Sukhasana or Easy pose

When I first began my yoga asana journey, Sukhasana was anything but easy. This pose emphasizes sitting with a tall spine, open hips and groin, comfortable and relaxed shoulders, arms, knees, ankles/feet, head including neck and face. If you were like me, approaching a yoga practice already middle aged, this pose can feel complicated!

When starting or beginning your practice with Sukahasana here are a few modifications that can help you sit comfortably.

1. Sit your hips up on a folded blanket or yoga block, sit right to the edge and feel your seat bones (almost as if they were sliding off the edge). This will help neutralize the pelvis orientation from too severe a posterior tuck to a little more anterior position which encourages lower abdominal muscle engagement and allows the low back to find it's natural curve.

2. Engage your core lightly while you breathe, think of lightly drawing the core body muscles in on your exhale (belly button towards the spine or back).

3. Place blocks under your thighs for support of the hips, knees and groin if they protest intially in this pose (and most will! until over time those areas stretch a little and begin to relax).

   
   

As you practice this pose over time, your body will begin to re-align such that drawling the spine tall or straight does not feel hard but rather natural and even relaxing. Sukhasana is a pose that originates amongst the earliest forms of yoga (Yoga - really a limbed path towards greater spirituality). In fact, this pose and/or lotus are found to be one of only a couple seated poses that was used in a yoga practice many, many years ago before asana became a popular part of yoga.

Why? Why would Sukhasana and a couple of related seated postures be so integral to the pathway of yoga?

What I've found personally is that this seated posture is very grounding. After practicing the pose consistently for years now, when I take Sukhasana I then find my breath with a happy spine and relaxed joints. The rooted down seat bones and tall spine allow me to feel my breath fully on the inhale and exhale. This helps bring me presence to the seated moments which in turn helps quiet the external world. I believe many meditators find this to be true as well.

This posture is known for meditation and perhaps some of what I just described is the reason why. Or at the least part of the reason why. When practiced intelligently, consistently and easily (no straining for it) I find this pose is like a signal to my inner world that it's time to relax on the inside (stress response calming). By finding my breath, feeling the weight of the body rooting down and simultaneously reaching up...the world outside begins to fade away, the mind quiets, and space is created. Space between the external world and the internal world

Sukhasana was the pinnacle pose, if you will, in a yoga practice many many years ago as it is the place you came to with your body for the ultimate union of mind, body, soul in a meditation working towards Samadhi.

In this age, it is just as relevant for assisting with meditation and also good posture of the spine, helping release hips, groin areas as well as focusing on the breath to help decrease the systemic physiological stress response. Whether you are a yogi looking for the greater spiritual connection or just looking for healthy benefits in the physical and phsiological bodies...this pose offers both.