"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and freedom." - Victor Frankl
More than 10 years ago, with the encouragement of a friend, I took my first studio-based yoga class. Up until that point, I had only taken yoga in a health club setting. After suffering through what seemed like an eternity in Sukhasana, the class flowed nicely into poses that were familiar, and happily I was able to keep up. About halfway through the class, the instructor announced that we would be practicing Bakasana, or Crow pose, which I had never done before. With no clue as to where we were headed, I carefully followed her directions, shifting my weight into my hands, bending my elbows, lifting my hips, and placing my knees on the backs of my arms. With one big exhale, I shifted forward, and for a brief instant, it seemed my lower body floated over my hands. Shocked, I immediately fell forward on my face.
Although that was the first and, for many years to come, the last time I balanced in Crow, it started me on a long and frustrating path of trying to master that challenging pose. After falling on my face, I attempted to get back into that pose several more times. My arms ached and my wrists burned when I finally had to give up. After class I asked the instructor if she could provide some additional guidance. She paused, took a breath, and said, “You are grasping. Work to create more space.”
The yoga teacher’s cryptic message fell flat with me that day. I was frustrated that she didn’t provide more specific instructions or details about which muscles to activate, much like what I would have done as a personal trainer. After all these years, however, I have come to understand and embrace the meaning of her answer. Balance is not something that is acquired or a state we can hold on to—in fact, the more we grasp, the more elusive it becomes. Rather, it is an experience that appears when the conditions are favorable, and, unless we consciously cultivate those conditions, it quickly slips away, leaving us wanting more.
What are these conditions that invite more balance in our lives? So many of us search for this elusive state but rarely experience it. We can look to the guna of Sattva to find some answers. Sattva is the quality of nature which generates the inward and upward motion necessary to establish harmony and equilibrium. Through its actions we find stability, joy, and peace. It is a state in which the kinetic energy of rajas that propels us to change is balanced with the potential, or inert, energy of tamas that binds and can stagnate. The balanced state of sattva is cultivated during those moments when we pause and step away from our problems to gain perspective, looking at our lives through a wider lens to see our connection with the universe.
Even though one guna tends to predominate, all three exist within us at all times. Even the most dull or ignorant person experiences sattvic moments. Sattva eludes us when we shift our attention outward, getting caught in the pull of the senses and swept into an incessant stream of thoughts and emotions. The human brain was built for thinking, analyzing, and problem solving. Our thoughts churn away as we acquire more information without necessarily gaining any understanding. The more we think, the less clarity we experience. But we need only to intentionally create a pause, take a breath, and detach to create the space needed for sattva. It is in that pause where we find wisdom, an opportunity to gain the clarity necessary to find purpose and meaning in our lives.
Once a guna starts to dominate, movement in a different direction can be slow. Tamas is particularly resistant to transformation. The ignorance and deep-seated patterns of attachment that are characteristic of tamas are particularly resistant to the transformative energy of rajas. With persistence, however, rajas will eventually break down the bonds of tamas so that new patterns can be formed. In the process of change, sattva is cultivated at that moment when the old patterns have been destroyed and new ones have yet to be formed. This is the place where we gain perspective and step into the natural harmony of living a life with integrity. Just like that moment in Crow pose when I found myself floating on my hands, sattva unfolds in an instant and, unless we are in the moment and open to their arrival, they will pass us by before we fall flat on our face.
What can we do to invite more sattvic moments into our lives? It’s hard to notice these moments when we live noisy, messy, and busy lives. Simplicity is the main ingredient of sattva, so finding ways to make our lives less complicated is a good first step. We start by determining what we want less of in our lives. What complicates your life? What can you let go of? What feels stale and is no longer giving you joy?
The second step in cultivating sattva is to take the long view, realizing that, over time, the things we desire and chase after are fleeting and typically wind up being somewhat disappointing. The promotion you craved, the summer house you pined for, the slim, muscular body you wished for—many of the things we strive for, once we have them, aren’t all that satisfying. Sometimes they even become an enormous burden. Sattva unfolds when we live with intentions that are oriented toward higher ideals and a sense of purpose that extends to the greater good, above and beyond our own self interests.
Our daily habits can also create conditions that promote sattva. How busy is your schedule? What kinds of foods do you eat? Are your surroundings noisy? What is the general disposition of the people you spend your time with? Sattvic living emphasizes calm and peaceful rituals, such as eating whole, fresh foods in quiet, pleasant surroundings, or following simple daily health routines. Uncomplicated routines tame our frenzied minds and allow us to breathe between transitions, so look for ways to create space in your day. What are the routines that complicate your life? Which ones can you let go of?
The essence of any yoga practice is to create balance in the body while settling the fluctuations of our distracted, agitated minds. Balancing poses in particular can illuminate how we react when our foundation shifts: do we resist the change or relax and flow with it? A balancing practice is a measure of our sense of mindfulness. Where do your thoughts go as you transition into poses? Are you focused in the present, taking the practice step by step, or does your mind race ahead as you anticipate the next pose? What happens to your balance when you stay grounded in the present?
I invite you to broaden your perspective by approaching your practice with a beginner’s mind. See if you can follow along step by step, staying in the moment and opening your mind and body to whatever comes up. Keep in mind that sattva does not suppress our thoughts, it simply creates space around them, forming a buffer so that we don’t react with craving or resistance. See how your balancing poses feel when you approach them with equanimity.
After years of yoga training and three shoulder surgeries, my initial craving for Bakasana, Crow Pose, has significantly dampened. These days I relish the steps that take me right up to Crow’s edge. Whereas the actual launch has lost its appeal, the process now brings me great rewards. Therein lies the gift of sattva.
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