HATHA YOGA 

12

Enlightenment Journal | Fall 2011

Sthira Sukham Asanam

 

Prepare to Meditate:  

Sit Steadily With Ease

Sundari Jensen

Sthira = steady, stable, motionless 
Sukham= comfortable, filled with ease
Asanam= seat, meditation posture (root, to sit)

I

n Patanjali's Yoga Sutra, to perfect asana (liter-
ally, “seat”) means to find stillness, to quiet the 
body enough to allow awareness to abide in our 

true nature. Sutras 2.46-2.48 offer direct insights into 
preparing the body for meditation practice. The first 
verse, Sthira Sukham Asanam (Sutra 2.46), is a Sanskrit 
phrase that tells us that, "The posture (asana) for 
yoga meditation should be comfortable and stable.”  
The following verse reveals how we can find this 
steady and comfortable posture for meditation.  “It 
[the meditation posture] becomes stable as concen-

tration flows effortlessly and awareness blends with God-consciousness (Sutra 
2.47).”  The two primary means for finding a steady and comfortable posture 
are: 1) loosening tension or effort and, 2) allowing awareness to blend with 
the Infinite.  This sort of relaxed effortlessness with focused attention is an 
art of actively doing nothing.  One simple way to release effort is to system-
atically move attention and awareness through the body while breathing 
smoothly. Use the power of awareness and your breath to sweep through the 
body, remove tension, and relax into a steady posture. 

There are several seated postures that one might choose for meditation.  The 
important thing is that the chosen posture supports the experience of Sthira 
Sukham Asanam, sitting steadily with ease.  Following are a few options for 
seated meditation postures.