Having difficulty with Double Lotus position? How to practice Double Lotus meditation?
Having difficulty with Double Lotus position? How to practice Double Lotus meditation?
Double Lotus position is relatively difficult, and it is recommended that beginners gradually progress. Meditation is not a competition to achieve high difficulty poses. Having such a subconscious mindset will limit oneself. Whether or not one can achieve Double Lotus position has nothing to do with the level of consciousness. Double Lotus position is just an auxiliary tool.
There are many types of meditation postures, please refer to: How many kinds of sit cross-legged positions are there?
However, Double Lotus position is the most stable posture among meditation postures, even though it is the most difficult to learn.
Although Double Lotus position is difficult, through practice, the body can gradually adapt and achieve the posture.
Antia, who has more than 20 years of experience in meditation, yoga, and mindfulness, will guide and teach how to use yoga postures to practice Double Lotus position.
Antia's personal experience and qualifications:
Experience:
AFAA International Core Education Instructor
AFAA International Pilates Education Instructor
Senior Education Instructor at Saint Dharma Academy
Senior Rehabilitation Coach at Guangliu Union Clinic
Representative of Guangliu Yoga Nine Styles
Advisor to the Mind Awakening Cultural and Educational Foundation
Signed coach with Cool Strength
Host of the Saint Dharma Academy Meditation Camp
Founder of Antia Mindfulness Yoga
Qualifications:
AFAA International Core Coach
AFAA International Pilates Coach
AFAA Sunrise Yoga Specialization
Sivananda International Yoga Instructor Certification
BH Spinning Instructor Certification
Saint Dharma Academy Level 2 Senior Education Instructor Certification
Saint Dharma Academy Level 3 Education Instructor Certification
Saint Dharma Academy Level 4 Education Consultant Certification
Section 1:
Let me introduce to you how to prepare yourself when starting to learn meditation postures. For the feet, you can choose between single lotus position or relaxed position, where your feet are crossed freely like they are now. Single lotus position allows your left foot to cross over your right thigh or your right foot to cross over your left thigh, or even double lotus position. So far, Easterners find it easier to achieve double lotus position due to their leg length. Therefore, after we do a few exercises, in this lesson, I will guide you to experience the feeling of double lotus position for the first time.
The reason we are unable to achieve double lotus position is not only related to the tightness of our hip joints but also to our knees and ankles. That is why we will do some stretching exercises for these three areas.
Section 2:
The first stretching exercise is to turn your right knee forward and do a hip internal rotation. If your hip joint is tight, your buttocks may lift off the ground or your body may tilt, and your foot may not naturally rest on the ground. But it is okay. Focus on pushing your right buttock down as much as possible, and raise your left hand while inhaling, then stretch towards the right side. At this time, the center of gravity must be on the right buttock. You may feel uncomfortable in the hip joint, but tell it to relax as you exhale, and slowly return. Repeat this three to four times, with your hands on the ground to assist in bringing your buttocks closer to the ground. If you feel sore or tight, tell yourself to relax as you exhale, and slowly switch sides. After completing one side, switch to the other foot. This time, it is the left knee's turn to do an internal rotation. Raise your right hand and move towards your left side, slightly supporting the ground with your hand, so that both sit bones can rest on the ground. Inhale and switch sides, raise your hand, and exhale towards the side, feeling both sit bones firmly rooted to the ground. Repeat this for three times on both sides, coordinating your breathing, extending your spine, sitting firmly on your sit bones, and telling your feet and hip joints to relax as you exhale. This completes the first set of exercises.
Section 3:
Next, let's move on to the second set of exercises.
Place the soles of your feet together and lightly hold both feet with your hands.
Inhale and extend your back upward, then exhale and further extend your spine.
Press your elbows against your shins and try to open your knees as much as possible, bringing them closer to the floor.
Stay in this position for three to four breaths, then slowly come back up.
Repeat this exercise three to four times, focusing on letting your knees get closer to the floor as you exhale.
This will help loosen up your knees and hip joints.
Now, let's move on to the third set of exercises.
Section 4:
Place your left leg parallel to the yoga mat, with your shin at a right angle to your thigh.
Place your right foot on top of your left knee, with the ankle resting on the knee.
From above, you should only see your toes and both shins parallel to each other.
Lightly place your hands on top of your shins, inhale and extend your back upward, then exhale and relax your body downward.
Stay in this position for 30 seconds to a minute, or even longer if time permits.
As time passes, you will notice that your upper foot gradually moves closer to your lower foot.
With each exhale, focus on relaxing your hip joints and the outer muscles of your buttocks.
Take one final deep breath before slowly coming back up.
Repeat this exercise with your right leg on the bottom and left leg on top.
You may notice that the tension in your hip joints is different between the two legs.
Again, place your hands on top of your shins and inhale to extend your back upward, then exhale to relax your body downward.
If you feel comfortable in this position, you can place your hands on the floor to bring your body closer to the ground.
If one leg is tighter than the other, you can stay in this position longer to help loosen it up.
With our bodies and joints being different, you can adjust the number of times and duration of each exercise accordingly.
Take three deep breaths before finishing the exercise.
You can repeat this exercise three times for each leg, but we are only demonstrating it once here.
Feel free to increase the number of repetitions when you have time.
Section 5
Let's do the last set of movements. Extend your right leg forward and place your left leg in the groin area. However, if you find that your knee cannot touch the ground, then place it on the floor. I will demonstrate for those who cannot touch the ground with their knee, so bring your left leg close to your thigh and place the knee as close to the ground as possible.
Extend your back upward and your hands upward along your spine. When exhaling, relax and stay here. We will stay for three to four deep breaths. Every time you exhale, bring your attention to the tense areas and tell them to relax. After completing three to four deep breaths, slowly come back up.
Next, lift the leg that was below and bring your right elbow near the sole of the foot. Hold the knee with your left elbow. Hold the leg as if you were holding a child. The closer it is to your body, the more tension there will be on the outer side of your hips. Adjust your breathing and continue to extend your back upward. Every time you exhale, tell yourself to relax. Try to lift your leg higher so it's closer to your body. Stay for three breaths and then slowly lower your leg.
After a short while, is it possible that when you put your foot on the inside of your thigh, your knee is closer to the ground? Next, let's switch to the other leg. Inhale and extend your hands upward, extending your back. Exhale and relax your body downward. Stay here for three to four deep breaths. Every time you exhale, tell the tense areas to relax. Slowly come back up. Next, bring your right foot closer to your left thigh and hold your knee with your right elbow. Hold the leg as if you were holding a child. The closer it is to your body, the more tension there will be on the outer side of your hips. If possible, lift the leg higher so it's closer to your body. Adjust the height according to your situation. Every time you exhale, let it get closer to your body. Focus on relaxing the tense areas. After three to four deep breaths, place your foot inside your thigh again. Does your knee touch the ground now? Repeat this movement with both legs three to four times. Adjust the frequency according to your personal situation.
Section 6
After warming up, repeat the above four sets of movements three to four times before sitting. Over time, you may find that you can sit cross-legged easily. For those who have already learned the cross-legged posture, you may find that your knees are getting closer to the ground. These are some methods for you to easily learn the cross-legged posture. However, all movements should only be performed when your body is fully relaxed. Do not challenge difficult movements immediately, as this can easily lead to injury. I hope that after practicing, everyone can sit cross-legged easily. But if the cross-legged posture makes your legs numb when sitting, I still recommend that you adopt a comfortable posture and make sitting a good habit in your daily life.