Padamasana Group
Hatha-yoga-pradipika and Gherunda-samhita state padamasana as one of the most important asanas. Most of the meditative practices are done in the perfect padamasana. The sanskrita word ‘padama’ means ‘lotus’ hence the posture is also known as the lotus posture. Most of the Hindu deities and ancient great yogis are seen sitting in padamasana in deep meditation. Thus padamasana has great importance for the yoga practitioners seeking for higher evolutions. In this first series I am going to introduce very simple and beginning positions of padamasana, later on I will give you a detailed series of various 20 different asanas in padamasana.
Till now you know very well that our legs and hands are emitting a lot of energy continuously. Yoga is the process to conserve this energy. Thus to conserve this energy we need to re-circulate the energy in to body. Padamasana is perfect pose to re-circulate the energy emitted from soles and hands back to our body.
This enhances the purity of subtle prana and removes the blockages of naris. It is very helpful in energy balancing. If balances all the five pranas and five elements or pancha-mahabhutas.
Prana or shiva or feminine energy flows from down to top in right side and apana or shakti or feminine energy flows from top to down in left side. As legs are crossed and interlocked with each other thus this asana naturally helps in uniting this prana and apana energy. Sadhaka can attain the unity of self with the supreme self by perfecting this asana.
You have to lock both the legs against the pelvic area and thus padamasana helps you to over come the tendency back bending while sitting. This removes all kinds of back problems. It stimulates all organs situated in te pelvic area and thus prevents and cures all the problems associated with gonads, sexual organs, kidneys, urinary bladder.
It balances the hormonal secretions of the adrenal gland. These hormones regulate all the involuntary functions and especially stress-coping activities. They prepare the body for fight-flight response. Thus practicing padamasana can prevent development of all kind of psychosomatic problems and can help us to eradicate them. It helps us and prepares to cope better with the stressful situations and helps in fight-flight response.
1. Ardha Padamasana
From the cross leg position, place your right feet over the left thigh at the root of the leg. Place the left feet below the thigh of the right leg. Place your hands in any of the hand mudra. Linga mudra is good for doing meditative practices in ardha-padamasana.
Linga mudra- Clasp the fingers of both the hands with keeping the left hand fingers dominant. Keep the thumb of the right hand straight and fold the left thumb encircling the straight right thumb. Place your hands in comfortable position below the navel.
2. Padamasana
From the cross leg position, place your right feet over the left thigh at the root of the leg. Place the left feet over the opposite thigh. Place your hands in any of the hand mudra. Jnana mudra or the brahma mudras are best recommended mudras in padamasana for the meditative practices. Try to keep your spine erect and chin up.
To learn the full series join yoga courses at Yoga Satsanga Ashram, Wales.