The definition of Yoga, according to Alistair Shearer’s translation of the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, is “the settling of the mind into silence.” Asana (the physical practice)—like all the other aspects of yoga—is meant to support the settling of the mind. Some sutra scholars believe that asana was originally conceived to be just the simple sitting posture for meditation, Sukhasana (Easy Pose). All the other poses were developed to prepare the body for Sukhasana.
Despite its name, Easy Pose, as anyone who’s practiced meditation likely knows, when you sit in Sukhasana for any length of time, it is anything but easy. To sit in Sukhasana for a long meditation period requires the precise physical refinement that comes from practicing all the yoga asanas. I like to think of Sukhasana not so much as an easy pose, but as a pose of ease, a pose with a stable base that creates a tranquil ground for the mind to settle into silence.
In order for Sukhasana to be easeful, we need to find a position that allows the spine to relax into its natural curves. There are four curves in the spine. Beginning at the base of the spine, these are:
- the sacral curve (convex)
- the lumbar curve (concave)
- the thoracic curve (convex)
- the cervical curve (concave)
These curves form a giant “S,” and are necessary for shock absorption and for optimal support of the head and rib cage. When these curves are straightened, we have to employ extra muscular energy to hold our frames upright. This can tire us out, making Sukhasana a chore.
The key to maintaining your spinal curves in Sukhasana is making sure you are sitting up high enough so that your pelvis tilts forward. This creates the sacral angle—a 30-degree forward slant—that then allows all the other curves to fall into place. Even if you are very flexible, it is helpful to sit on a stack of blankets or a meditation cushion if you plan to sit in Sukhasana for pranayama (breathing) or meditation practice.
That said, some people are born with hip joints that easily rotate externally. These people will be find Sukhasana to live up to its “easy” moniker. Other people’s hip joints are shaped and oriented to support internal rotation. Depending on the degree to which this is true, at least some of these people will find it impossible to find easy in Sukhasana. Both externally and internally rotated joints are variations of normal. If you’re part of the latter group, you may want to practice sitting meditation in an alternative posture.
How to Practice Sukhasana
- Begin by stacking a few blankets (or setting up your meditation cushion). If I’m using blankets, I like to turn them so that I’m sitting on a corner of the stack, so that my thighs can easily hang off the edges.
- You may begin by crossing either leg in front of the other. Note which leg is in front, so that you can switch the cross of your legs next time.
- If your knees are jutting up above your hipbones, you likely won’t want to sit in Sukhasana for long meditation or pranayama sessions. When your knees are elevated, your pelvis rolls back, flattening the lumbar curve. Try adding another blanket or cushion under your hips.
- Slowly rock forward and back, allowing your pelvis to tilt gently forward and backward. Try to find your natural center in the pose, the place where your torso feels neutral. Feeling neutral is tricky, however, because neutral is a place of little sensation. It is always much easier to feel extremes, but because Sukhasana is meant to help us center and quiet for meditation, neutral is the optimum place to be. Here’s how I test whether or not I am in my neutral center: When you are centered in your body, when you press your sit bones down you will feel a gentle rebound or lift up through your body.
Practicing Sukhasana’s revolved variation (Parivrtta Sukhasana) can help prepare your back for sitting in Sukhasana. It also feels great after you’ve sat for a while. Here’s how:
- Sit in Easy Pose on a cushion or folded blankets with your spine in neutral.
- Turn to the right, placing your left hand on the outside of your right knee.
- Place your right hand on the floor behind your back and press gently into the floor to help lengthen your spine upward.
- As you inhale, feel your spine rising upward, and as you exhale, allow your spine to rotate a bit more.
- Allow your breath to guide you into the twist rather than using your left arm to force it. Turn your head in the direction of the twist, but not so far that you feel neck strain. Relax your eyes and your brain.
- Stay for 5 to 10 breaths.
- Repeat, twisting the opposite direction. Then cross your legs the opposite way and repeat the twist on both sides.
- If you’d like more detailed instructions, read this post.
Updated article from September 6, 2010
Hi,
Thanks for your question. Not seeing you directly, it’s a little hard for me to know how to help. One thing that’s important to remember if Sukhasana is challenging for you is to make sure you have plenty of support under your hips. Folded blankets work well. In general poses that increase flexibility in your hamstrings (i.e. Supta Padangusthasana), quadriceps (Parsva Virasana), inner thighs (Baddha Konasana) and outer hips (Supta Ardha Padmasana) could be helpful.
One important thing to understand is that there are lots of people who find Sukhasana challenging, but it actually has little to nothing to do with soft tissue flexibility. Sometimes the difficulty comes from perfectly normal structural variations. Human hip joints are highly variable. For example, the placement, depth and angle of a person’s hip socket; and the size, angle, curvature and fit of the head and shaft of the femur bone affect whether or not someone’s thighs can externally rotate enough to make this pose comfortable. For example, if your hip sockets are deep and face more forward on your pelvis, the point where the shaft of the femur hits the edge of the socket will limit the bone’s ability to externally rotate enough to allow the knees to lower. On the other hand, if you have shallower hip sockets that face outward, the femurs will be able to move much further before they contact the edge of the hip socket. People with the latter structural configuration will find Sukhasana to be very easy, while people with the former configuration will likely never find the position comfortable. Yet, both of these configurations are within the realm of normal.
I think it’s really important for people to understand this point about structural variations because otherwise, yoga practitioners can fall into berating themselves for not being able to do certain poses and thinking it’s because they lack flexibility. Our bony structures have more say in our range of motion than our soft tissues. So, be easy on yourself. Even if Sukhasana never becomes easy or comfortable, there plenty of other poses that can benefit you.
Hi, Greetings.
I find quite okay to do many yoga aasans, but when I sit in Sukhasana pose,after few minutes I find pricking pain in my right shoulder blade(below). Not sure why it happens? However this pain goes in some time when I stretch or change position. Could you suggest me what can go possible wrong in this sitting posture which causes pain in shoulder blades.
PS: I dont get any other shoulder or back pain during any other poses.
Thanks in advance,
Kavita