It is believed that childbirth is most likely the most physically painful experience a woman will go through in their lifetime. In fact, it is believed that the male equivalent of childbirth is a kick to the male genitals in full force. So, if you are a man who is reading this, you now have a rough idea of the kind of pain that a woman experiences while bringing life into this world.
However, future childbirth does not have to be as painful for either you or your loved one. In fact, one of the most effective ways of managing labor pains in the future is the focus of this article, which is the Padmasana. Let's embark on a trip into the depths of this yoga pose, exploring the benefits of Padmasana, unraveling a step-by-step guide on how to perform the Lotus Pose, delving into the anatomy of Padmasana and finally, addressing common questions and doubts that may arise about Padmasana.
Padmasana also known as the Lotus Pose, is an advanced form of hip opening Yoga pose that sees the practitioner fold their legs as much as possible to stack on top of each other. The Lotus pose is named as such because once the student is in the final pose, he/she looks like a lotus flower atop a handful of leaves.
Padmasana a.k.a the Lotus Pose has mythological connections as well. It is believed that the Lotus pose brings mental abundance to the mind due to its connection to the lore of the goddess Saraswati, the Hindu goddess of Abundance who is always depicted as a figure sitting atop a giant lotus and holding a Lotus flower in one of her hands. It also has connections to Buddhism as the lore says that any piece of land that he walked on witnessed the blooming of Lotus flowers shortly after. There are several benefits of doing Padmasana a.k.a Lotus Pose, which will be explored in the next subsection.
Some of the benefits that Yogis do the Padmasana for are as follows:
Padmasana Makes Child Delivery Labour Pains Manageable: When you are just on the verge of bringing new life into the world, you will be subjected to several contractions and pressure on your pelvic region, hence having a strong pelvic area and a resilient set of hips at this point is paramount. The Padmasana primarily focuses on and strengthens the pelvic region, which comes into use while undergoing the painful and complicated process of bringing your little one into the world.
Padmasana Fortifies Your Mind And Makes You Calmer: Lotus Pose grounds you and forces you to keep your spine straight. What follows is several moments of stillness along with a pleasant kind of tingling sensation along your spine. That feeling is a result of positive energy finding its way through your spine which reduces your anxiety to a certain extent and makes you feel like a more secure person. However, we recommend that you complement Lotus Pose with regular appointments with a mental health professional if you have serious mental health issues.
Padmasana Helps You Sail Through Menstruation Cycles With Relative Ease: If practiced regularly, Padmasana can strengthen the muscles in your pelvic area and prepare your reproductive organs. It readies your pelvic organs as well for the added pressure as the asana massages them when it is practiced, thereby making dealing with periods easier. Therefore, if you want to sail through your periods with your head held high, consider adding the Padmasana to your regime.
Padmasana Helps You Sleep Better: Life can be very stressful at times, and the stress that we accumulate can cost us our good night’s sleep, which opens doors for more health-related complications and blunders at work or personal lives going forward. If you want to avoid the consequences of living the life of an Insomniac, experts recommend that one must do Padmasana almost daily. Not only it gives you several moments to collect your thoughts and calm yourself down, but it also boosts the secretion levels of Melatonin in your mind, a naturally produced sleep-inducing hormone.
Padmasana Strengthens The Joints And Ligaments In Your Legs: If joints and ligaments are not tended to from time to time, they can become rigid and weak respectively, which can give way to unpleasant surprises such as arthritis and ligament tears in the future. The Padmasana, if done frequently, can nearly diminish the possibility of any of those events as when the Yogi gets into the final pose, the asana works its wonders on the hip joint, the knee joints, and the ligaments, making them resilient enough to take life head-on in the future.
The Lotus Pose may seem like a simple Yoga asana to execute, but there are several moving parts to it, that you need to pay attention to get it right. A step-by-step guide for the same is as follows:
Padmasana Step 1: Sit down against the length of the mat in Dandasana.
Padmasana Step 2: Take one of your legs and bend it until your calves make contact with your hamstrings. If you are unable to do so, you might want to loosen up your joint by extending and contracting your leg 10-15 times while simultaneously interlocking your fingers and placing them on your hamstrings. This movement is known as the Pavanmuktasana. Perform this movement with the other leg as well to completely free both of them.
Padmasana Step 3: Next, you might need to open up your hip joints and make your quadriceps more flexible. You need to do this by making the soles of your feet touch each other while they are in a sleeping position and then flapping it like how a Butterfly would flap its wings. You must do this not more than 15 times. This movement is aptly known as the Butterfly pose.
Padmasana Step 4: Come back to Dandasana. Once you do so, make a note of your posture. Ideally, your spine should be straight and your legs should be straight enough for the insides of your feet to touch each other. If there is any kind of angle forming between your feet or slouching in your back, repeat steps 2 and 3 to fix the issue with the two body parts respectively.
Padmasana Step 5: Transition into Padmasana by taking your right knee and bending it until your calves and inner thighs make contact. Complete this step by dropping the knee to your side.
Padmasana Step 6: Grab your right knee with your right hand and your right foot with your left hand. Then, gently move it in such a way that the heel of your right leg manages to touch your navel.
Padmasana Step 7: Since you have already bent your right knee to get your right heel to your navel, similarly moving your left leg will prove to be a tough task. Hence, to bring the other leg up in a similar position, drop your left knee on the spot. Then, transfer some of your body weight onto that side and then carefully bring your left knee to the upper tibialis of your right leg.
Padmasana Step 7: Place your left hand on the tibialis of your left to keep it in place. Follow this action by holding onto your left foot with your right hand and then bringing it up to your right leg’s inner thigh. Avoid placing your hand on your left thighs as doing so will cause the twisting of the knee, a movement that it is not allowed to do as per human anatomy laws.
Padmasana Step 8: Stay in the position for anywhere between 1 to 5 minutes, depending on your level of experience and comfort. Make sure that with time, the duration must increase.
Padmasana Step 9: After staying in Padmasana for the recommended period, start the process of safely coming out of the position, starting with your left leg and then your right. Ensure that the process of doing so is exactly the reverse of the technique employed while going into the Padmasana. Additionally, make sure that the placement of the hands is the same as it was during the above steps to avoid any damage to your legs. Keep in mind that you can just as easily harm yourself while exiting the pose.
Do anywhere between 1 to 3 repetitions of Lotus Pose for best results if you are a beginner. If you are an intermediate-level Yogi or above, you can do it up to 5 times to benefit from it.
Padmasana should ideally be performed in the morning, but if you are unable to do so, the evening time will work as well. Irrespective of the time, make sure that your stomach and bladder have been empty for anywhere between 4 to 6 hours.
Avoid Padmasana if you have any of the following:
Note that if you have any of the conditions mentioned above, it does not necessarily mean that you must stay away from Padmasana at all costs. It will all depend on the severity of the injury and the amount of time that has passed since the event that caused it. You can perhaps consult your Orthopedic surgeon and explain your case to get a clearer idea of how ready you are for the Padmasana.
An anatomical exploration of the Padmasana also known as the Lotus Pose is as follows:
When in Dandasana, the lower half of your body is stretched out and relaxed, while your spine is engaged as it is required to keep your upper body straight. When you begin to do the first preparatory pose, you will begin to alternatively extend and contract the bigger muscles of your legs, such as the quadriceps, hamstrings, tibialis, and calves. The final result of this movement should be a much more flexible leg, which is going to be required while doing the main pose.
While doing the Butterfly pose, you will slowly and steadily warm up your hip flexors as you expand and contract them like an Accordion.
The main pose is where most of the action happens. Right from the get-go, you are causing your hamstrings to contract while simultaneously causing an expansion in your thighs. This is true for both your left as well as right leg. Not to mention that your hips are also possibly being tested to their extremities here.
When in the final pose, you are allowing the pressure to take over the lower half of your body while letting a jolt of positive energy rush through your spine.
Why Is It Called Padmasana?
The name Padmasana comes from Sanskrit origin. The first part, Padma, means Lotus, and the second one, Asana, translates to pose. Due to the literal translation of the name, this posture is also known as the Lotus pose, a name that it more commonly goes by in the West.
The primary reason why the pose is named as such is because when in position, the shape of the Yogi resembles that of a floating Lotus flower.
What Are The Techniques Of Padmasana?
Some of the alternative techniques of the Padmasana are:
Ardha Padmasana: This is essentially doing the Padmasana halfway, by which we mean that this version only requires putting a foot on top of the thigh of the opposite leg. This variation is done by those who have only been able to muster up a limited amount of flexibility in the lower half of their body.
Baddha Padmasana: This is a more challenging form of the Padmasana as it requires the Yogi to cross their arms from the backside and hold onto the feet of their corresponding leg. In this version, the Yogi is completely locked.
Seated Mountain Pose: This is your Ardha Padmasana with hands being extended upwards and the palms touching each other in a Namaste pose. This version is done by those who want to engage more of their upper body than their lower half during Padmasana.
Half Lotus Pose With Side Bend: this version also sees the Yogi engaging their upper body more than the lower half while performing the pose. As the name suggests, the student bends their body onto one side while doing the Half Lotus pose. In addition to the same, the Yogi also keeps their fingers interlocked behind their heads.
Half Lotus Pose With Forward Bend: This variation counteracts the hip flexibility problem more creatively as it requires the practitioner to bend their torso forward, thereby making for the lack of full movement that would have otherwise happened if the individual had gone for the proper Lotus pose.
How Can One Get Better At Padmasana
One can get better at Padmasana with continuous practice, patience, and mindfulness. If you have perfected the Lotus pose and feel like you have hit a plateau, you can try out more challenging variations of the same like the Baddha Padmasana to go past the same. If you have donuts about the technique, you can always revisit our step-by-step guide section for the Padmasana to jog your memory.