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BALANCE
By John Guthrie

"Waiter Cannon, an American Physiologist of the early twentieth century, spoke of the' wisdom of the body' and he coined the term homeostasis to describe its ability to maintain relatively stable internal conditions even in the face of continuous change in the outside world. Although the literal translation of homeostasis is 'unchanging', the term does not really designate a static or changing state. Rather it indicates a dynamic state of equilibrium or a balance in which internal conditions change and vary, but always within relatively narrow ranges." (Human Anatomy and Physiology. Elaine N. Marieb). Imagine our bodies 100 years ago facing the continuous change that existed then. Imagine these same bodies now coping with the enormity of change that faces us daily, rapid communications, a mountain of information, courier (to run) express, continual decision making. We now live amidst continuous change of enormous proportions. Imagine for a moment the workload upon our endocrine and nervous systems to maintain homeostasis in today's world, specifically the world we live in. The balancing postures of yoga can represent a real challenge to us at times. Perhaps more then any other postural form; they indicate how we are feeling at any one moment. If homeostasis is the governing factor of many of our body systems and of the relationship between these systems, then balancing postures have a real potential to be of assistance to those body systems. Fundamental to homeostasis is the functioning of the endocrine, nervous, lymphatic and circulatory systems. Especially important amongst these is the endocrine and nervous systems, whose optimum ability to transport chemical and "electrical" messages throughout the body necessitates almost perfect balance. "Almost perfect" because in these times we have to ask the question, "Is perfect balance possible?" We can all decide that for ourselves. Balance is not a segregated notion or issue which only need occur sometimes. Rather, it can be better viewed as a necessary content in our lives, just like the health of our physical body requires constant homeostasis. So, if the balancing postures have not been a major part of our yoga practice, perhaps it is time to look at them a little closer and select some that we feel drawn to. Many familiar yoga texts write of the benefits of this group of asanas "These asanas are especially noted to balancing the nervous system and removing stress and anxiety" (Asana, Pranayama, Mudra Bandha, Swami, Satyananda, Saraswati) "When you keep the balance by strength, it is physical action; when you keep it by the intelligence of the body, it is relaxation in action". (B.K.S. Iyengar, in Yoga, The Iyengar Way by Silva, Mira and Shyam Mehta.) The following is a series of asanas that follow each other in what we could describe as being a rhythm. Most of them are familiar. When it comes to balance, have a sense of humour; let us not be overly serious. Yes they are important, but there seems little point in getting uptight if we cannot hold the posture; it would defeat the

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purpose of why we are doing them. So, it we loose balance, let us smile to ourselves and acknowledge our effort to do the asana. Begin by standing in Tadasana, and finding your alignment. Now, scan your body from the soles of your feet to the top of your head, connecting to all the parts of your body; and then to your body as a whole. Feel the breath, and relax.

Inhale bringing the right foot back and up, and clasping around the ankle with the right hand, drawing the knee towards the buttock. Exhale, allowing the right knee to release down while holding the heel on or near the buttock. Inhale and raise the left arm up. Hold for seven breaths and on an exhalation, lower the left arm and right leg simultaneously. Repeat on the opposite side.
RISHIASANA:

We hold a variation of the full posture as the complete asana is not within reach of most people. Enter Rishi asana as above. On an exhalation, bend forward away from the buttock so that the thigh muscles lengthen. Hold for seven breaths, then inhale back to an upright position and exhale out of the posture as for Rishi asana. Repeat on the opposite side.
NATARAJASANA:

ASVATTASANA:

This is a strong posture. On inhalation, simultaneously raise the right arm up to bring the arm by the ear; raise the left arm up until it is just below shoulder height and extend the right leg back. Hold for seven breaths and on exhalation, return to Tadasana. Repeat on the opposite side.

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A beautiful asana that most of us are familiar with. As you exhale, bring the right leg around the left leg in such a way that the right foot will tuck in behind the lower left calf muscle. Simultaneously allow the left knee to bend forward. Inhale then exhale and bring the right arm over the left arm in such a way that the forearms twist around one another and the palms of the hands come together. Not everyone can bring the palms together, so the position of the hands can be adapted to suit each individual. The upright nature of the hands is important so that one can focus through the fingers. If balance is difficult, the toes of the right foot could rest on the ground behind the left leg. Hold for seven breaths. Inhale out of the posture. Repeat on the opposite side. With practice, the arms and legs can be moved into place simultaneously.
GARUDASANA:

We will use the version that is described in "Asana, Pranayama, Mudra, Bandha" by Swami Saraswati Satyananda.
BAKASANA:

Inhale up into Hasta Uttanasana so that the arms are by the ears. Exhale, forward bend from the hip into Padahastasana. As we bend forward, feel that you are moving away from the hip and allowing the vertebrae to open and lengthen. Bend the knees as required to bring the hands to the floor. Place the fingers under the toes of the left foot and on inhalation raise the right leg back and up as far as is comfortable without loosing alignment. Keep the neck relaxed and lengthened, taking care not to shorten the neck muscles by pulling the head back. Hold for seven breaths, exhale and lower the leg. Repeat on the opposite side. Inhale to come back up into Tadasana. Explore how the downward release of the sitting bones can bring us back to Hasta Uttanasana, with no pressure on the back. Exhale, lower the arms.

This is another version that could follow on from the one above and one many will be familiar with. Instead of coming back up to Tadasana return to Padahastasana and then move down to a squat positioning the arms above the elbow. Move forward bringing the feet of the floor. This version does require some strength in the arms and wrists.
BAKASANA:

Rest in Tadasana, allowing the breath to be complete, extend the natural pause after inhalation and exhalation by a few seconds. Connect to all parts of the body as we imagine the breath moving down through the head to the soles of our feet on inhalation, and back up through the body on exhalation. Rest in your body and feel the whole of your being. Having practised the above postures on their own, we can put them together in a sequence whereby the breath will carry us from one posture to the next. It goes like this, if you get into a tangle, have a laugh. We can balance on the left side to move through the postures and on the right side coming back. Tadasana - 3 breaths Inhale into Rishiasana Exhale into Natarajasana; Inhale into Asvattasana; Exhale into Garudasana; inhale and come out of the posture balanced on the left leg in an upright position; Exhale into Bakasana - inhale and hold, exhale and lower the right leg - inhale and raise the left leg - exhale and hold; Inhale out of the posture balanced on the right leg, in an upright position; Exhale into Garudasana; Inhale into Asvattasana; Exhale into Naturajasana; Inhale into Rishiasana; Exhale into Tadasana and hold for 3 breaths.

Repeat the sequence several times if you wish. Another alternative would be to move through the right side first, come back to Tadasana and then move through the left side. The above can also be done for a lengthened period of time by holding each posture for 3 breaths. It offers a different experience than doing each separately as balance is still maintained throughout on one leg except on the transition phase of Bakasana. We can also look at the symbology of these postures as we practise them. The symbology brings a much deeper aspect into the posture and moves it beyond the physical to encompass other aspects of ourselves. Balancing postures tend to immediately raise a notion of focus and concentration. In Tadasana we see the mountain pose; - strength, power; a challenge perhaps; even an obstacle in our way. So we begin by sensing our strength and power, knowing that we can move through a challenge and overcome an obstacle.

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Rishi asana - a posture of wisdom. Strength and power may propel us on our journey, but we need to have wisdom to use our energies in the right way. In this posture, we can open to the experience of our inner wisdom. Natarajasana - Shiva in his aspect of Nataraja undertaking the cosmic dance of destruction. A very powerful aspect and form. What are our negative aspects and habits that need to be destroyed? For it is from Shiva's dance of destruction that a new world will emerge and be birthed. Can we die to old habits that hold us back from wholeness and re-birth ourselves? Asvattasana - Having rebirthed ourselves, we enter a posture that "promotes the circulation of prana, the vital life within the entire body, resulting in increased oxygen, absorption and a greater release of carbon dioxide". (Yoga, A Practical Introduction; Dr Svama Puma Pg 36) A perfect posture to enhance our energy levels as we move from the dance of Shiva to a deeper level of concentration and focus. The name alone indicates a certain depth to this posture - Holy Fig Tree. Garudasana - The eagle posture; what deep symbolism we have here. Garuda, the mythical eagle of Hindu mythology. One can just picture the eagle perched upon a mountain with a vision that is one-pointed, and totally concentrated. As the eagle swoops down from its craggy ledge, its direction is purposeful with no distraction. So for us, as we hold this posture. Our concentration is one-pointed and our direction in life is purposeful. Bakasana - The posture of the crane, a symbol of peace. The inverted nature of this posture helps us to be humble. As we bring the intellect down to face the earth, the ego can begin to find its true relevance and not dominate our lives. All the other attributes of previous postures merge together here in the symbolic peace of the crane. Being genuinely humble is not an intellectual notion of our work on this planet, it is an experience of being, beyond the intellect, that enables our work to be carried out selflessly. There is a powerful and flexible strength in peace; Bakasana can help us here. Perhaps a reflective question to ponder once we have completed this series either each on their own or as a sequence is: "What is the true relevance of the ego?" If we are doing this series of postures as a sequence, we can carry peace back through the postures with us. However, we finish the postures, rest for a while in Tadasana and allow the complete yoga-breath to move through you. By opening up to the balancing postures, we can make a deep connection to the limbs of Ashtanga Yoga. One can sense the interwoven nature of these asanas (perhaps this is true of all asanas, for asanas are not isolated, nor separate from each other). The limbs of yoga have an appearance of an hierarchal structure, yet they all interweave through each other. The structure is important for it can offer us a base to work from. Balance in yoga occurs when we connect to all the limbs and do not become stuck in one. The homeostasis of our bodies relies on the interwoven harmony of our body systems. This interweaving of systems, of limbs, is but another reflection of the interweaving forces that are our universe.

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Footnote: In the notation for the postures, no emphasis has been placed on alignment. It seemed in this situation more important that we gain an experience of the postures. This does not negate alignment and once having experienced balance in the postures, we should endeavour to move towards correct alignment of them. This becomes the journey for each of us and will incorporate our kinaesthetic sense. Ultimate balance is alignment throughout all aspects of our being.
References: Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha, Swami Saraswati Satyananda , Bihar Yoga Bharati, Munger, Bihar, India 1996 Human Anatomy and Physiology, Elaine N. Marieb, The Benjamin/Cummings Publishing Company Inc. Redwood City California 1992 Yoga, The Iyengar Way, Silva, Mira and Shyam Mehta. Yoga, A Practical Introduction, Dr. Svama Puma,