Yoga for Life: Awaken the day with Lotus Posture

Posted 9/9/22

A simple way to begin the day with mental clarity is by sitting tall in yoga Lotus Posture.

You must be a member to read this story.

Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.


Already have an account? Log in to continue. Otherwise, follow the link below to join.

Please log in to continue

Log in
I am anchor

Yoga for Life: Awaken the day with Lotus Posture

Posted

A simple way to begin the day with mental clarity is by sitting tall in yoga Lotus Posture. This pose awakens conscious thinking and breaks through the cloud of morning haze. Beginning the day in this posture, draws the blood through the spine, replenishes fresh oxygen throughout the body as the mind focuses simply on the breath.

There are many yoga postures to awaken the body at the beginning of a new day; the Lotus Pose is a good first choice. Sit in the middle of the bed with legs crossed, arms bent at the elbow and palms turned up and resting on the knees. The thumb and index finger on each hand form a circle as they touch together.

With eyes closed, go inside the body and check for any tension and physical strain. Breathe deeply into those spots. You may want to re-adjust how you are sitting to be sure the sitting bones are flat and the inner thighs free of tension. The Lotus posture or Padmasana from ancient India is used as a meditative pose. The full posture folds each foot over the opposite thigh and the spine is ascended tall. (A note of caution, be sure to check with a physician if you have any spine injuries that may restrict your movement before you begin this practice).

Sitting in Lotus Posture lengthens the muscles in the back of the knees, ankles and legs. If those muscles are tight, be patient and cross one leg at a time over the opposite thigh. If this is too difficult, just cross the legs at the ankle and sit tall. Once you are sitting comfortably, inhale deeply from the bottom of the spine, expand the lungs fully and hold the breath for a slow count of 10 as you pull the oxygen up the spine then exhale. Repeat this deep breathing for at least 5 times to awaken the expansion of the upper body and loosen tightness. You can also take a break by stretching the legs long, shaking them, then returning to the Lotus position.

“Padmasana” is “rooted in the mind.” As the posture becomes stronger, ‘the pose is like a lotus rooted in the mud that grows and blooms into a beautiful flower,” says Richard Rosen, director of the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, California. “When a person begins Yoga, they are rooted for the most part in the mundane world but as they progress, they grow into a blooming flower.”

Lotus pose is a foundational practice, beginning in a seated position that energies the lumbar spine, stretches ankles, legs and improves the flexibility of the hips. It is a hip opener and grounds the entire body or makes it calmer.

A variation of this posture is demonstrated by Nancy Zachary, long time Yoga practioner. This modification places the balls of the feet together with knees extended outward and hands folded with fingers pointed upwards in front of the chest for balance. I observe Nancy’s continued growth, determination and grace in each class. Congratulations Nancy and the other students who forge ahead in practicing the correct form of all of the Yoga postures.

yoga, lotus posture

Comments

x