Final Practical " HEALTH AND YOGA " Topic - LOTUS POSITION - PADMASANA - EFFECTS - REFERENCES

1. C H A N D I G A R H
U N I V E R S I T Y
D E PA R T M E N T -
U I T T R
K U M A R I R I T U
1 6 B A B 1 0 2 4
S E M - 8 T H

2. F I N A L P R A C T I C A L
“ H E A L T H A N D Y O G A ’ ’
L OT U S P O S I T I O N O R PA D M A S A N A

3. LOTUS POSITION OR PADMASANA
Lotus position or Padmasana (Sanskrit: पद्मासन, padmāsana)[1] is a cross-legged
sitting meditation pose from ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the
opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha yoga, and is widely
used for meditation in Hindu, Tantra, Jain, and Buddhist traditions.
Variations include 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 unused to sitting on the floor,
and attempts to force the legs into position can injure the knees
Variations include 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 unused to sitting on the floor,
and attempts to force the legs into position can injure the knees

4. POSITION
From sitting cross-legged on the floor in Sukhasana, one foot is placed on top of the
opposite thigh with its sole facing upward and heel close to the abdomen. The other
foot is then placed on the opposite thigh as symmetrically as possible.[3] The pose
requires "very open hips".[13] It can be modified using a support such as a cushion or
blanket; by sitting on its forward edge, the pelvis is tilted forward

5. VARIATION
 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.[16] In bound lotus, बद्र् पद्मासन (Baddha Padmasana), the practitioner sits in full lotus, and
each hand reaches around the back to grasp the opposite foot.[17] For psychic union pose,
यओगमुद्रासन (Yogamudrasana), the practitioner bends forward in full lotus, bringing the
forehead as close to the floor as possible.[18] The pose is both an asana and a mudra; easier
variants begin from Ardha Padmasana or Sukhasana.[19]
 Variations of several other asanas such as Sirsasana (yoga
headstand), Sarvangasana (shoulderstand), Simhasana (lion pose), Matsyasana (fish pose),
and Gorakshasana (cowherd pose) have the legs in lotus.[20] Asanas such as Vatayanasana (horse
pose) and advanced forms of Ardha Matsyendrasana (half lord of the fishes pose) have one leg
as in half lotus.[21]
•

6. The sage Bharadvaja
meditating in half lotus.
19th century
Baddha
Padmasana
Yogamudrasana
Padma Sirsasana, lotus
headstand

7. EFFECTS
 Lotus is one of the yoga poses that most commonly causes injury.[22][23] Attempts to force
the legs into lotus pose can injure the knees by squeezing and damaging the medial meniscus
cartilage; this is painful and takes a long time to heal. The hip joints must rotate outwards
freely 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. Safer
alternatives include Baddha Konasana (cobbler's pose), provided the knees are not pushed
down. The thighs can be encouraged to rotate using hand pressure or a strap.[2
 Yoga expert B. 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 for pranayama
 Twentieth century advocates of some schools of yoga, such as Iyengar, made claims for the
effects of yoga on specific organs, without adducing any evidence.[26][27] Iyengar claimed that
Padmasana encourages blood circulation in the abdomen and lumbar region, toning the spine
and abdominal organs

8.  Budilovsky, Joan; Adamson, Eve (2000). The complete idiot's guide to yoga (2 ed.).
Penguin. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-02-863970-3.
Baillie, Allan; Ostro, Suzanne (1999). "The Lotus". Tricycle, The Buddhist Review. 8 (3,
Spring 1999). Retrieved 11 April 2020.
 Iyengar 1991, pp. 129-133.
 Zimmer, Heinrich Robert (2015). Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization.
Princeton University Press. pp. 100, 220. ISBN 978-1-4008-6684-7. Archived from the
original on 6 September 2017.
 Devendra, D. T. (1969). "Lotus without Symbolism". The Journal of the Ceylon Branch
of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain & Ireland. 13: 83–92. JSTOR 43483467
References