Amid the daily craziness, we all yearn for mental calmness. With yoga's lotus pose or Padmasana's lotus pose, a blossom resembles a lotus exactly. To re-energise yourself, cross your legs and release your accumulated stress hormones. Get on your yoga mat and find a good spot because we have a thorough study of the Padmasana steps and advantages just for you.

Calming up your mind is something that we all crave for amidst the hustle bustle of life. Blossom just like a lotus with the lotus position yoga or Padmasana yoga. Cross your legs and ease out your piled up stress hormones to rejuvenate yourself. So get on your yoga mat and spot the place, because we have a detailed study on the padmasana steps and benefits just for you.

Padmasana yoga is an ultimate meditative pose. It is a cross leg sitting asana, which follows the ancient Indian tradition of yoga with your feeton your thighs. This has been an established meditative pose from time immemorial, frequently used in Buddhist and Jain traditions. The lotus position in yoga connects your mind, body, and spirit and fosters physical stability with a good and immense breathing pattern The lotus position yoga connects your mind body and spirit, as well as foster physical stability with proper and immense breathing pattern. Lotus is the symbol that transcends both religion and time. It is the metaphorical symbol of rebirth, purity, strength, spirituality, and enlightenment. When we take a glimpse of the myth and religious part, Lord Shiva the ascetic god of meditation in Hinduism, Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism and Tirthankara of Jainism depicts the lotus pose while meditating.

We are not firing you with mythological and religious concepts of yoga. But the uses and benefits of padmasana are going to leave you to astonished. Here are the basics of Padmasana yoga before exploring the details like how to do Padmasana, Padmasana steps and benefits, and all related information about Padmasana yoga.basics of this pose.

Table of Contents

  • Padmasana Yoga Pose Basics
  • Padmasana Meaning: What is the meaning of Padmasana
  • What you should know before doing Padmasana Posture
  • 12 Benefits of Padmasana: How Padmasana Yoga is good for you
  • Know Padmasana helps in curing which disease
  • Padmasana Steps and Procedure: How to do Padmasana
  • Tips for Beginners: 4 ways to get started with Padmasana
  • 4 Powerful Padmasana Mudras and their benefits
  • Five Padmasana Variations To Spice Up the Lotus Pose
  • Contraindications and Precautions of Padmasana to take while doing Lotus Pose
  • Preparatory poses before Padmasana 
  • Follow up poses after Padmasana (Lotus Pose)
  • Understand the difference between Sukhasana and Padmasana
  • Conclusion
  • FAQ

Padmasana: Basics Yoga Pose.

Padmasana , also known as the lotus position or lotus pose is a yoga asana that helps the meditator get into a state of deep meditation. Padmasana is a Sanskrit word. It is also commonly known as Kamalsana. In some cultures and languages, Padmasana is also known as Vajrasana. 

The Padmasana lotus pose is a sitting asana where the meditator sits cross-legged. This posture is beneficial for keeping your mind calm and composed. Padmasana is also beneficial for relieving the body of physical ailments of different types. 

  • Also known as: Lotus position
  • Sanskrit: पद्मासन 
  • Pose Type: Sitting
  • Beneficial for: Knee joint and ankles

What is Padmasana Yoga?

Padmasana is a Sanskrit word, as mentioned before, that stands for padma and asana, padma meaning lotus and asana meaning position or posture. Hence the name Padmasana or lotus position. Padmasana yoga is the asana where the meditator sits with each of his feet on the opposite thigh.


6. Things to Know Before Doing Padmasana Yoga(Lotus Position)

  • Before diving into the padmasana steps and benefits, there are few things that you have to keep in mind before starting off.
  • This is a meditative pose and is the you can avail the full benefit of Padmasana when you do it with the early morning shine. The best time to refresh your mind and body. But this doesn't resist you from doing it in the evenings. Evenings are also a good time to be on the Padmasana yoga.
  • Padmasana yoga suffices the best when done in an empty stomach. But if you plan to do it as a sequence of exercise, it is better to do it after 4 to 5 hours, having your food.
  • Always clean your bowels before doing Padmasana.
  • As Padmasana yoga is a meditative pose, find a peaceful and calm area apart from the noises for performing the exercise
  • Padmasana is one among the best asana for contemplation so daily practice as a routine is necessary. 

12 Benefits of the Padmasana (Lotus Position)

benefits of padmasana yoga

It is important to be aware of the benefits of padmasana yoga before diving into Padmasana steps and procedure. Uses of padmasana are of myriad ranges. From physical to a spiritual level, Padmasana yoga rejuvenates you in and out.

  1. Alleviates mental stress

As Padmasana is an established meditative pose, it relaxes both our mind and body. By doing so, the stretches alleviate the pent up stress, by relieving our tight muscle tissues. The regular breathing pattern of this yoga pose frees up our mind and flushes out the negative thoughts and emotions from our mind and fills it up with positive energy by calming our brain and body. What is more soothing than a relaxed mind and a break from the overthinking brain!

  1.  Improves digestion

The padmasana yoga gives your abdominal region a gentle massage, thus managing to boost your digestion. Apart from this, it redirects the blood flow back to the abdomen, this adds to the process of digestion and enhances the digestive system. Doing the lotus pose also helps in eradicating common digestive issues like constipation or loose motion by kindling the digestive fire.

  1. Eases childbirth

This is one of the best benefits of Padmasana. The Padmasana pose strengthens the pelvic region and enhances the strength and stability of the pelvic muscles. This way the pain and contraction during childbirth are comparatively very less and is smooth. It is good for women to practice Padmasana yoga during their time of pregnancy period, without overstrain and stretches. This way their hips open up in an effective manner adding to the painless delivery. Apart from that, it is the best way for pregnant women to stay positive and happy throughout the period.

  1. Strengthens knee and ankle joints

The lotus pose is performed with twisted legs one over the other with stretches and extensions. Continues stretches of the knees and ankle joints give them the strength and endurance required to do the necessary functions. Thus it is also a good treatment for people suffering from sciatica. Turning this into a routine eradicates many health issues related to bones and joints. Along with that, it increases the flexibility in bones and joints easing out our daily activities.

  1. Reduces menstrual cramps

Menstrual cramps are something that all girls and women endure through every specific day of the month. A relieve from cramps is always a woman's ardent wish. Padmasana yoga with its smooth abdomen massage works perfectly at the abdominal area reducing the cramps to an extent. The posture manages to make the pelvic region strong and elastic reducing the risks of high cramps during periods.

  1. Awakens your consciousness

The lotus pose being the meditative pose of yoga gradually helps in increasing our concentration power. The continues breathing patterns and intense meditation awakens the chakras, thereby enhancing your alertness. You become aware and conscious of minute things if practiced regularly. This is one among the major benefits of Padmasana yoga because in this busy competitive world, what we need is the power to understand and observe things.

  1. Easy tip to ward off your fear and anxiety

Whenever you feel anxious or fearful, pick up your yoga mat, cross your legs and get into the padmasana pose. With erect spine and open hips, it grounds your thoughts and fathoms it. You literally feel the energy elevating through your spines and feels free without any anxiety or fear. This yoga asana calms your thought process and is known to be one among the best mind opener and with spiritual benefits.

  1. Fights insomnia

The simple lotus pose, with its seated posture and twisted legs, helps in fighting the sleep disorder called insomnia in you. The continues breathing pattern wakens your consciousness and well- being. Along with that the open hips, releases stress, gifting you a good night sleep without any breakage in between.

  1. Improved posture and healthy spine

Improved posture is one of the first and most obvious Padmasana benefits. Being a sitting pose, lotus pose is performed with a straight and erect spine. Maintaining the straight posture for a prolonged duration improves the suppleness and maintains the curves perfectly, improving your posture. This also reduces the risk of back aches if practiced on a daily basis.

  1. Reduces muscular tension

The lotus yoga pose is said to be the meditative pose that stretches and extends your muscles to the core. This opens up the tight muscle tissues reducing the muscular tension. Once this is on the process it brings the pressure under control and maintains it on a normal basis.

  1. Improves circulation and respiration

Continues the practice of the Padmasana yoga, opens up the lungs and boosts up the lung capacity to hold up breathe and allows the large intake of oxygen. The breathing pattern, with continues, inhale and exhale suffices this. As the oxygen intake is high, the blood flow rate through vessels carrying oxygen is also at a high pace, enhancing the circulation. This also reduces the risk of heart attacks or strokes to a very extent. 

  1. Restores energy level

One of the main benefits of Padmasana is that it helps in boosting metabolic rate. Padmasana along with enhancing the blood flow rate, empties space for positive energy and thoughts in our mind and body boosting the energy level, internally and externally.

Now, these are a few of the major benefits of Padmasana yoga. We know it does sounds interesting! 

The Health Benefits of Doing Padmasana(Lotus Position).

The Padmasana posture is one of the most basic yoga asanas that a person can perform. This asana can be performed at home, which is one of the major benefits of Padmasana. Also like any other yoga posture, there is no single benefit of Padmasana

Padmasana is highly beneficial for your joints and bones. This asana is also good for your overall posture and your backbone. An added benefit of Padmasana is for the menstruators as sitting in this pose also relieves period pains and cramps. Padmasana is also good for your abdomen and pelvic organs. 

In the upcoming sections of this article, you will be reading about the Padmasana steps and benefits.

Contraindications and Precautions of the Padmasana (Lotus Position).

It is always good to take safety measures before getting into any exercise, just to analyze if it fits your body or not. Few precautions to be undertaken while doing the lotus pose yoga are.

  • The exercise is strictly not recommended to those who have knee injuries or ankle pains or injuries as this stretches and twists up your knees and ankles extremely
  • Padmasana yoga is an intermediate pose that needs extreme perfection and accuracy. So it is always best, especially for toddlers of yoga to perform under the guidance of a yoga trainer.
  • Yoga might relieve your pain and serves your health issues, but is never a proper medication for your health issues. So if you are suffering from any major diseases or allergies or is under any treatment, it is recommended to do the pose with the advice and consultation of your doctor. 

Follow up these precautions and tips before starting off your exercise for a healthy and happy life.

How to do Padmasana (Lotus Position): Steps and Procedure.

Now, stop knitting your eyebrows on thinking about how to do padmasana. Because we are here with a complete and detailed guide on Padmasana steps and procedure helping you in your healthy and happy endeavor. The Padmasana steps are easy breezy, but not as easy as it sounds, because what matters is the perfection of the posture. So follow us with each step on how to do padmasana.

Step1:

Initiate the pose by sitting down on the floor with your legs straight and stretched out in front of you.

Step2:

Now gently bend the knees and bring the lower leg into a cradle. Make use of your hands to gently place the leg on the left thigh. Now slowly repeat the same with the other leg too.

Step3:

Ensure that the heels are close to the abdomen and the sole of feet is pointing upward. Use your hands while folding the leg and keep them close together.

Step 4:

Now as both your legs are in the exact position over one another in a comfy way. Place your hands into a mudra of your choice. You can either clasp it together near the chest as the namaskara mudra or place it on the knees accordingly.

Step 5:

Maintain a straight and erect spine and a straight head throughout the posture.

Step 6:

Inhale deeply and hold the position for a few minutes and then exhale. Focus  not only on your breathing pattern but internal circulations too.

Now, repeat the posture with the opposite leg too, following the same steps.

So these are the detailed steps of doing padmasana yoga. There are various types of modifications and variations for the pose too, which you can adhere to once a pro. To add to these Padmasana benefits, mudras are important. Variants of mudras activate the energy flow through your body. Thus, when combined with Padmasana the benefit is doubled, the flow of energy is doubled. Thus, practice the Padmasana posture along with some specific mudras to enjoy the benefits to its core.

Beginner’s Tip for Padmasana

The steps on how to do padmasana might sound simple but are not so monotonous when putting into practice. Here we provide few tips and tact for the beginners to clinch on.

  • While doing the cradle posture, push the inner side of your foot against the upper part of your arm to avoid overstretching of the ankles. Not only for beginners this is a tip for pregnant women too so that their ankles are balanced and not too strained out.
  • Make sure to keep the stretch in the inner and outer ankle as same. For doing this you have to bring your foot near the opposite groin. This way it might be easy for beginners to maintain equal and perfect balance.
  • Inhale and exhale deeply and keep a track of your breathing patterns. This is important as a beginner to build up the practice of meditation and concentration.
  • Always let your yoga trainers have your back at the initial stages to practice safe and healthy exercise.

4 Most Powerful Padmasana Poses And Their Benefits.

In the previous sections, you have taken a look at the Padmasana steps and the tips for performing the lotus position if you are a beginner. Let us now take a look at the four mudras that you can choose from for performing Padmasana and the benefits of these mudras. The following are the four most powerful mudras for the Padmasana position:

  • Chin Mudra: the Chin mudra helps in improving focus and concentration and managing insomnia. 
  • Chinmayi Mudra: the benefit of the Chinmayi mudra is that it is known to provide life energy to the torso of your body.
  • Adi Mudra: the Adi mudra is best known for increasing the flow of oxygen to your lungs, increasing vitality, calming your nervous system and helping your organs function optimally.
  • Brahma Mudra: this mudra also helps in increasing the flow of oxygen to your lungs

We have now taken a look at the Padmasana benefits and the benefits of the different mudras. There are also many variations that can be done while performing the Padmasana yoga. The following section will help you understand the same better.

Padmasana Variations To Spice Up The Lotus Pose.

After looking at the basic Padmasana procedure, you might find the posture too easy or too hard. To add some spice to the lotus position, we have listed here the five Padmasana variations

1. Baddha Padmasana- Locked Lotus Pose

Benefits

The benefits of the Baddha Padmasana or locked lotus yoga pose include better flexibility of the legs and stretching of the various bones, joints and muscles. This variation of the lotus position helps in relieving the back and should pain as well. This posture is beneficial for arthritis and digestion too. 

Steps

  • Sit in the Padmasana yoga position with your feet closer to the groin. 
  • Take your arms slowly behind the back one after the other and try reaching the hip of the other side, with the arms crossing each other. 
  • Bend a little forward and try getting a hold of the toe of the left foot with the right hand and the right toe with the left hand. 
  • Hold this position for a few seconds with your knees touching the floor. 

2. Ardha Padmasana- Half Lotus Pose

Benefits

By performing Ardha Padmasana, your body is relieved of stress and anxiety and your mind is calmed down. This yoga position is beneficial for blood pressure, diabetes, cardiac problems and so on. 

Steps

  • Sit on the floor with your legs stretched then slowly fold one leg and bring the foot on top of the other thigh such that it is closer to your groin. 
  • The other foot must be right under the opposite thigh.
  • Keep your hands in any of the mudras listed above. 

3. Utthita Padmasana- Raised Lotus Pose

Benefits

This variation of the Padmasana yoga helps in the stretching of the legs and the hips. It also helps in strengthening the muscles of the shoulders and the hands. This asana removes belly fat and is good for overweight people. 

4. Urdhva Padmasana- Upward Lotus Pose

Benefits

The benefits of this asana include the flexibility of the various joints and the strengthening of a large number of muscles of the human body. 

5. Gupta Padmasana- Hidden Lotus Pose

Benefits

The major benefit of the Gupta Padmasana is the relaxation it offers to the body. This asana helps in inducing peace and emotional stability. 

Preparatory Poses Before Padmasana

  • Sukhasana
  • Baddha Konasana
  • Virasana
  • Ardha Matsyendrasana
  • Janu Sirsasana

Follow Up Poses After Padmasana (Lotus Position)

  • Paschimottansana
  • Savasana

Understand The Difference Between Sukhasana And Padmasana

Sukhasana is an easy cross-legged sitting pose that is very much like how we sit in our everyday lives while Padmasana is about crossing the legs to keep the feet on the opposite thighs.

Conclusion

The feet and the posture of Padmasana yoga literally resonate with its name, the lotus pose. Lotus being the metaphorical symbol of power and light which blossoms in mud, in a way symbolizes that amidst the chaos and noisy busy lifestyle, you should ground yourself and plant your base deeply. It is cardinal to fix your roots and maintain a balance in life throughout. 

So what’s stopping you now, go grab your yoga mat and find the perfect corner to begin your new endeavor to enlightenment by practicing Padmasana.

FAQs

What are the benefits of Padmasana?

There are various health benefits of Padmasana as mentioned throughout this article. This asana is good for your bones, muscles, joints, abdomen and pelvic organs and also helps in calming the mind. 

What are the steps of Padmasana?

Padmasana is a sitting asana performed by placing both your feet on the opposite side thighs and keeping your hands on the knees. This position can be achieved by following the steps as mentioned in this article. 

How long should we hold Padmasana?

The meditator must hold Padmasan for 1 to 5 minutes only. 

Who should not do Padmasana?

People with back pain, knee, ankle, and pains should not perform Padmasana.


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