and regrets. Only the Self takes you to the present, for the divine can
be experienced only now. The past, present, and future are held to
gether in each asana as thought, word, and deed become one.
One has to find the median line of each asana so that the energy is
properly distributed. When one wavers from the median line, then one
goes either to the past or the future. Vertical ascending is the future;
vertical descending is the past. The horizontal is the present. The pre
sent is the perfect asana. When you open horizontally, future and past
meet in the present. This is how dynamic extension and expansion
allow you to find balance and live more fully in the present through
your body. In asana, we find balance and integration in the three di
mensions of space, but we also find balance and integration in the
fourth dimension of time.
The ancient sages said that the key to life was balance, balance as
I have emphasized in every layer of our being. But what are we sup
posed to balance? The answer lies in the three qualities of nature,
which are called the guna. These three qualities must be balanced in
your asana practice and in your body, mind, and soul. Roughly they
are translated as solidity, dynamism, and luminosity.
We have seen that the essence of nature is change, a never-ending
expression and re-expression of itself. What, we must ask ourselves,
constantly provokes that change? Why do things simply not stay as
they are? This is because of the guna, the three complementary forces
that Indian philosophy identifies as emerging from the very root of na
ture at the moment of creation. Understanding the guna, these three
forces of nature, will be important for the success of your practice of
yogasana and your inward journey to the Universal Soul.
As soon as nature becomes manifest, these three forces shift. They
lose their balance and create instability. That instability is very fertile.
Mathematicians say that numbers progress from one to two to three
to many. It is the number three that unlocks the possibility of infinite
diversity. Infinite, unmanifested origin is one. Duality is two. Duality
II K S IV 1'. N 1; /Ill