The Lotus pose

- a classical meditation posture

by Joachim Rodenbeck

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I was 15 years old and at the local swimming baths, when I saw, for the first time, a living human being sitting in the Lotus pose. A young woman, quickly and with ease, placed her legs over each other. I was filled with awe and surprise. Although I had already read about it, I was convinced, up to that very moment, that the Lotus pose was reserved for a few people only - and hardly possible for ordinary people.

Together with the Headstand, the Lotus pose probably is the best known yoga pose. In one way or another, most people have either heard or read about it. The legs are crossed in such a way that the feet are placed on the thighs, the hands are resting on the knees and you sit with a straight spine. Padmasana, which the Lotus pose is called in Sanskrit, is one of the classical meditation poses.

Why a meditation pose?

When you want to meditate, it is important to be able to sit still, upright and relaxed for a certain length of time. When the body is held motionless and stable, it becomes relaxed and the mind begins to calm down which is a precondition for going deeper.

Naturally, it is not mandatory to sit in the Lotus pose in order to meditate. It is important, however, that you can sit still for a period, without having to worry about the body. To achieve that, there are also more simple poses which anyone (including the untrained) can use without difficulty. In some meditations, e. g. when you begin practising Inner Silence, you can also sit on a high-backed chair or even in an armchair as long as you sit comfortably and upright. On the other hand, when you want to go deeper (in Inner Silence) or work with your psychic energy in meditations like Ajapa Jap or Kriya Yoga, it is necessary to learn one of the genuine meditation poses since the posture has an effect in itself.

The Lotus pose

Once having learned to master the Lotus pose, you have the benefit of being able to sit motionless and effortless for long periods of time. In other poses, like the normal cross-legged position, the upper body easily sags and becomes tired. In a real meditation pose like the Lotus pose on the other hand, one can learn to avoid restlessness and muscular tensions. It could be argued that one could lie much more comfortably on the back in the dead-still pose (Savasana) as one does in different types of relaxation. Relaxation and calmness in the body, however, is only a small part of the overall effect of the Lotus pose.

Energy

In the spinal cord, the passages of the central nervous system connect the brain with the rest of the body. All parts of the body are controlled through these passages. The upright and undisturbed position of the spine in Padmasana is important in order for the nerve impulses to flow freely during meditation.

These nerve paths, together with the brain, are surrounded by a protective membrane within which the so called cerebrospinal fluid flows. This fluid nurtures the nerve endings and the brain - the Lotus pose provides an optimal condition for its flow. (A chiropractor will in many cases treat diseases by removing blockages in the flow of the cerebrospinal fluid.)

When we go on to a finer dimension, to the psychic energy, then, in the spinal cord, we find the energy flows Ida, Pingala and Shushumna, the three most important passages in the network of our psychic energy. They should not be mistaken for our nervous system, although closely connected with it. Today's science confirms that man only makes use of a fraction of his brain capacity. Within the yoga tradition, however, the breathing exercises and meditations (i.e. Kriya Yoga) are known to stimulate and awaken the energy and, through its flows, awaken the dormant parts of the brain. It is therefore crucial to use a real meditation pose - it ensures that the energy generated during the meditation is directed into its proper paths and that a harmonic expansion of consciousness is taking place.

Better fitness through sitting still?

The classical yoga script, Gheranda Samhita, names the Lotus pose "the destroyer of all diseases" - and it surely has a good number of healing effects.

The following medical survey took place in 1975 under the direction of the Indian doctor, Professor Salgar. Her research team compared a group of people who, over a six-months period, were sitting in the Lotus pose daily (without using any kind of additional meditation or relaxation technique), to another group, who over the same length of time, followed a traditional fitness training programme with weight lifting, spring expanders etc. A third group of people, who were not doing any such activity, constituted the control group.The researcher determined, for one thing, that the oxygen in the body was better utilised in the Lotus pose. Before and after the six-months period, all participants were exposed to a fitness test. As one might expect, the physical fitness training group obtained a clearly improved efficiency; but so did, surprisingly enough, the group who had "only" been sitting in the Lotus pose.

Under a heavy load, which demanded great muscular strength, the physical fitness training group showed the best results. However, under normal strain, the Lotus group surpassed the physical fitness group. Even though there had been no actual muscle growth, the Lotus pose people were better able to make efficient use of their strength. The control group showed no changes whatsoever.

With her findings, Professor Salgar was able to show that merely sitting in the Lotus pose has a positive influence on the metabolism and on the overall body fitness, which was significantly improved.

What brought about such changes?

To place the body in such an unusual position, of course, is not done by accident and indicates that the ancient yogis possessed an accurate knowledge of the processes in the body, even though they did not use the modern terminology of medical science.

When crossing the legs in this way, the blood supply to the legs is decreased and redirected to the abdominal region. This increased flow of blood in the abdominal region is beneficial for the inner organs and improves the digestion. It can be recommended to people with nervous disorders that they sit in the Lotus pose. Furthermore, the nerves emanating from the coccyx and sacrum are also influenced. These nerves serve the whole abdomen, the intestines and the genitals.