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29-463: Many named variations exist, including with legs in lotus position and Supta Konasana with legs wide apart, toes on the ground. Sarvāṅgāsana has been nicknamed the "queen" or "mother" of all the asanas. The name comes from the Sanskrit सालम्ब Salamba , "supported", सर्वाङ्ग Sarvāṅga , "all limbs", i.e. "the whole body", and आसन Āsana , "posture"," position", or "seat". The name Sarvangasana

58-521: A Padmasana is also a type of Hindu shrine , named for the posture. In Jainism , seated Tirthankaras are represented in Lotus posture. The scholar of religion Thomas Tweed wrote in 2008 that "the prevailing image of Buddhist practice has been the solitary meditator, eyes half closed, sitting in the lotus position." Ian Fleming 's 1964 novel You Only Live Twice has the action hero James Bond visiting Japan, where he "assiduously practised sitting in

87-492: A message of well-being. Poland's Obory Dairy gave its advertising agency the goal of creating awareness of their "Jogi" yogurt as exclusive and with a positive image. The agency responded with a photograph of two young women meditating in lotus pose at dawn under the heading "Start your day with Jogi", the brand name also meaning "yoga" in Polish. Halasana Halasana ( Sanskrit : हलासन; IAST : halāsana ) or Plough pose

116-525: A place in Western culture as a symbol of healthy living and well-being. The name Padmasana is from the Sanskrit पद्म Padma , "lotus" and आसन, Āsana, "posture" or "seat". In Asian cultures, the sacred lotus is used as a symbol of growth towards perfection and enlightenment as it is rooted in the mud at the bottom of the pond, but rises and blooms above the water. In Chinese and Tibetan Buddhism ,

145-420: A strong and stable chair , with the legs resting on the chair back, the body supported by a folded blanket on the chair's seat, and the shoulders and neck supported on a bolster on the ground. The hands may grasp the back legs of the chair to open the chest. The pose is entered by sitting astride the chair facing the back, lifting the legs on to the back, holding the chair and leaning back, then sliding down until

174-490: Is a cross-legged sitting meditation pose from ancient India , in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga , predating hatha yoga , and is widely used for meditation in Hindu , Tantra , Jain , and Buddhist traditions. Variations include easy pose ( Sukhasana ), half lotus, bound lotus, and psychic union pose. Advanced variations of several other asanas including yoga headstand have

203-439: Is an inverted asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise . Its variations include Karnapidasana with the knees by the ears, and Supta Konasana with the feet wide apart. The name Halasana comes from Sanskrit हला hala , " plough " and आसन āsana , "posture" or "seat". The pose is described and illustrated in the 19th century Sritattvanidhi as Lāṇgalāsana , which also means plough pose in Sanskrit. Karnapidasana

232-408: Is bent and resting on the ground, the other leg is bent with the foot in lotus position. It is an easier meditation position than full lotus. In bound lotus, बद्ध पद्मासन (Baddha Padmasana), the practitioner sits in full lotus, and each hand reaches around the back to grasp the opposite foot. For psychic union pose, यओगमुद्रासन (Yogamudrasana), the practitioner bends forward in full lotus, bringing

261-404: Is entered from Sarvangasana (shoulderstand), lowering the back slightly for balance, and moving the arms and legs over the head until the outstretched toes touch the ground and the fingertips, in a preparatory variant of the pose. The arms may then be moved to support the back into a more vertical position, giving a second variant pose. Finally, the arms may be stretched out on the ground away from

290-509: Is modern, but similar inverted poses were in use in medieval hatha yoga as a mudra , Viparita Karani , which is documented in the 14th century Śiva Saṃhitā 4.45-47, the 15th century Haṭha Yoga Pradīpikā 3.78-81, the 17th century Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā 3.33-35, and other early texts such as the Dattātreyayogaśāstra . The purpose of Viparita Karani had been to reverse the downflow and subsequent loss of life force, using gravity; by

319-584: Is not found in the medieval hatha yoga texts. It is described independently in Swami Vishnudevananda 's 1960 Complete Illustrated Book of Yoga in the Sivananda Yoga tradition, and by B. K. S. Iyengar in his 1966 Light on Yoga , implying that it may have older origins. The name comes from the Sanskrit words karṇa (कर्ण) meaning "ears", pīḍ (पीड्) meaning "to squeeze", and āsana (आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat". The pose

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348-415: Is supported by the hands: once up, the hands reach lower down the trunk towards the head, and the trunk is lifted further; the legs may then be straightened to a vertical position. The posture may be entered from Halasana (plough), moving to a cycle of poses such as Karnapidasana (ear pressing pose) with the knees bent close to the head and grasped by the arms; or to Parsva Halasana (sideways plough) with

377-432: Is then placed on the opposite thigh as symmetrically as possible. The pose requires "very open hips". It can be modified using a support such as a cushion or blanket; by sitting on its forward edge, the pelvis is tilted forward. Sukhasana ( Sanskrit : सुखासन , romanized :  Sukhāsana ), Easy Pose, has the legs simply crossed in front of the body. In half lotus, अर्ध पद्मासन (Ardha Padmasana), one leg

406-438: The 17th century this had become an asana, variously named narakasana, kapalasana, and viparitakaranasana, part of the long process of growth of the practice of asanas. Shoulderstand is entered from a supine position with the knees bent. The shoulders may be supported on folded blankets, and the upper arms may be held in with a belt just above the elbows. Beginners may lift with bent legs, advanced users with straight legs. The back

435-489: The 6th-10th century Nisvasattvasamhita Nayasutra (4.11-17, 4.104-106), directs the meditator and "user of mantras" to sit in lotus or a similar posture. The 15th century Hatha Yoga Pradipika states that the pose destroys all diseases, and that a yogin in the pose who retains the air breathed in through the nadi channels attains liberation . Sukhasana is from Sanskrit सुख sukha , meaning "pleasure" or "ease". The 19th century Sritattvanidhi describes and illustrates

464-475: The beneficial effects of Sarvangasana, claiming that the pose is "one of the greatest boons conferred on humanity by our ancient sages", calling it "the Mother of asanas" and "a panacea for most common ailments." He asserted that the pose had a direct effect on the thyroid and parathyroid glands, explaining that the chin lock increased their blood supply. He stated that the inversion increased venous blood flow to

493-476: The body vertical, the trunk twisted to one side, and legs out straight with the feet touching the ground (to that side); to Supta Konasana, with the legs spread as wide as possible, the fingertips grasping the big toes; or Parsva Sarvangasana, an advanced pose, with both legs leaning to one side; and Urdhva Padmasana in Sarvangasana, with the legs in lotus position . Salamba Sarvangasana may be performed on

522-505: The effects of yoga on specific organs, without adducing any evidence. Iyengar claimed that Padmasana encourages blood circulation in the abdomen and lumbar region, toning the spine and abdominal organs. In Buddhism , statues of the founder, Gautama Buddha , sometimes depict him seated in lotus position and enthroned on a lotus flower. In Hinduism , statues often depict gods, especially Shiva , meditating in Padmasana. In Bali ,

551-414: The feet, giving the final pose in the shape of a traditional plough. Karnapidasana (ear-pressing pose) or Raja Halasana (royal plough pose) has the knees bent close to the head and grasped by the arms. Parsva Halasana (sideways plough) has the body vertical, the trunk twisted to one side, and legs out straight with the feet touching the ground (to that side). Supta Konasana (supine angle pose) has

580-459: The fishes pose) have one leg as in half lotus. Lotus is one of the yoga poses that most commonly causes injury. Attempts to force the legs into lotus pose can injure the knees by squeezing and damaging the medial meniscus cartilage; this is painful and takes a long time to heal. The hip joints must rotate outwards approximately 115 degrees to permit full lotus. Students who cannot achieve this much hip rotation may try to compensate by bending

609-453: The forehead as close to the floor as possible. The pose is both an asana and a mudra ; easier variants begin from Ardha Padmasana. Variations of several other asanas such as Sirsasana (yoga headstand), Sarvangasana (shoulderstand), Simhasana (lion pose), Matsyasana (fish pose), and Gorakshasana (cowherd pose) have the legs in lotus. Asanas such as Vatayanasana (horse pose) and advanced forms of Ardha Matsyendrasana (half lord of

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638-406: The head reaches the ground. The pose is exited by bending the legs and sliding down carefully. Niralamba Sarvangasana is Unsupported Shoulderstand, with the arms off the ground. Twentieth century advocates of some schools of yoga, such as B. K. S. Iyengar , made claims for the effects of yoga on specific organs, without adducing any evidence. Iyengar devoted a whole page of Light on Yoga to

667-457: The heart, increasing the blood supply to the neck and chest, and hence relieving "breathlessness, palpitation, asthma, bronchitis and throat ailments." He stated that it soothed the nerves and abolished headaches and with continued practice also the common cold. The soothing of the nerves in turn, he wrote, relieved hypertension, irritation, shortness of temper, nervous breakdown, and insomnia. The inversion assisted, he wrote, with bowel movements. It

696-511: The knee joint sideways, risking injury. Rather than bending the knee, the thighs can be encouraged to rotate outwards (using hand pressure or a strap). The yoga guru B. K. S. Iyengar notes that people unused to sitting on the floor will initially feel "excruciating" pain in the knees, but that this subsides with practice, until the pose becomes relaxing, both restful and alert and hence ideal for pranayama . Twentieth century advocates of some schools of yoga, such as Iyengar, made claims for

725-576: The legs in lotus or half lotus. The pose can be uncomfortable for people not used to sitting on the floor, and attempts to force the legs into position can injure the knees. Shiva , the meditating ascetic God of Hinduism , Gautama Buddha , the founder of Buddhism , and the Tirthankaras in Jainism have been depicted in the lotus position, especially in statues. The pose is emblematic both of Buddhist meditation and of yoga, and as such has found

754-564: The lotus position." The critic Lisa M. Dresner notes that Bond is mirroring Fleming's own struggles with the pose. The BBC journalist Megan Lane commented in 2003 that since yoga as exercise had become mainstream, lotus position (like tree pose ) had been used by advertisers to sell "all manner of goods and services." She noted that both "healthy living" goods such as vitamins, fitness clubs, water filter and probiotic yogurt, and unrelated items such as cars, airlines, financial services "and even beer" have made use of images of yoga to convey

783-415: The pose is also called the " vajra position" (Skt. vajrāsana , Ch. 金剛座 jīngāngzuò ). The pose is ancient and is described, along with other asanas (sitting postures), in the 8th century book Patanjalayogashastravivarana . A figure seated in lotus position on a lotus flower is shown on dinar coins of Chandragupta II , who reigned c. 380–c. 415 AD. The first tantric text to discuss posture (asana),

812-403: The pose. The name, and the more general name Yogasana ("Yoga pose") which may denote a variety of sitting poses, is found in much older documents as a meditation seat, such as in the 4th century Darshana Upanishad . From sitting cross-legged on the floor (Sukhasana), one foot is placed on top of the opposite thigh with its sole facing upward and heel close to the abdomen . The other foot

841-532: Was useful, Iyengar claimed, for urinary disorders, menstrual problems, piles, hernia, epilepsy, low vitality, and anaemia. Sarvangasana, alongside Sirsasana and Padmasana , is one of the asanas most often reported as the cause of an injury. Iyengar advised against the pose for people with high blood pressure, for whom he recommended halasana instead, as in his view it brought similar benefits. Lotus position Lotus position or Padmasana ( Sanskrit : पद्मासन , romanized :  padmāsana )

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