Easy Sitting (Sukhasana)

Easy sitting looks like a very simple pose. But, many people are not flexible enough to have both knees contacting the floor. If you are one of them, it is not a problem. Unlike other physical activities, yoga is not about no pain – no gain. Pain is your bodies way of telling you you have over extended yourself.

Yoga is not about pain, it is about peace, tranquility, and transcending to a higher level of consciousness. For many Americans, this aspect of yoga is ignored or forgotten.

While easy sitting may not be as easy as shown and described, your flexibility will increase with practice.

Easy sitting is another meditation pose like Lotus and Looking Within.

While it looks deceptively simple, easy sitting has many physical and mental benefits.

English Name: Easy Sitting

Sanskrit Name: Sukhasana

Difficulty Level: 1

Start Position: Staff

Instructions:

Step 1.

While sitting in Staff pose, bend your right foot forwards your body, rotating your right hip so your right knee rests on the floor.

Step 2.

Bend your left knee and align your left foot in from of your right ankle. Rest your hands on your knees with the palms up or down.

 

Kneeling Pose (Vajrasana or bhujrasana)

Kneeling Pose, is a deceptively simple looking pose, but it can help calm the mind and is the start position for Camel and Cow Face poses. If you have knee or ankle problems, try Easy Sitting instead.

English Name: Kneeling

Sanskrit Name: Vajrasana or Bhujrasana

Difficulty Level: 1

Start Position: Kneeling

Instructions:

Step 1.

While kneeling lower yourself down until you are sitting on both heels

Step 2.

Keep your back straight and rest both hands on your knees.

Step 3.

Remain in the pose as long as it feels comfortable.

Physical Benefits:

  • Aligns spine
  • Improves circulation
  • Invigorates hips, calves and ankles
  • Opens knee, ankle, and hip joints
  • Stretches quadricep muscles

Mental Benefits

  • Calms the mind

Contraindications:

  • Knee injury
  • Ankle injury

Hero (virasana)

Hero pose stretches leg muscles more than kneeling pose where you sit on your heels rather than on the floor. You get the benefits of stretching your leg and thigh muscles while calming the mind.

English Name: Hero

Sanskrit Name: Virasana

Difficulty Level: 4

Start Position: Kneeling

Instructions:

Step 1.

Starting in kneeling pose, separate your feet and sit with your buttocks on the floor between your feet.

Step 2.

You can rest your hands on your legs as in kneeling pose, extend your arms as shown in the photo, or sweep your arms above your head and intertwine your fingers.

Step 3.

Breath normally and remaining the pose as long as it feels comfortable. To get out of the pose, use your hands to support your body while you raise your upper body back to a kneeling position.

Gentle Variation

If you feel tension in your legs or hips when trying to sit on the floor, sit on a block or edge of a folded blanket.

Physical Benefits:

  • Opens lower back
  • Improves knee, hip and ankle flexibility
  • Helps relieve menstrual discomfort
  • Can lower high blood pressure

Mental Benefits

  • Reduces anxiety and stress
  • Improves focus

Contraindications:

  • Injured coccyx
  • Knee or ankle injury (try gentle variation)
  • Arthritis (try gentle variation)

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