Sukhāsana - Easy Pose

(Sweetness/easy/comfortable pose)

Sukhasana allows our body and mind to quieten down and become more meditative. By balancing the body and aligning the spine, prana (energy) flows freely, the breath comes naturally, and the mind can settle.

1. Sit cross-legged on two yoga blocks, one on top of the other, with a blanket underneath your shins, in front of you, to support your knees.

2. Where comfortable, place the knees underneath the feet and have the feet away from the body so that there is a small gap between the body and the legs.

3. Place the palms of the hands on the legs so that the elbows are beneath the shoulders.

4. Let the base of the pose settle like sediment in a wine bottle.

5. Draw the sacrum in and lift the waist by pulling upwards at the breastbone.

6. Do not tighten the lumbar.

7. Let the shoulders drop and draw the medial edge of the shoulder blades towards the front chest.

8. Soften the sides of the neck from the collarbone to the ears and let the back of the neck lengthen without closing the throat.

9. Allow the breath to occupy the increasing space in the torso and let the back brain widen.

10. Soften the activity behind the eyes and let thoughts settle down by giving them the space to do so.

11. Keeping the body upright, tune in on your breathing. Breathing through the nostrils, notice if you are tending to grip the end of the out breath or grasp after the beginning of the in. In this practice we begin to loosen our expectations of self and world so that self and world can begin to reveal themselves. We are training to observe without trying to control.

12. Repeat for second cross of legs with further focus on the lower body settling as impetus for the upper body ascension.

13. Remain in asana for 20 to 30 breath cycles each side.

Contraindications:

• If there is knee pain, knees can be supported from beneath using a blanket. Both sides should be supported to the same height. Hips should be higher than knees, so raise your seat if necessary.