trikonasana
TRIANGLE POSE
The three angles (tri konas in Sansrkit) of a triangle make it one of the strongest and most stable shapes in nature. In triangle pose, there are three triangle shapes made with the body: one with our legs and the floor, a second one underneath the side of the body with the arm and front leg, and the third connecting the top hand and two feet.
The triangle pose represents many sacred trinities in our world, such as the trinity of earth, space, and heavens or that of birth, life, and death. Trikonasana also symbolizes the three gunas, or qualities, that compose our bodies and minds.
The Three Gunas
Understanding the gunas enhances our comprehension of our yoga practice and allows us navigate the world around us better, as they affect everything in the universe. Tamas guna, which arises from Shiva, is the quality of inertia or unconsciousness. It causes indifference and can have a destructive energy. Rajas guna, which comes from Brahma, is the quality of passion and creativity, which provides the creative energy we need for manifesting things. Sattva guna, from Vishnu, is the quality of lightness and consciousness, which is necessary to sustain harmonious living and maintain our enlightened awareness. These gunas come together to create maya, the world of illusion that we experience through our senses.
The gunas color every aspect of our existence. When we are feeling slow and sluggish, and it’s hard to get out of bed, we are under the influence of tamas guna. When we are very excited about something, to the point of distraction, we are under the influence of rajas guna. And when we are feeling our yoga buzz, we are under the influence of sattva guna. To help us understand the gunas, yoga philosophy compares them to animals. The sloth corresponds to tamas, because it moves so slowly that moss grows on its back. The bull is like rajas guna because it paws the ground and snorts. The cow resembles sattva guna because of its peaceful nature.
One of the aims of yoga practice is to invite as much clarity (sattva) in our lives as possible, while avoiding ignorance (tamas) and agitation (rajas). Tamas and rajas are not inherently bad, though. We need some tamas to fall asleep, and we need some rajas to get us going. It is only when we have too much of either that they prevent us from reaching a more noble and harmonious state of being.
The practice of yoga aims to reach a state of elevated consciousness called suddha sattva, or pure goodness, in which all dualities are united in absolute harmony. To reach this goal, a yogi must get beyond even sattva guna because it still binds the soul to material existence in a subtle way. Sattva remains connected to the ego and therefore perpetuates a false sense of self. For example, engaging in acts of charity is a sattvic activity, yet it usually reinforces the ego in a subtle way. While we might feel good about ourselves for having given some money to a good cause, in a suddha sattvic state of mind we give purely because of our gratitude for having received, with the full understanding that nothing really belongs to us in the first place.
Only when we break through the veil of maya do we reside solely in our divine nature. So when performing trikonasana, it’s helpful to meditate on the solid foundation that we need in order to live a sattvic life and leave the world of maya behind.
The War of Illusion
A powerful demon named Mahishasura had been wreaking havoc upon the gods and goddesses in the heavens, threatening to overthrow them. He managed to distract them constantly from their duties, turning their attention instead toward worldly and unlasting pleasures. Mahishasura’s depravity was distressing Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu, the sacred trinity in charge. In an effort to overcome Mahishasura’s debauchery, the sacred trinity brought their energy together to create the great goddess, Mahamaya (also known as Durga), just as the gunas come together to create maya.
A fierce warrior, Mahamaya and her trusty lion lunged at the evil demon. The wily Mahishasura transformed into different creatures to try to defeat them. Though his shape changed, his evil intensity stayed the same, and it became a formidable fight. Mahamaya’s lion swiped at Mahishasura’s chest, weakening him a bit. Mahamaya drew one of her endless supply of arrows and shot it right into Mahishasura’s flaming mouth. That made him cry out and fall to the ground. She promptly stood on top of him and used her scimitar to cut off his head, ending his evil reign. Having defeated the demon, Mahamaya restored light and grace to the heavens and to those who lived there.
In Sanskrit the words maha maya mean the “great illusion.” Mahamaya fights against the constantly changing illusion that keeps us believing that what we see in the world is reality, rather than seeing the truth of what lies beneath it. Our minds work like the evil demon Mahishasura, creating many distractions to lead us away from our true nature, but Mahamaya works to keep us in touch with that true nature.
