How to do Padmasana (Lotus Pose)

Calming up your mind is something that we all crave for amidst the hustle bustle of life.

Padmasana will stimulate the flow of energy in your body. Avail numerous mental and physical benefits of Padmasana (Lotus Pose).

Blossom just like a lotus with the lotus position Padmasana. Cross your legs and ease out you’re 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 is an ultimate meditative pose. It is a cross leg sitting asana, which follows the ancient Indian tradition of yoga with your feet on the thighs. This is an established meditative pose from time immemorial even used in Buddhist and Jain traditions frequently. 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 astound. Before we jump into the details like how to do Padmasana.

Padmasana

Padmasana steps and benefits and all other information related to Padmasana, let us take a look at the basics of this pose.

Table of Contents

Basic Padmasana 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 ( पद्मासन ), It is also commonly known in hindi word as ( कमलमुद्रा ). 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.

Meaning of Padmasana

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 is the asana where the meditator sits with each of his feet on the opposite thigh.

What you should know before doing Padmasana Posture

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 that 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.

Padmasana 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 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 Padmasana

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

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!

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

Know Padmasana Helps In Curing Which Disease

The Padmasana posture is one of the most basic Yoga Asana 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 Menstruations 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.

Padmasana 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.

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

So these are the detailed steps of doing Padmasana. 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.

Tips for Beginners

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 Powerful Padmasana Mudras 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
• Chinmaya Mudra
• Adi Mudra
• Bramha Mubra

Chin Mudra

The Chin mudra helps in improving focus and concentration and managing insomnia.

Chinmaya Mudra

the benefit of the Chinmaya 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. The following section will help you understand the same better.

Five 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.

• Bandha Padmasana
• Ardha Padmasana
• Utthita Padmasana
• Urdhva Padmasana
• Gupta Padmasana

Baddha Padmasana- Locked Lotus Pose

Benefits:- The benefits of the Baddha Padmasana or Locked Lotus 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. 

Ardha Padmasana- Half Lotus Pose

Benefits:- By performing Ardha Padmasana or Half Lotus Pose, 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.

Utthita Padmasana- Raised Lotus Pose

Benefits:- This variation Utthita Padmasana or Raised Lotus Pose 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.

Urdhva Padmasana- Upward Lotus Pose

Benefits:- This Urdhva Padmasana or Upward Lotus Pose include the flexibility of the various joints and the strengthening of a large number of muscles of the human body. 

Gupta Padmasana- Hidden Lotus Pose

Benefits:- The major benefit of the Gupta Padmasana or Hidden Lotus Pose is the relaxation it offers to the body. This asana helps in inducing peace and emotional stability. 

Contraindications and Precautions of Padmasana.

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 Padmasana (Lotus Pose).

The exercise is strictly not recommended to those who have knee Injuries or Ankle Pains, this stretches and twists up your knees and ankles extremely.

Padmasana 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 it’s 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.

Preparatory Poses before Padmasana (Lotus Pose)

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

Follow Up Poses after Padmasana (Lotus Pose)

• Paschimottansana
• Savasana

What is 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 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 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 Padmasana for 1 to 5 minutes minimum. 

Who should not do Padmasana?

People with Back Pain, Knee and Ankle Pain should not perform Padmasana.