Where did yoga come from? What is its essence and, most importantly, how to master one of the main asanas, how to sit in the lotus position? We will answer these and other questions further. Doing yoga, a person masters a variety of asanas, that is, postures for meditation and improving health. But this is not all that yoga can give. First of all, this is a special way to achieve unity with the Higher Mind. According to one version, yoga was given to people by Shiva, one of the supreme gods, who is also considered the main yogi. Through exercise, a person can become more perfect, according to Hindus.
Whether yoga was really given to the people of Shiva, whether it was born out of his spontaneous dance at a wedding, or was transmitted by the descendants of Atlantis and Lemuria, is not known for certain. But the fact that this is the oldest system of healing and self-improvement is beyond doubt. This is also confirmed by archaeological finds. So, on many bas-reliefs and stone tablets, scientists found images of people in asanas. Documentary evidence of yoga was first discovered in the Rig Veda. It describes for the first time the relationship between man, nature and the need to achieve harmony between them. Then the victorious procession of yoga continued thanks to the writing of the Upanishads. The topic of life cycles and fundamental issues of life and death, the place of man in the world, were also raised there. But the heyday of yoga was due to Patanaji, who wrote the famous yoga sutras. But, despite the antiquity of the system, year after year, yoga practitioners are faced with the question of how to sit in the lotus position. After all, what seems so easy, in practice, is far from possible for everyone.
How to sit in the lotus position and what does it depend on?
To perform this asana, you need some training. Hindus believe that the lotus position is obtained the first time in people who are pure in soul. In other words, your success depends on the state of the energy industry. But not everything rests on high matters. More often, problems lie in the innate features of the body or in the absence of stretch marks. Sometimes the structure of the hip joint is such that sitting in the lotus position seems impossible, but in practice there is not a single person who could not cope with this task, albeit with some delay. In order to prepare the ligaments and tendons for the development of the main yoga exercise, you need to spend some time.
Not everyone is able to feel comfortable and relaxed in the lotus position. Over time, the ligaments will become more elastic, and the feeling of tension and discomfort will pass. The lotus position, correctly performed, has a beneficial effect on the physical, mental and energetic state of a person.
How to sit in the lotus position without discomfort?
As mentioned above, the most important thing is stretching and preparatory exercises. The better the tendons and ligaments are stretched and warmed up, the less the risk of injuries, the easier it is to complete the exercise. By the way, yoga practitioners are mistaken when they say that they "stretch their muscles." Muscle tissue, in principle, is unable to stretch. All exercises are aimed at increasing joint mobility and tendon elasticity. Consider the most effective preparatory exercises. They will also help to understand what the lotus position looks like. Photos will provide an idea of the exercises.
Exercise number 1. Inclined legs
Sit on the floor and stretch forward one leg, and bend the other and lay on the thigh. Grasp the toe of the straight leg with both hands and, gently springing, begin to bend, trying to touch the leg not with your forehead, but with your stomach and chest. It will be, to put it mildly, unpleasant.
But here it is important to observe the middle ground, not to overdo it and not to give yourself excessive indulgences. Follow the rule that kung fu fighters adhere to in training: do a little more than you can. But yoga would not be yoga, had it been so simple. This system does not provide for victory over oneself through pain. More precisely, yoga teaches how to sit in the lotus position without raping yourself. It's all about breathing. When leaning toward your foot, take a long breath for eight seconds. Hold this position. Then, standing up, exhale into 4 counts. Repeat the exercise on the other leg, and then bend to the two extended legs.
Exercise number 2. Leg on hip
This exercise is similar to the previous one, but is working on other ligaments. Starting position - sitting on the floor, but the left leg is placed on the thigh of the right, and the knee is slightly attracted to his hands.
Exercise number 3. Workout hip joints with a slope
Its name is Butterfly. To do this, sit on the floor, bend your legs and pull the joined feet toward you. Grasp them with your hands and lean forward a little. At first it will seem that it is impossible to do the exercise, but over time the tension will disappear, it will become easier.
Exercise number 4. Butterfly with hands
This exercise is a modification of the previous one. It prepares the hip joints for the correct position in padmasan. It practically does not cause discomfort, you can do it while watching TV. The starting position is the same. But instead of leaning forward with your hands, you need to push on your knees, bringing them closer to the floor. Then, grab your feet and use your muscles to rhythmically lower your knees to the floor. In the process of doing the exercise, you “slip” the pain moment, as a result, doing it is completely painless.
Exercise number 5. Ankle Stretch
Answering the question of how to sit in the lotus position, it should be noted that not only the pelvic ligaments, but also the ankle participate in this asana. Therefore, the next exercise is aimed specifically at the development of this group. It is carried out as follows. Sit on a chair and place your legs under it so that your fingers are pressed to the floor. Then, with light springing movements, press your foot 10 times to the floor to feel the tension of the ligaments. Another version of the exercise is shown in the photo. The leg with which work is being laid is laid on the thigh of the bent second leg.
Exercise number 6. Asana test
After a month of regular classes, you can try to sit in the lotus position. To do this, bend the right leg and place it with the foot up on the thigh of the left leg. Do the same with the other leg. According to the description, it may not be clear to everyone how to sit in the lotus position. Photos will help you navigate. If it’s very difficult to get into padmasana, try half a lot to start. In this asana, one leg lies on the thigh of the other, and the second is located as in normal sitting. Another option for a simplified lotus is simply to cross your legs in Turkish.
Exercise number 7. Touching the floor with your stomach
Sitting on the floor, spread your legs as wide as possible. Reach first to one leg, then to the other. Finally, lean forward and touch the floor with your stomach, keeping your legs straight. Most likely, the exercise will not work right away, since it requires a high level of preparation and stretching. Even if you sit down on the twine, there is no guarantee that you will succeed.
The main difficulty is to ensure that the socks are pointing upward when tilted. It depends on the position of the hip joint during exercise. If you succeeded, then you almost understood how to sit in the lotus position.
Exercise number 8. Work with energy
This exercise is more energetic, not physical. Relax as much as possible and imagine that from Cosmos a stream of golden light pours on you, filling every cell of the body. Now imagine how you perform, for example, padmasana. Mentally feel the movement of every muscle, every joint. Then slowly open your eyes and go to bed.
Performing this exercise regularly, combined with daily practice and warming up, helps you sit in the lotus position faster. Its effectiveness is based on the statement of classical yoga that our consciousness is a bridge connecting the physical world and the spiritual world. Therefore, it can control our physical body. No matter how fantastic it may seem, the capabilities of the human brain are not yet fully understood. In addition, a group of volunteers who, in addition to training, mentally continued to work on themselves, showed better results than the second group of athletes who took part in one of the studies of American scientists.
Exercise number 9. We work with a chair
Starting position - sitting on the floor with outstretched legs or on a chair. The second option is even preferable. Put the foot of the right foot on the left thigh and with the strength of the muscles try to put the knee of the bent leg so that as a result the foot is turned up. Change legs and continue your lesson.
Yoga Precautions
Yes, many are attracted to the lotus position. How to sit down? A photo with an asana really creates a feeling of simplicity. Meanwhile, yoga is not just a stretch. In asanas, not only ligaments are involved, but also joints, which often move in an unusual direction.
Without a warm-up and preparation, many poses are simply traumatic and threaten a fracture. Therefore, instructors talk about the inadmissibility of tension and excessive pain. Remember: yoga is incompatible with violence, especially with violence over oneself.