Let’s explore some yoga poses for meditation, perhaps because these kind of seated yoga poses tend to be less flashy and popular, but belong in the yoga practice, and also lends something to our meditation.
As a precursor though, let me begin with stating that all yoga seated poses require core strength to maintain an upright spine, an open collar-bone and a lengthened back of neck.
Sukhasana / Easy Pose.
The first asana we’ll look at is sukhasana or easy pose – otherwise known as crossed-leg sit. This pose is seemingly the most accessible seat for meditation practice, but it requires good external rotators of the hips and flexible glutes .
If you find your knees riding up high and / or you have pain or discomfort in any joint (especially knee or ankle), do use a yoga block or a folded blanket to sit on. Also, if you have pain or discomfort, don’t sit for too long a period of time.
Siddhasana / Accomplished Pose.
The second yoga pose we’ll explore is siddhasana or accomplished pose. For those who find sukhasana a bit of a challenge, work on that first, because this pose requires greater external rotation of the hips and more flexibility in the glutes .
Like sukhasana, you may find a yoga block or a folded blanket good to sit on if your knees ride up and / or you have pain or discomfort in any joint (especially knee or ankle). As ever, if you have pain or discomfort, don’t sit for too long.
Breathing Meditation Practice.
Pranayama can help to decrease stress, improve sleep, improve lung function, and enhance cognitive function. Listen to this breath practice on the Insight Timer app. We will get the inhales and exhales to an equal length. Then later in the practice, we create patterns by inserting a breath retention of the same length.
Vajrasana / Thunderbolt Pose.
The third asana we’ll look at is vajrasana or thunderbolt pose. This pose requires open quads and plantar flexor muscles (getting the feet to point). If you find that pointing your feet is a challenge, roll a towel or blanket and place them on the top of your feet for less pressure.
This pose is meant to help your digestive system and we usually use these for after meal meditations or pranayama.
As with all meditation poses, ensure your core muscles are activated so that your spine remains upright, and try to maintain a broad open chest, by keeping your collar-bone open. Lastly, maintain the length in the back of your neck by tilting the chin downwards slightly.
Padmasana / Lotus pose.
The final meditation asana is the lotus, which also is featured in various other forms in other standing or seated yoga poses. This pose the greatest external rotation of hips, so if you find sukhasana, baddhakonasana and siddhasana a challenge, work on those poses first.
