Padmasana (The Lotus pose)

Padma means lotus. Padmasana is the lotus pose. This is the asana for meditation.

Sit on the floor with legs straight. Bend the right leg at the knee, grab the right foot with your hands and place it on the left thigh. Then bend the left leg, grab the left foot with your hands and place it over the right thigh.

Now both your heels are near the navel. Keep the soles of the feet comfortably turned up. Rest your arms stretched over the knees. Keep the spine erect. You may feel a little discomfort in the beginning. But with repeated practice you will experience that Padmasana is the most relaxing posture.

Padmasana is recommended for practicing Pranayama (yogic breathing technique).

Benefits: Padmasana is described as the basic posture. In Kundalini Yoga, another path for Self-Realization, this posture is of much importance during the process of the awakening of Kundalini, the latent mystic power supposed to be located in the Muladhara (one of the six mystic centres situated in the spine).

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