reminder that our connection to the Earth should be both steady and joyful.

Although Patañjali is speaking about our relationship to the physical practice of asana, this sutra can also be understood as an invitation to consider how we take our place in the world, how we respond to the natural rhythms around us and whether the way we live is in harmony with the world we are part of.

Everything that exists in the universe operates within a rhythm and flow that nature has created to sustain life. Our own bodies are a perfect example of this. We have a beating heart, an electrical nervous system, a digestive system and a breath that moves continuously without us having to consciously instruct every inhale and exhale.

Beyond the body, we are also influenced by the larger rhythms of the natural world: the rising and setting of the sun, the changing of the seasons, the movement of the tides and the cycles of the moon. All of these systems are interconnected, creating the conditions that allow life on this planet to exist.

We are not separate from these rhythms. We are part of them.

Yet modern life can make it surprisingly easy to forget this. We live according to clocks, deadlines and schedules, often moving from one thing to the next without giving ourselves much opportunity to notice what our body or mind might actually need.

We are encouraged to work hard, move quickly, eat conveniently and remain constantly stimulated, and it can become difficult to distinguish between what is genuinely nourishing and what we have simply become accustomed to.

This is where sthira sukham āsanam becomes particularly interesting.

Finding Steadiness

The word sthira comes from the Sanskrit root sthā, meaning to stand, to remain or to be steady. On the mat, we experience this through the physical body as we learn to create stability and strength in our postures. We press our feet into the ground, find length through the spine and create a sense of steadiness that allows the rest of the body to move with greater freedom.

But the teachings of yoga are never really intended to stay on the mat.

Steadiness can also mean having the courage to stand firmly in what we believe in and becoming more conscious of the impact our actions have on the world around us. We are living at a time when the consequences of human consumption are increasingly visible, whether that is through deforestation, the exploitation of animals, intensive farming or the way we continually consume more resources than we need.

The question then becomes: what are we standing for?

Yoga asks us to become more aware of our actions and to recognise that the choices we make are not isolated from the rest of the world. The food we purchase, the products we use, the companies we support and the way we treat other living beings are all expressions of how we choose to participate in life.

Being steady does not mean becoming rigid or judgmental. It means developing enough awareness to pause and consider whether our actions are aligned with what we say we value.

Making space for joy

The second word, sukham, comes from su, meaning good, and kha, meaning space. It is often translated as ease, comfort or joy, and it is this quality that prevents sthira from becoming simply about discipline and control.

There needs to be space within our steadiness.

Yoga is not asking us to become rigid versions of ourselves who follow a perfect set of rules. Instead, it asks us to develop an awareness that allows us to move through life with greater ease and compassion.

When we are living in a way that feels aligned with our values, there can be a particular kind of joy that comes from knowing that our actions are contributing to something beyond ourselves.

This is why the relationship between sthira and sukham is so important. Stability without joy can become rigidity, while joy without stability can become distraction. Together, they create a more balanced way of moving through the world.

Taking our seat

The final word, āsanam, comes from the Sanskrit root ās, meaning to sit, to take one's seat or to establish a connection with the Earth.

When we practise asana, we are constantly working with this relationship to the ground beneath us. We learn what it feels like to be supported by the Earth while simultaneously becoming aware of how we are using our bodies. We press down in order to rise up, we create stability in order to move, and we learn that our ability to find freedom in a posture often depends upon the quality of our connection to the ground.

The same principle can be applied to the way we live.

How are we taking our seat in the world? What are we supporting through our choices, and what are we contributing to through our consumption?

Yoga beyond the mat

Ahimsa, or non-harming, is perhaps the most obvious place to begin. The practice asks us to consider how we can reduce suffering, and that responsibility cannot stop with the person standing next to us in a yoga class. It extends to animals, the environment and all sentient beings.

Studying this has made me much more aware of how easily we can move through life without questioning the suffering that may be connected to the things we consume. Meat, dairy, fish, cosmetics and countless other everyday products can have stories behind them that we are often encouraged not to think about. When we become willing to look more closely, our perception can begin to change.

This is one of the things we love about yoga. It is not necessarily about giving us more information; it is about changing the way we see.

Satya, the practice of truthfulness, can be understood in a similar way. It asks us to look beyond the stories we have been told and become willing to see things as they really are. Many of us grow up with a very disconnected understanding of where our food comes from, learning to see products on a supermarket shelf rather than the living beings or natural resources involved in creating them. Becoming more conscious can sometimes be uncomfortable, but that discomfort can also be the beginning of a much deeper understanding.

Asteya, or non-stealing, invites us to question what we believe we are entitled to take. When we look at this through the relationship between humans and animals, we can begin to question the assumption that we have an automatic right to take their bodies, their offspring, their milk or their lives simply because we have the ability to do so.

Brahmacharya, often understood as the wise use or conservation of energy, encourages us to consider where we direct our own energy and what we are supporting with it. Every choice we make requires energy, whether that is our time, our attention, our money or our consumption. Becoming conscious of where that energy goes is another way of practising yoga beyond the mat.

And then there is aparigraha, or non-grasping. In a world that constantly encourages us to buy more, own more and consume more, this teaching feels incredibly relevant. It asks us to question the idea that having more will necessarily make us happier and encourages us to become comfortable with having enough.

Coming back to our natual rhythm

The more I study yoga, the more I realise that these teachings are not asking us to withdraw from the world. They are asking us to become more conscious participants in it.

Sthira sukham āsanam reminds us that there is a relationship between steadiness, joy and our connection to the Earth. It begins with something as simple as the way we sit on our mat, but it can eventually lead us to question how we eat, how we consume, how we treat other beings and how we choose to use our time and energy.

Perhaps being grounded isn't simply about being physically stable. Perhaps it is about knowing what you are connected to and allowing that awareness to influence the way you live.

When we begin to understand ourselves as part of nature rather than separate from it, our choices can start to look different. We become more aware that our health is connected to the health of the world around us, that our wellbeing is connected to the wellbeing of other beings and that even the smallest choices contribute to the larger rhythm of life.

The practice is therefore not about becoming perfect. It is about becoming awake.

It is about taking our seat, feeling the ground beneath us and becoming honest about the way we are participating in the world.

Sthira sukham āsanam.

A steady connection to the Earth, held with awareness, compassion and joy.