You don’t need to be a yoga practitioner or scholar to recognize the serene and pretzel-like shape of padmāsana.
Padma = lotus
Āsana = pose / posture
In this article, we’ll look at:
- What the lotus position is
- Its relevance and instruction in the historical context of yoga
- Claims of its physical, energetic, and spiritual benefits
The lotus position symbolism
The yoga practice that we predominantly find in studios around the world incorporates a significant number of approaches to a wide range of postures. That hasn’t always been the case. In fact, the lotus position has been around since at least the time of the Buddha and is considered a predominant and symbolic part of traditional yoga practices.
In his 2010 book “Yoga Body: The Origins of Modern Postural Practice” Mark Singleton states that
“… today, largely thanks to modern advertising, cross-legged yoga postures such as (padmāsana) have become powerful and universally recognized signifiers of relaxation, self-control, self-cultivation, a balanced lifestyle, good health, fitness, and spiritual urban cool.”
B.K.S Iyengar calls the lotus pose the posture for meditation and “The Hatha Yoga Pradipika” boldly claims that padmāsana is “the destroyer of diseases.” This archetypal yoga pose is said to eradicate disease and lead us towards liberation – a bold claim!
To shed more light on padmāsana and the closely related half lotus position, or ardha padmāsana, it’s worth looking at some of the early sources, claims, and instructions of the pose.
Origins and textual sources
Like so much of yoga, there is no definitive origin point for the lotus position. So, what do we know about it? The imagery of padmāsana – a person sitting with the legs crossed or bound with the opposite foot to thigh goes way back.
The posture can be found in religious and sacred imagery even as early as the 2nd century CE. As well as Buddha you’ll also find Shiva within the Hindu tradition and the Tirthankara’s within the Jainism tradition often depicted in padmāsana.
While there is a wealth of history associated with this early form of asana it is the texts of the later Medieval period that give us some good indication as to how and why to perform padmāsana.
The pose features heavily in some of the texts written about the practice of Hatha Yoga (not to be confused with the class description we find in modern yoga classes/studios). These are some of the first texts to instruct how to do the pose as well as expand on its benefits.
Key points on the instruction of padmāsana
- When seated cross-legged, the legs are bound by placing each ankle on the opposite thigh to create a firm seat.
- Ardha padmāsana (half lotus position) is considered a preparatory version that instructs only one leg be crossed over the opposite thigh.
- Hands are often placed on the thighs with the thumb and index finger touching in either chin mudra (upturned palms) or jnana mudra (downturned palms).
- Baddha padmāsana (bound lotus pose) requires the arms to cross behind the back while taking hold of the opposite foot.
- It is often stipulated that the chin be drawn towards the chest, with about a fists distance between them, to create a lock known as jālandhara bandha.
- You’ll also find information on where to gaze and even where to locate yourself before starting the pose. “The Gheranda Samhita” instructs setting yourself up to practice in lotus pose on a blanket, animal skin, earth, or grass and face the east or north.
Some key texts
- “The Dattatreya Yoga Sastra” lists 84 asānas of which padmāsana is deemed the most important. It stipulates that
“It destroys all diseases”
“The yogi who sits in padmāsana and holds the breath inhaled through the nadis is liberated without doubt.”- “The Hatha Yoga Pradipika” mentions 84 asanas, describes 15, and includes padmāsana as one of the essential four (along with simhāsana, bhadrāsana and siddhāsana). The text states that the lotus position is the posture for practicing pranayāma and holds the power to awaken kundalini.
- “The Shiva Samhita” includes padmāsana as one of only four poses mentioned and should be used to practice pranayāma which is said to be the path to liberation.
“When the yogi seated in the Lotus posture leaves the ground and remains firm in the air, he should know that he has attained mastery over that life-breath which destroys the darkness of the world.”
- “The Gheranda Samhita” refers to 64 postures but describes only 32 with the lotus pose being one of them. Like the “Hatha Yoga Pradipika”, it claims that the pose
“destroys all diseases and ailments”
While this pose is considered to remove disease, it’s worth noting that both “The Hatha Yoga Pradipika” and “The Shiva Samhita” state that padmāsana as a platform for pranāyama is a means to achieve liberation.
The significance of the lotus flower
Just as the yoga posture padmāsana is archetypal in presenting an image of yoga and meditation we might say the same about the symbolic role of the lotus flower in certain religious and spiritual traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Jainism.
Within Hindu iconography, the lotus flower is linked to spirituality, prosperity, fertility, and purity. The physical posture is said to represent the image of a lotus flower and the image itself is often seen as a metaphor for the spiritual path.
- The roots which only grow in dirty, muddy waters bear comparison to our material reality, darkness, or human ignorance.
- The knees and legs represent the petals resting above the water.
- The torso is the flower waiting to bloom. The bud grows towards the sun which is depicted as knowledge (liberation).
Links between the lotus flower and the subtle body can be found in the chakra system. Each of the seven energetic centers/wheels within the body (situated from the base of the spine to the crown of the head) are often illustrated as lotus flowers.
Padmāsana is considered to connect the practitioner to all the chakras but most prominently to the root or Muladhara chakra situated at the base of the spine which is pressed against the ground beneath when seated in this pose.
Physical benefits Of The Lotus Pose
In his 1966 book “Light on Yoga”, B.K.S Iyengar states that
“On the purely physical level, the pose is good for curing stiffness in the knees and ankles. Since the blood is made to circulate in the lumbar region and abdomen, the spine and the abdominal organs are toned.”
There are some claims that the physical benefits of the pose extend beyond the general and sweeping statement of ridding of disease. Modern claims go as far as to say the pose supports:
- Increased flexibility in the hips
- Opening of the knees and ankles
- Greater circulation in the lower back (attributed to stimulation of the sacral nerves)
- Toning of the abdominal organs
The “bound” nature of the legs in the lotus pose and to a certain extent in the half-lotus pose, provides a secure and stable base said to be easier to sustain than other seated postures.
spiritual benefits Of The Lotus Pose
Iyengar goes on to say that “The position of the crossed legs and the erect back keeps the mind attentive and alert. Hence it is one of the āsanas recommended for practicing prānāyāma.”
Tias Little in his book “Yoga of the Subtle Body” states that
“In the way winemakers press grapes in order to make wine, poses such as padmāsana….are positions that serve to press the nectar in and around the hips and prompt effervescent pulsations within the spine.”
So, what is this nectar? One of the more esoteric benefits linked to the pose is the awakening of kundalinī.
Kundalinī often translated as “coiled snake” represents the latent energy within us all which is located at the base of the spine that is said to move up the central channel of the spine and lead to spiritual liberation. The use of breath manipulation in the lotus position is said to be a catalyst for unleashing kundalini also referred to as shakti.
“Form a solid padmāsana. Clasp the hands together. Put the chin firmly on the chest. Contemplate the Absolute in the mind. Repeatedly move the apana winds upwards and the inhaled prana downwards. Thus a man reaches unequaled knowledge from the power of shakti…. He who causes this shakti to move is liberated.”– “The Hatha Yoga Pradipika
Should we all be trying to practice the lotus position?
If yoga is practiced and or achieved through meditation and the meditation posture is padmāsana then is everything we do in an asana class preparing us for a comfortable seat to seek samhadi?
For some people, the misery of the lotus position or even the half lotus position is far from samadhi! B.K.S Iyengar refers to the lotus pose as a basic posture and goes as far as to call it a relaxing pose.
But the pose requires substantial external rotation of the hip joint and if that’s not happening the knees pick up the slack. This is something that as practitioners we need to be cautious of.
The lotus position is not a pose to be practiced without preparations. Richard Rosen says that padmāsana “can be a difficult and potentially injurious pose for the average student” and working with an experienced teacher is necessary. There should be vigilance when practicing the lotus pose if there are issues with the knees, hips, or low back.
What is the place of the lotus / half lotus position in modern practice?
This yoga pose is one of the foundational (although not easy) postures which serves as a tool for focusing and stilling the mind. Grounding not only in the way the legs are positioned but also in the way it facilitates tuning in to the subtleties of the inner body, its interoceptive nature makes it a great tool for meditation, pranayama, and beyond.
Whether it’s full lotus, bound lotus, half lotus or some other variation, anything that allows us to practice self-inquiry, reflection and self-regulation isn’t going anywhere soon.
There is some excellent information available from Dr. Yogi on the anatomy and accessibility of the pose if you want to find out more about the mechanics of doing padmāsana but be sure to work with an experienced teacher if you want to build it into your practice.
