Flying Scissors and the Middle Path

What Koundinyasana Teaches Us About Balance Beyond the Mat
Written by Abbe Ciulla, owner of Troy City Yoga, Wonderland Yoga and the Solar Flow Yoga School

A Lesson from the Buddha’s First Disciple
The Story Behind Scissors Arm Balance, Koudinyasana

Long before “yoga” was a hashtag, there was Koundinya—one of the Buddha’s earliest followers. Born into a world of rituals and renunciation, Koundinya was known for his uncompromising discipline.

​When Prince Siddhartha left the palace to seek truth, Koundinya followed, convinced that enlightenment came only through the harshest of austerities. Together, they fasted, meditated, and stripped life to its barest bones.

But it didn’t work. Siddhartha nearly starved. Koundinya, too, was worn thin—yet the answers never came. It wasn’t until the Buddha accepted a bowl of rice and sat beneath the Bodhi tree that everything changed.

The lesson?

Too much deprivation is as binding as too much indulgence.

​True freedom, the Buddha taught, lives on the middle path—where effort and ease meet.

Koundinyasana: Balance in Flight

​It’s no coincidence that the arm balance named for Koundinya—Koundinyasana or “Flying Scissors Pose”—echoes this story. In the pose, one leg extends forward, one sweeps back, the arms create a base, and the core unites it all. Too much force and you topple; too little engagement and you sink. The strength to lift comes not from extremes, but from precise balance—a middle path made physical.

Why It Matters Off the Mat
We all have “Koundinya moments”—times we grip too hard, push too far, or swing to extremes. Maybe it’s chasing perfection at work, maybe it’s overcorrecting with rest. The pose reminds us that life, like practice, is a dance of opposites. The sweet spot is not found at the edges but in the dynamic center.

Try This
Next time you step on the mat, try Koundinyasana—or a simpler arm balance. Notice what happens when you over-effort. Notice when you hesitate. Then soften. Engage just enough. It’s in that space between strain and surrender that you’ll find your lift.