Yoga pose | Musasana | Studying one Yoga Pose Month

Study Points for the Yoga Pose of the Month: Sukhasana (Easy Cross-Legged Pose)

Sukhasana (Easy Cross-Legged Pose)

Yoga pose of the month:  Let's study Sukhasana I (Easy Cross-Legged Pose) this month.  Take this month to spend time in this pose, teach it to your students, and bring it into your practice.  Here are some ideas for you to consider:

1. Are you really in Sukhasana (Easy Cross-Legged Pose)?  There are many different ways to cross your legs.  Are you really in Sukhasana? Shins need to be parallel with feet hidden under opposite knee.
2. Do not underestimate this pose for being "boring".  Take the time to actually do it.  Sit in it.  Evaluate it for yourself. Sit in the pose for a long time – 5-10 minutes. What comes up?
3. Compare being on a lift and not. What changes?  (Then read this post on propping this post.)
4. Play with sitting in different cross-legged postions (e.g., Siddhasana, Swastikasana).  Which one do you like the most? Why?  I use them all for different reasons.  Do you have an opinion?  (Not sure what the other poses are? Read here.)

If you are a teacher, challenge yourself to teach this pose in each class this month.  Add this component:  Can you find something new to teach (and learn)?

 

Sukhasana: Are you in Sukhasana?

Are you really in Sukhasana (Easy, Cross-Legged Pose)? There are many cross-legged positions in yoga, each with its own purpose, so let's figure out what you need to do.

Here is Swastikasana (heals line up in front of the perineum):

Here is Siddhasana (heals stack on top of each other, toes tucked):

 

And HERE is Sukhasana (Shins are virtually parallel and feet are underneath the opposite knees):

Each cross-legged pose has a different purpose. Each opens the hip joint a bit differently, of course. I also find I enjoy each for different purposes. I find Sukhasana very stable for doing upper body work such as shoulder rolls and neck stretches. I like the stability for forward folding and twists. (Experiment with this one. Do a forward fold in Siddhasana or Swastikasana. Your sit bones pop up.) I prefer Siddhasana for meditation. I find the groundedness of the thighs beneficial for calming my mind.

To Prop or Not to Prop

Whether or not to use props is such a controversial topic in yoga.  Some lineages need many, others eschew them all.  I understand both sides and do choose to use them with discretion.  I use them to aid my students in finding their alignment in the pose to keep their bodies safe.  I do know, though, that the more you add props, the less you are connected to your body; the very thing we want to cultivate with yoga.

In Sukhasana, the prop we use is a blanket under the hips so we sit higher. First, make sure it is truly Sukhasana you are in.  There are three main cross-legged seated positions in yoga.  In Sukhasana, the feet are away from the body so the shins are almost parallel.  Feel are moving toward hidden underneatht the opposite knee.  (In the photos that follow, MuseHeather's legs are a bit too close together, causing a torque in her ankles.  These photos are expressly to demonstrate the effect of a lift)

Now that you know you are in Sukhasana, should you use a lift?  Here is what I know about the psoas:  If your knees are above the hip joint, the psoas cannot release.  If the psoas doesn't release, the lower back is gripping.  Keep in mind, you might be unaware of the gripping!

 

Here, MuseHeather is not using a lift.  Here knees are well above the hip joint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here, with the simple addition of a lift, MuseHeather has raised herself above the knees so her psoas can release.

 

 

 

 

 

So, this pose is the perfect example of the benefit of using lifts.  With the help of the lift, the student was able to be more comfortably in the pose.  Keep in mind that students are often not aware of the gripping in the psoas.  If you are one of those people, play with this adjustment and sit for a longer period of time in the pose.  Often the discomfort shows up when you are in it for a longer period of time.