Relaxed Alertness | Three Aphorisms from the Yoga Sutras of Patañjali

Among the many texts that describe Yoga as a technique, a science, a philosophy, and a state of being, The Yoga Sutras of Patañjali have left a profound impression on me—as they have on countless others. I’d like to share a few aphorisms from the second section, Sādhana Pāda, which focuses on practice and then I'll relate those aphorisms directly to the practice of Yoga Nidra.

Of the 196 aphorisms, or Sūtras, recorded by Patañjali, only three focus on Āsana, or physical posture. For many, Āsana is a gateway into Yoga, but over time, the path naturally leads toward deeper practices like meditation—such as Yoga Nidra, an effortless doorway into pure Awareness.

Here are the three Sūtras on Āsana with translations by scientist, theosophist and scholar of Yoga and Indian philosophy, I.K. Taimni:

46. Sthira-sukham āsanam.

Posture (should be) steady and comfortable.

47. Prayatna-śaithilyānanta-samāpattibhyām.

By relaxation of effort and meditation on the ‘Endless’ (posture is mastered).

48. Tato dvandvānabhighātah.

From that no assaults from the pairs of opposites.

While Patañjali refers specifically to physical postures in these Sūtras, we can also apply these principles to our mental postures—the way we hold ourselves internally.

In both body and mind, we aim to be steady yet comfortable—balanced between activity and stillness. Not so relaxed that we drift into sleep, yet not so active that we become too tense. The key is to be both alert and at ease, maintaining a state of relaxed awareness.

With practice, we can move beyond mere balance and into a state of relaxed effort. As Taimni explains, this involves gradually slackening effort and shifting control of the body from the conscious mind to the subconscious. By doing so, the body remains stable and at ease, while the mind becomes free to rest in awareness of the Infinite—Ananta.

The word Ananta in the Sūtra symbolizes the Endless, the Infinite. In Hindu mythology, Ananta is the cosmic serpent that serves as the eternal foundation of the universe, supporting all of existence. It is upon Ananta that Vishnu (Viśņu), the preserver of the universe, reclines in deep meditation, embodying cosmic equilibrium, effortless awareness, and the perfect balance between action and stillness.

When we find this balance between effort and ease, exertion and relaxation, we begin to experience a relaxed effort. As effort dissolves, we naturally connect to the Infinite, to ever-expanding consciousness. In this state, we transcend the pairs of opposites—hot and cold, joy and sorrow, pleasure and pain. When we are disconnected from wholeness, life seems divided into these dualities. But when we settle into relaxed awareness, we rest in wholeness itself, untouched by opposites.

In Yoga Nidra, we consciously dissolve effort and surrender into a deep, limitless awareness – a state much like Viśņu resting on Ananta. We embody relaxed alertness and effortless steadiness, just as the Sūtras describe, experiencing not fragmentation, but wholeness.

The more we can flow into that state, the more we can experience wholeness and a sense of Divine Reality in its infinite splendor even as we live our day to day lives.