It is where with practice (abyhasa) which Iyengar calls a centrifucal force and renunciation or detachment (vairagya), which he calls a centripetal force you can avoid obstacles sited in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali that could cause you to spiral out of control in any given instant. Your entire being is eager to embrace these two polarities that promise the "effortless effort" (Sutra 11:47) and "the end of duality" (Sutra 11:48), because you find out very quickly that attaching to just one of these obstacles could cause you to fall out of the pose.
When attempting to sustain a difficult asana like Salamba Sirsasana (headstand), the companion obstacles to the nine main obstacles (Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1:31), are usually quite prominent. These are as follows:
duhkha: mental or physical pain
daurmanasya: frustration, anguish, depression, sadness, despair, dejection,
angam-ejayatva: unsteadiness, shakiness, movement, tremor of the limbs or body
shvasa: irregular inhalation
prashvasah: irregular exhalation
vikshepa: distractions
The nine main obstacles (Patanjali Yoga Sutra 1:30) can also come into play: vyadhi: dis-ease (illness, sickness), styana: mental laziness, inefficiency, idleness, procrastination, dullness, samshaya: doubt, indecision., pramada: negligence, care-less-ness, alasya: languor, laziness, sloth, avirati: sensuality, non-abstention, craving, bhranti-darshana: false views or perception, confusion of philosophies (bhranti: false; darshana: views, perception), alabdha-bhumikatva: failing to attain stages of practice (alabdha: not obtaining; bhumikatva: stage, state, firm ground) anavasthitatva: instability, slipping down, inability to maintain and chitta-vikshepa: distractions of the mind (chitta/ mind field; vikshepa/distractions, diversions).
"It is axiomatic that the shape of the self (svarūpa) is identical to the shape of the body," Iyengar says in Astadala Yogamala, Volume 2. When the dualities have been absorbed, reconciled, and resolved, "the shape of the asana is meditative. Consequently the shape of the self cannot be otherwise."
In "The borders of order: Do all living things exist at the edge of chaos?" in the April 26-May 2, 2014 issue of New Scientist, reporter, Philip Ball explains: "There is increasing evidence that many systems we observe in living things are close to what's called a critical point - they sit on a knife-edge, precariously poised between order and disorder. Odd as it may sound, this strategy could confer a variety of benefits, in particular the flexibility to deal with a complex and unpredictable environment."
Funny thing is the Science of Yoga has been talking about this since its inception some 5,000 years ago. In Astadala Yogamala, Volume 2, BKS Iyengar gives a lesson in the confluence of Śarīra Śakti (body), Pranā Śakti (energy) and Prajñā Śakti (awareness). The word Śakti means powers. The eight-limbs of yoga bring the three powers in alignment with the Ātma Śakti (loosely: Universal Self, Exhalted or Supreme Self) to reach "enlightenment" (Samadhi) -- (transformation, tranquility, evolution, freedom, et al.). In one paragraph he states, "The tussle begins..." hinting at an ever-present point of potential chaos where there is an imbalance in one or more of the three powers. If for example, the voltage of energy gets too high, we are forced to address any surrounding weakness, whether that be in our body or our awareness in order to avoid harm.
In the New Scientist article, Ball sites how there have been clues in neuroscience that neurons in the brain sit near a critical point. "On one side, they are stable and ready to respond to stimuli. On the other, they fire in an uncontrolled cascade, triggering a seizure." However, he says scientists are appealing to the critical phase transition of iron as the oldest and most known example of this newer concept of "self-organized criticality". He describes how at a certain temperature the magnetic poles of the atoms are aligned; and then when heated to a certain degree, chaos ensues which is sufficient to "scramble the ordering".
"Magnetic alignment below the phase transition occurs because each atom interacts with its neighbors, allowing them to come to a kind of collective decision about their orientation."This "collective decision" reminds me of Iyengar's words in Light On The Yoga Sutras of Patanjali under his commentary on Sutra 11:36 Satyapratishthayam Kriyaphalasrayatvam about how when we are firmly established in truth, when every cell in our body agrees with that truth, our words become so potent whatever we say comes to realization.
"It is not our mind, but the inner voice of our cells which has the power to implement our intentions."Aligning those trillions of cells to have a single voice is what the eight limbs of yoga are sequentially designed to give us. Critical moments of utter fear in asana practice throwing our legs up in Urdhva Mukha Vrksasana (handstand) or utter exhaustion after our 10th Urdhva Dhanurasana (backbend) put us in a state of criticality that force an alignment of our body, mind, energy, with our supreme self --creating a "collective decision" to transform. The new "powers" we attain as a result are sustainable not only on the mat but in our daily lives as well.
I don't claim any great depth of understanding in neuroscience, physics, or biology, or yoga for that matter. I just enjoy learning about them. I like to connect dots, so when Ball invites in his words the profound question: "Is the presence of criticality in all these systems just a coincidence, or a sign of a unifying physical law for all life?" I can't help but wonder if the ancient science of yoga could offer some fresh insights into that answer.
Namaste
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