| Asana
Idol: The Number One Yoga Posture
by Mehtab, Yoga Yoga's Founder
On
the runway of yoga, which is the last posture to be voted off the island?
Which yoga asana do 9 out of 10 yogis past and present recommend as the
absolutely, essential must-have for the aspiring yogi or yogini?
Well,
the votes are in and although most of the voters have been dead for hundreds
of years (kind of like Louisiana politics), we do have a winner. A gong
roll, please, as we welcome the emperor of asanas, the princess of postures,
and the one most likely to be practiced by Christy Turlington for the
paparazzi:
The
Winner: Padamasana - Lotus Posture
Yes
indeed, that posture popularized by celebrities and advertising agencies
to sell us the benefits of yoga also just happens to be the most essential
asana for the advanced stages of yoga. Here is why.
Christy Turlington in Bound Lotus Pose |
In
yoga there are two classes of asanas or postures: the cultural or
therapeutic postures and the meditative postures. The cultural postures
are the ones that work on strengthening and purifying the physical
body, like Warrior Pose, Cobra Pose and Sun Salutations. The meditative
postures are the various seated postures that are conducive to practicing
pranayama (breathing exercises) and meditation.
In
the Western world, the physical cultural postures are heavily emphasized
as students and teachers approach yoga as primarily a form of exercise
to heal the physical body. Indeed, most people teaching and practicing
"yoga" are really primarily experiencing only the physical
culture asanas which are in themselves perhaps the best system ever
developed to keep the body in good health.
Yoga, however, offers much more than physical well-being. It is
a journey that takes us to the ultimate realization of our soul's
purpose and liberates us from the cycle of suffering and illusion
of separation. To travel this part of the journey, you need the
meditative postures.
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In
many of the early texts in yoga, the only asanas mentioned for the yogi
to practice were the meditative postures. It was only later that the catalog
of physical culture postures became a part of the canon of Hatha Yoga.
In the Hatha Yoga text Gheranda Samhita, one of the earliest and authoritative
descriptions of the practice of yoga, it is said that there are as many
postures as there are living creatures in the Universe (which seems to
imply that each of us exhibits and manifests our own unique asana). Of
these uncountable postures, there are 84 special asanas and of these postures
32 asanas are given as being most useful to the practitioner. Of these
32 asanas, 16 are essential to complete the practice of yoga. Of these
16, there are four that have special importance: Siddhasana, Padmasana,
Swastikasana, and Vajrasana.
These
four postures are all seated meditative postures. Of these four asanas,
Padmasana is considered to be the best. Why?
Lets look at the name itself: Lotus Posture. With the feet resting upward
on the opposite thighs, the body appears to be like an opening flower
that floats upon the water. The real meaning, however, is that the posture
is instrumental in opening the lotuses, which is another name for the
chakras or psychic energy centers of the subtle body. The position naturally
awakens the flow of Kundalini energy from the base of the spine and directs
it to the crown chakra, or the thousand-petaled lotus that awakens us
to the higher self.
The
firm foundation afforded by the posture allows the yogi to enter into
deep meditation while keeping the spine open and extended. A natural
root lock, or bandha, is engaged to direct the flow of energy upward. The
pressure of the feet on the thighs restricts blood flow through the femoral
artery that directs the circulation to the upper part of the body and the
brain to enhance focus and meditation.
The
real effect of the posture, however, is more energetic and esoteric than
just aligning the spine and redirecting blood flow. The heel pressure
in the groins and beneath the knee joints checks the flow of prana through
the Ida and Pingala and enables the movement of energy through the central
nerve channel, the Sushumna to become dominant.
What
this means is that the mind, breath and energy become balanced and the
energy of spiritual awareness, the Kundalini, is allowed to awaken the
lotuses, or chakras, on its natural upward movement. One gains a positive
control over the mind, pranayama (breathing control) becomes natural,
and the highest intelligence will result. The posture is also called the
"destroyer of all disease" and insures "freedom from bondage."
Alain
Danielou in his acknowledged classical text Yoga (1949), recounts that
the Padmasana "cures almost all ailments: heart and lung diseases,
digestive troubles, fevers and skin affectations…and helps to conquer
laziness, sleep, mental weaknesses…it awakens the coiled energy and
thus leads to transcendental knowledge."
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Pattabhi
Jois, the master of Ashtanga Yoga, has also sung its praises as
an automatic way to practice pranayama and meditation: "When
padmasana [the lotus sitting posture] is perfect, then you control
your anus with mulabandha, and also use the chin lock, jalandrabandha.
There are many types of pranayama, but the most important one is
kevala kumbhaka, when the fluctuations of the breath-the inhalation
and exhalation-are controlled and automatically stop. For this you
must practice. Practice, practice, practice."
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Pattabhi Jois in Padmasana |
Padmasana
is a challenging posture for most Western students because our culture
does not encourage sitting on the floor or squatting like in the East.
Almost two-thirds of the world's population regularly squats in place
of both chairs and toilets which makes it easier to assume Padmasana safely.
Furthermore,
the completed form of Padmasana is actually even more challenging as it
is accomplished by wrapping opposite arms behind the back and holding
onto the corresponding big toes. Sometimes called Bound Lotus, or Bandha
Padmasana, this is the posture that is considered to be so eminently beneficial
to spiritual awakening and the realization of the goals of yoga. The Bound
Lotus posture actually occurs near the end of the Ashtanga Yoga series
and the practitioner completes it by bringing the forehead to the earth.
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Yogi Bhajan in Padmasana
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Yogi
Bhajan, the master of Kundalini Yoga, also gave extensive instructions
in the practice of Bound Lotus Kriya in which the practitioner goes
into a deep state of meditation while touching the third eye point
to the earth. Whereas most traditions hold this position for 1 to
3 minutes, Yogi Bhajan suggested that it would be most effective
if held up to 31 minutes (no longer). While seemingly an intimidating
goal to obtain (Yogi Bhajan said, "I cannot force anyone to
do it. I can only recommend it."), it can be achieved over
a number of months (or years) and Kundalini practitioners have noticed
a wide range of benefits. One student reported, "My chronic
hip pain, which plagued me for a year, slowly faded away. I released
old emotional patterns and a lot of anger. I became more intuitive
and calmer and started feeling a deeper connection with myself and
who I truly am: infinite, godly, beautiful, and happy. This pose
changed my life so much that even the physical pain could not stop
me from doing it. It works miracles!" (For more information
on Bound Lotus Kriya, you can check out www.boundlotus.com)
The
first step, however, is safely performing the open arm version of
the pose, also known as Mukta Padmasana (Free or Open Lotus).
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To
begin your experience of practicing Mukta Padmasana, you may want to read
page 154 in Donna Farhi's excellent book, Yoga Mind Body and Spirit.
She gives good advice for moving safely into the posture that she once
said took her 26 years to get right!
Patience is definitely advised. Overdoing this posture can tweak the knees
(which can take a long time to heal) or aggravate the sciatica. It is
best done slowly with a teacher's help. And of course it also helps to
start by sitting more on the floor and less in chairs and working on opening
the hips. You have to leave your ego at the door to practice Padmasana
and perhaps that is why it is so powerful!
You may also work with the easier seated or meditative postures as well.
While they look simple, they are actually the advanced postures of yoga
and offer deep rewards.
And by all means remember that like all of yoga, Padmasana is a life-long
journey with the focus on the practice and not merely the accomplishment.
"The
seated lotus postures are an amazing way to go into meditation, or simply
just to take a moment to ground oneself." --
Christy Turlington
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