Lotus position orPadmasana (Sanskrit:पद्मासन,romanized: padmāsana)[1] is a cross-legged sittingmeditation pose fromancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancientasana inyoga, predatinghatha yoga, and is widely used formeditation inHindu,Tantra,Jain, andBuddhist traditions.
Variations include easy pose (Sukhasana), half lotus, bound lotus, and psychic union pose. Advanced variations of several other asanas including yoga headstand have the legs in lotus or half lotus. The pose can be uncomfortable for people not used to sitting on the floor, and attempts to force the legs into position can injure the knees.[2]
Shiva, the meditating ascetic God ofHinduism,Gautama Buddha, the founder ofBuddhism, and theTirthankaras inJainism have been depicted in the lotus position, especially in statues. The pose is emblematic both ofBuddhist meditation and of yoga, and as such has found a place in Western culture as a symbol of healthy living and well-being.
The name Padmasana is from theSanskrit पद्मPadma, "lotus" and आसन, Āsana, "posture" or "seat".[4][5] In Asian cultures,[6] thesacred lotus is used as a symbol of growth towards perfection andenlightenment as it is rooted in the mud at the bottom of the pond, but rises and blooms above the water.[7] InChinese andTibetan Buddhism, the pose is also called the "vajra position" (Skt.vajrāsana, Ch. 金剛座jīngāngzuò).[8][9]
The pose is ancient and is described, along with otherasanas (sitting postures), in the 8th century bookPatanjalayogashastravivarana.[10] A figure seated in lotus position on a lotus flower is shown on dinar coins ofChandragupta II, who reigned c. 380–c. 415 AD.[11] The firsttantric text to discuss posture (asana), the 6th-10th centuryNisvasattvasamhita Nayasutra (4.11-17, 4.104-106), directs the meditator and "user of mantras" to sit in lotus or a similar posture.[12] The 15th centuryHatha Yoga Pradipika states that the pose destroys all diseases, and that a yogin in the pose who retains the air breathed in through thenadi channels attainsliberation.[13]
Sukhasana is from Sanskrit सुखsukha, meaning "pleasure" or "ease".[14] The 19th centurySritattvanidhi describes and illustrates the pose.[15] The name, and the more general name Yogasana ("Yoga pose") which may denote a variety of sitting poses, is found in much older documents as ameditation seat, such as in the 4th centuryDarshana Upanishad.[16]
From sittingcross-legged on the floor (Sukhasana), one foot is placed on top of the opposite thigh with its sole facing upward and heel close to theabdomen. The other foot is then placed on the opposite thigh as symmetrically as possible.[4] The pose requires "very open hips".[17] It can be modified using a support such as acushion or blanket; by sitting on its forward edge, the pelvis is tilted forward.[18][19]
Sukhasana (Sanskrit:सुखासन,romanized: Sukhāsana), Easy Pose, has the legs simply crossed in front of the body.[20][21]
In half lotus, अर्ध पद्मासन (Ardha Padmasana), one leg is bent and resting on the ground, the other leg is bent with the foot in lotus position. It is an easier meditation position than full lotus.[22]
In bound lotus, बद्ध पद्मासन (Baddha Padmasana), the practitioner sits in full lotus, and each hand reaches around the back to grasp the opposite foot.[23]
For psychic union pose, योगमुद्रासन (Yogamudrasana), the practitioner bends forward in full lotus, bringing the forehead as close to the floor as possible.[24] The pose is both an asana and amudra; easier variants begin from Ardha Padmasana.[25]
Variations of several other asanas such asSirsasana (yoga headstand),Sarvangasana (shoulderstand),Simhasana (lion pose),Matsyasana (fish pose), andGorakshasana (cowherd pose) have the legs in lotus.[26] Asanas such asVatayanasana (horse pose) and advanced forms ofArdha Matsyendrasana (half lord of the fishes pose) have one leg as in half lotus.[27]
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Lotus is one of the yoga poses that most commonly causes injury.[2][28] Attempts to force the legs into lotus pose caninjure the knees by squeezing and damaging themedial meniscus cartilage; this is painful and takes a long time to heal. Thehip joints must rotate outwards approximately 115 degrees to permit full lotus. Students who cannot achieve this much hip rotation may try to compensate by bending the knee joint sideways, risking injury. Rather than bending the knee, the thighs can be encouraged to rotate outwards (using hand pressure or a strap).[29]
Theyoga guruB. K. S. Iyengar notes that people unused to sitting on the floor will initially feel "excruciating" pain in the knees, but that this subsides with practice, until the pose becomes relaxing, both restful and alert and hence ideal forpranayama.[30]
Twentieth century advocates of some schools of yoga, such as Iyengar, madeclaims for the effects of yoga on specific organs, without adducing any evidence.[31][32] Iyengar claimed that Padmasana encourages blood circulation in the abdomen and lumbar region, toning the spine and abdominal organs.[33]
InBuddhism, statues of the founder,Gautama Buddha, sometimes depict him seated in lotus position and enthroned on a lotus flower.[34][35][36]InHinduism, statues often depict gods, especiallyShiva, meditating in Padmasana.[37] InBali, a Padmasana is also a type of Hindushrine, named for the posture.[38][39]InJainism, seatedTirthankaras are represented in Lotus posture.[40]
The scholar of religion Thomas Tweed wrote in 2008 that "the prevailing image of Buddhist practice has been the solitary meditator, eyes half closed, sitting in the lotus position."[41]Ian Fleming's 1964 novelYou Only Live Twice has the action heroJames Bond visiting Japan, where he "assiduously practised sitting in the lotus position."[42] The critic Lisa M. Dresner notes that Bond is mirroring Fleming's own struggles with the pose.[43] The BBC journalist Megan Lane commented in 2003 that sinceyoga as exercise had become mainstream, lotus position (liketree pose) had beenused by advertisers to sell "all manner of goods and services."[44] She noted that both "healthy living"[44] goods such as vitamins, fitness clubs, water filter andprobiotic yogurt, and unrelated items such as cars, airlines, financial services "and even beer"[44] have made use of images of yoga to convey a message of well-being.[44] Poland's Obory Dairy gave its advertising agency the goal of creating awareness of their "Jogi" yogurt as exclusive and with a positive image. The agency responded with a photograph of two young women meditating in lotus pose at dawn under the heading "Start your day with Jogi", the brand name also meaning "yoga" in Polish.[45]
Reverse: Goddess, nimbate, sitting en face on lotus with legs folded in lotus position. Diadem or noose in right hand, lotus flower turned towards her in left. .. Legend:Śrī-vikramaḥ (the courageous one).
One of the most popular seated positions of Lord Buddha is crossed legged position. In various Buddhism traditions like Mahayana and Theravada Buddhism, Lord Buddha is often shown with his ankles tucked and different hand and fingers position. The seated Crossed legged position is known as Lotus position.
Tirthankaras are depicted in only two postures: seated in the classic lotus position (padmasana), which represents the Tirthankara preaching in the assembly hall (samavasarana), and standing in the kayotsarga posture, which represents abandoning the body.
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