Asanas for Meditation
22 Jun 2021 HYN Himalayan Yoga Academy
YOGIC poses ( Yogasanas ) are many. They are practised for the improvement of physical health in normal physiological conditions and the treatment of many diseases. The regular practice of some asanas for meditation exerts beneficial effects on mental health also.
Only a small number of asanas are recommended for meditation. They are : siddhasana,padmasana,svatikasana,vajrasana and sukhasana.For the purpose of meditation ,the five asanas ,just metioned ,are in order of preference.
Siddhasana
Follow the following steps for sitting in siddhasana (accomplished one ).Only men should do this asana .Its substitude for women follows:
- Sit on the floor with legs extended in front.
- Bend the left leg at the knee .By holding the left foot with hands, place the left heel near the perineum. The sole of the left foot should rest against the right thigh.
- Bend the leg at the knee .Place the right foot over the left ankle, while keeping the right heel against the public bone.
- Place the right sole between the left thigh and the left calf muscle.
- Do not rest the body on the heels.
- Stretch the arms in front . Place the backs of the hand on the respective knees ,with palms facing upwards. Join the respective thumbs and the index fingers, keeping the others fingers extended.
- Keep the back, neck and head erect .
- Repeat the same procedure for the right leg by placing the near the perineum first and then the left foot over the right ankle .
Siddha-Yoni Asana
This is the female accomplished pose,recommended for females as a substitute for siddhasana .Follow the following steps for sitting in siddha yoni asana :
- Sit on the floor with legs extended in front of you .
- Fold the left leg at the knee. Place the sole of the left foot against the inner right thigh.
- Place the left heel inside the labia majora of the vagina .
- Fold the right leg at the knee.Place the right foot on the left leg in the space between the calf and thigh.
- Make the spine and head fully erect and straight .
- Practice the asanas in conjunction with cin-mudra or jnana-mudra.
It may be practiced with either leg uppermost .
Padmasana
Follow the following the steps for sitting in padmasana(lotus pose).
- Sit on the floor.
- Bend the the right leg at the knee. Holding the right foot with the hands, place it at the root of the left thigh so as to keep the right heel near the navel.
- Bend the left leg at the knee . Hold the left foot with the hands and place it over the right foot at the root of the right thigh so as to keep the left heel near the navel.The sole of each foot should be turned up.
- Keep the back, the neck and the head perpendicularly straight. While stretching the arms, place the backs of the hands on the respective knee, with the palms upwards. Bend the index finger and the thumb of each hand to touch eachother. Alternatively, place the hands in the middle where the feet cross eachother, with the palms facing upwards and with the back of the right hand kept upon left palm. This the bhairava-mudra
Swastikasana
Follow the following the steps to sit in svastiksana :
- Sit on the floor. Stay the base position .
- Fold the left leg thigh and calf muscles .Bend the right leg and place the right foot in the space between the left thigh and calves of the opposite leg.
- Place the toes of the both feet between the thighs and calves of the opposite leg.
- Place on the hands on the corresponding knees in jnana or cin-mudra or in the lap ,with palms facing upwards and with the back of the right hand kept on the left palm .
NOTE :
The final process of the siddhasana and swastikasana look alike .In the former , the heel of the lower leg pressed the perineum ,whereas in the latter it does not.
Vajrasana
Vajra means thunderbolt .Hence vajrasana is the thunderbolt pose .Vajra is the name of a major nadi (pranic channel) in the subtle body. It is directly connected with the genito-urinary system. This nadi regulates the sexual energy of the body. Sequentially follow the following steps to sit in vajrasana:
- Sit with both the legs folded at the knees and feet stretched backwards and big toes crossed.
- Keep the knees together , but the heels apart .
- Lower the buttocks to place them in between the feet ,the bootoms of which face upwards . keep the heels at the sides of the tips.
- Place the hand on its respective knee , with palms downwards .
Vajarasana is the only pose that can be practiced right after meals to improve digestion . It is the only meditative pose for persons suffering from sciatica and sacral infection .
Sukhasana
Follow the following steps to sit on the sukhasana:
- Sit on the floor and stretch both the legs in front of the body .
- Fold the left foot under the right thigh.
- Fold the right foot under the left thigh.
- Place the hands on the laps , with palms upwards and with the back if the rughgt hands / palm on the left .
- keep the head , neck and back erect .
Sukhasana is the ideal meditative pose for beginners for whom the classical meditative poses are difficult .After mastering any of the classical meditative poses,the meditator should dispense with the sukhasana .A folded blanket at the back below the two buttocks may improve this meditational pose .
Savasana
The corpse pose or savasana is not a meditative pose . Since we recommend pranayama to precede meditation and since every pranayama session is followed by savasana , we deem it proper to briefly describe this asana. The technique is given below:
- Lie fat on the back ,without any pillow with the hands a little away from the thighs and with the palms up .
- Keep the heels together and the toes apart .
- Close the eyes .
- Relax the whole body.All the skeletal should be placid . limbs and joints should not be tense at all. The lower jaw should hanf loose . the tongue a nd the pupils of the eyes should be passive .
- Breathe slowly and evenly , without jerky movements.
- Keep the mind passive , free from thought.
- Stay in the pose for 15 to 20 minutes .