Samastitihi (Sa-maas-tee-tee-hee) is a call to action and an invitation to come to this moment, to clean the slate, to stand up and regain balance. We become like a majestic mountain, rooted in the earth and totally still, present and magnificent. Powerful yet without delusions, fully aware of this moment and of what IS.
"I would like to add Samastititihi" said a commentator to my post on Ashtanga Yoga Vocabulary yesterday, where I had 10 terms that are good to know before heading to a class. I am glad she suggested it, this is one of those terms that is good to "make friends with".
Samastitihi means "equal standing" and the west has translated as "Mountain Pose". It is the loud call you would hear whenever practicing in a Mysore room (where everyone practices at their own time).
As a call, it means the teacher is gathering everyone to stand up, face the sun, and recite together the opening invocation (chant) of Ashtanga Yoga.
If practicing alone, then Samastitihi becomes the first thing we do. It is the moment we stand at the edge of the mat, it means we have beaten the demons that want to take us away from our practice and given ourselves the time and space to do our asana. It is a win! It is a readiness to salute the sun and get into our series, work on our bodies, breath, mind, awakening.
Then we stand, balls of the feet slightly touching, heels separated by about an eight of an inch, just to keep them parallel, and we ground. We observe the four corners of the feet and make sure they have equal weight on them. We pay attention to our balance. Just for today.
Knee-caps are pulled up but the back of the knees are not overstretched.
Then we notice the upper-legs, we engage the quads, see that the hips are lifting, that mula bandha (tightening of the perineum) is engaged, uddyana bandha (or sucking in and lifting the abdominal muscles) is also engaged.
The chest is buoyant and open, floating almost. The spine follows its normal curvature yet straight. There is full awareness and engagement, but no tension.
The Neck is lifting but not compromised, the roof of the palate is open, the tongue and jaw relaxed, face without tension.
We are strong at the core and then the upper part of the body elevates towards the sky, the lower part grounds towards the earth. Just like a mountain, we are completely grounded yet having our upper body soaring near the sun.
We feel as if we are the line connecting the energy of the center of the earth to the vastness of the sky. And we are here, now.
Hands are by the side of the body, relaxed yet active. We are ready.
We look alongside the line of the nose, softly placing our gaze where it might fall, without becoming crossed eyed. We go in.
We are inside, in silence, ready for action yet grounded in stillness.
WE ARE. I AM!
That is Samastitihi
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RELATED:
ASHTANGA YOGA VOCABULARY: 10 TERMS TO KNOW BEFORE HEADING TO CLASS
GUIDE TO MYSORE, SOUTH INDIA
"I would like to add Samastititihi" said a commentator to my post on Ashtanga Yoga Vocabulary yesterday, where I had 10 terms that are good to know before heading to a class. I am glad she suggested it, this is one of those terms that is good to "make friends with".
 |
| Pattabhi Jois in Samastitihi |
As a call, it means the teacher is gathering everyone to stand up, face the sun, and recite together the opening invocation (chant) of Ashtanga Yoga.
If practicing alone, then Samastitihi becomes the first thing we do. It is the moment we stand at the edge of the mat, it means we have beaten the demons that want to take us away from our practice and given ourselves the time and space to do our asana. It is a win! It is a readiness to salute the sun and get into our series, work on our bodies, breath, mind, awakening.
Then we stand, balls of the feet slightly touching, heels separated by about an eight of an inch, just to keep them parallel, and we ground. We observe the four corners of the feet and make sure they have equal weight on them. We pay attention to our balance. Just for today.
Knee-caps are pulled up but the back of the knees are not overstretched.
Then we notice the upper-legs, we engage the quads, see that the hips are lifting, that mula bandha (tightening of the perineum) is engaged, uddyana bandha (or sucking in and lifting the abdominal muscles) is also engaged.
 |
| BKS Iyengar in Smastitihi |
The Neck is lifting but not compromised, the roof of the palate is open, the tongue and jaw relaxed, face without tension.
We are strong at the core and then the upper part of the body elevates towards the sky, the lower part grounds towards the earth. Just like a mountain, we are completely grounded yet having our upper body soaring near the sun.
We feel as if we are the line connecting the energy of the center of the earth to the vastness of the sky. And we are here, now.
Hands are by the side of the body, relaxed yet active. We are ready.
We look alongside the line of the nose, softly placing our gaze where it might fall, without becoming crossed eyed. We go in.
We are inside, in silence, ready for action yet grounded in stillness.
WE ARE. I AM!
That is Samastitihi
----
RELATED:
ASHTANGA YOGA VOCABULARY: 10 TERMS TO KNOW BEFORE HEADING TO CLASS
GUIDE TO MYSORE, SOUTH INDIA
Great addition! I didn't realize the whole meaning.
ReplyDeleteThanks John!
ReplyDeletesanskrit is a funny language in that it has very few words, and hence, the same word means many things depending up on context.
ReplyDeletesama(m) means equal, but the meaning here is more along the lines of "balanced".
sthiti - situation/position/standing
hi - emphasizes the act of being in the position
the translation as mountain pose comes from the asana's name - taaD-aasana (taaD = mountain).