The thirty-seventh verse of the second book (II.37) of Patanjali's Yoga Sutra says ASTEYA-PRATISTHAYAM SARVA-RATNOPASTHANAM. A few of my preferred translations of this Sutra are:
When abstention from stealing is firmly established, precious jewels come. (B.K.S. Iyengar)
For those who have no inclination to steal, the truly precious is at hand. (Chip Hartranft)
To one established in non-stealing, all wealth comes. (Swami Satchidananda)
And my favorite:
If you keep up the practice of never stealing from anyone, then there will come a time when people just come to you and offer you all that you need. (Michael Roach)
In Sanskrit, the word asteya literally means "to not steal." And discussion of this Sutra often regards not taking material things which do not belong to you -- don't shoplift, don't burgle. That is clearly only a very superficial rendering of its meaning. It also reminds us to not steal other people's time by being late to appointments. Or to not steal by way of delaying the return of something which you have merely been loaned. Also, don't prevent others from having what they need by hoarding more than your fair share. If you can be a person who avoids stealing in all senses of the word, then you will be rewarded with everything you need. If we can master non-stealing, then we get to have wealth.
This, to me, sounds an awful lot like what Mr. Iyengar is teaching us about our bodies when he says:
"If the standing poses described earlier (Plates 1 to 36) and the various movements of Sarvangasana and Halasana (Plates 234 to 271) are mastered first, Sirsasana will come without much effort. If these elementary asanas have not been mastered, the period taken to learn Sirsasana will be longer" (LoY 189).
This is yet another reminder that yoga is systematic: it is structered and progressive. It is designed around a logical series of building-blocks wherein each layer is dependent upon the one below as well as the one above. When you ignore the building-blocks and dive into a pose for which you are not prepared, you are stealing from yourself. You are stealing time from yourself by impeding, halting, or even reversing the progression of your practice. You are stealing healthy boundaries from yourself by pressing beyond reasonable limits. You are stealing intelligence from yourself by ignoring validated authoritative advice. And you are stealing your own physiological well-being by placing undue stress upon your nervous system, as well as physical well-being by holding your muscles and joints accountable for a level of stability and mobility they do not have. You are taking something which does not belong to you; namely, a pose which you have not earned.
In this passage, Mr. Iyengar reminds us that Standing Poses and Shoulderstand First Variation are the focus of the first thirteen weeks of practice because (among other things) they are directly preliminary to Sirsasana. In that way, Sirsasana is like a kind of reward for a job well done, a gift received in recognition of proper preparation. If you master the standing poses and the basic Shoulderstand, then you get to practice Headstand. If you can be honest, disciplined, and patient enough to truly learn how to stand on your own two feet, then you will be given the capacity to view your world from upside down.
However, if you try to take what doesn't belong to you -- if you pretend to be more physically, physiologically, or psychologically adept than you actually are, and attempt poses for which you are not prepared -- then your efforts to progress will be much more difficult.
This isn't limited to Sirsasana, of course. Every pose has necessary preparatory components. So please do not read this and think "Oh no, she's telling ME that I'M not ready for Headstand!" What I'm saying is pay close attention: when he says things such as "x & y are necessary prerequisites for z," or "continue to practice a, b, & c until they are mastered," that is probably advice being given rather sincerely. Remember that practicing any given asana means truly understanding what it is, how to do it, and why. That is what it means to have mastered the pose.
Moreover, having mastered the standing poses and Shoulderstand isn't a guarantee that you will practice Sirsasana. He says that it "will come without much effort," but that is not the same as "no effort." Sirsasana definitely requires effort -- from the outer body, from the inner body, and from the "more-than-your-body" -- regardless of which other poses have been mastered. But here is an explicitly stated list of things which will make the effort as smooth and pleasant as possible. Yoga is a never-ending practice of challenges and discipline and obstacles, and part of what we are learning to do is to face those inevitable moments of upheaval with grace and equanimity. So whether you are working to attain Sirsasana or any other asana, don't make it any harder on yourself than it already is.
And don't take what doesn't belong to you. If that is a tenet by which you live and practice, then you will be justly rewarded. Through the cultivation of asteya, you get all that you need. If you keep up the practice of never stealing from YOURSELF, then there will come a time when your practice offers you all that you need.
"Upon the man who does not take what does not belong to him, all riches are showered. Being without desire, he effortlessly attracts what is precious, both materially and figuratively, including the gem of all jewels, virtue." (Iyengar, Light on the Yoga Sutras, 1993, 142)
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