Easy Pose (Sukhasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Sukhasana: soo-KAHS-uh-nuh. The kh is a breathy k, and the emphasis goes on KAHS.

Sukha means ease or comfort, and asana means posture, so Sukhasana is the comfortable seat. It is a simple cross-legged position used for breathing practice, meditation and the start and end of a class.

How to do Easy Pose

1. Sit on the front edge of a folded blanket or cushion with your legs straight out in front of you.
2. Bend your knees and cross your shins, sliding each foot under the opposite knee or shin.
3. Let your knees drop toward the floor, and check that they are level with or lower than your hips.
4. Rest your hands on your thighs or knees, palms up or down, and let the shoulders settle.
5. Grow tall from the base of your spine to the crown of your head, chin level.
6. Stay for as long as is comfortable, then change the cross of your legs so the other shin is in front.

Make it easier

• Sit higher on a block, a bolster or two folded blankets if your knees are above your hips.
• Put a block or rolled blanket under each knee if the knees float.
• Sit with your back to a wall and a small cushion behind the lower back.
• If crossing the legs does not suit your knees, sit on a chair with both feet flat on the floor.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. Sit higher, on a cushion or bolster, with the knees wide and supported, and lean your back against a wall if that helps. Change position whenever your legs or back feel tired, and check with your OB or midwife before starting yoga in pregnancy.

After birth. Adapt. When your OB or midwife says you are ready to exercise, sit higher and well supported, especially if sitting is still tender after birth. A soft cushion or a chair is a fine seat for breathing practice.

For more on practising through pregnancy, see Joahnna Lee Yoga.

Common mistakes

• Sitting flat on the floor with the knees higher than the hips, which rounds the lower back.
• Tucking the feet tightly under the thighs so the knees and ankles twist.
• Always crossing the same leg in front.
• Sitting stiffly with the chest pushed forward. Let the ribs soften over the hips.

Easy Pose is the seat most people take without thinking. Done well, it lets you sit for several minutes of breathing practice without fidgeting. The difference usually comes down to the height of what you sit on.

It is often the first seat in yoga for beginners, and a folded blanket usually does more for it than effort does. When it feels settled, the next seats to explore are Siddhasana, with one heel in front of the other and Half Lotus, with one foot on the thigh. If you are heading to a class soon, your first yoga class explains what to bring.

From this seat, a gentle Seated Twist, turning from the ribs is a common first movement to add. It also opens the page of seated yoga poses, from Easy Pose to Boat, and sits among the easy yoga poses for slow days.

When the legs straighten out in front, the seat becomes Staff Pose, Dandasana. From a cross-legged seat or a kneel, a few rounds of Lion Pose, the roaring breath loosen the face and jaw.