Lotus Pose (Padmasana)

Pronunciation and meaning

Padmasana: pud-MAH-suh-nuh. The first syllable is short, and the stress falls on the second.

Padma means lotus and asana means posture. The crossed legs and upturned soles are said to resemble the flower sitting open on the surface of still water.

How to do Lotus Pose

1. Sit on the mat with your legs straight out in front of you. If your hips are tight, sit on the edge of a folded blanket so the pelvis can tip slightly forward.
2. Bend your right knee and cradle the right shin in both arms. Rotate the whole leg outward from the hip before you do anything with the foot.
3. Lower the right foot into the crease of the left hip, sole turned up, heel close to the belly. Flex the foot a little so the ankle does not roll.
4. Bend the left knee and, again moving the leg from the hip, lift the left foot over the right shin and set it high on the right thigh.
5. Let both knees settle toward the floor, sit tall on your sitting bones and rest the hands on the knees. Breathe slowly for five to ten breaths.
6. Come out by lifting the top foot off with your hands, never by yanking the leg. Stretch both legs out, shake them loose, then cross in the other order.

Make it easier

• Half Lotus: place only one foot on the opposite thigh and tuck the other foot under the knee. Change which foot is on top each time you sit.
• Sit higher on a firm cushion or two folded blankets so the knees can drop below the hips.
• Easy Pose, with the shins simply crossed, gives the same upright seat with no twisting load on the knee.

Pregnancy and after birth

Pregnancy. Adapt. A cross-legged seat on a cushion is usually kinder than full Lotus during pregnancy, and this is not the time to work toward a new range in the hips. Leave room for the belly, and check with your OB or midwife before you start.

After birth. Adapt. After your doctor or midwife has cleared you to exercise, return to seated work in Easy Pose on a cushion. Save full Lotus for when sitting on the floor feels comfortable again, and come out if the pelvis or knees complain.

Expecting? Joahnna Lee Yoga has notes on adapting each trimester.

Common mistakes

• Forcing the foot into place with the hands while the hip stays closed. The knee then takes the twist the hip did not give.
• Resting the foot on the middle of the thigh instead of in the hip crease, which levers the knee and ankle.

Lotus Pose is the cross-legged seat most people picture when they think of yoga, and it is often used for breathing practice or sitting quietly at the end of a class. It is also easy to push too far, so the alternatives matter as much as the full pose. The name borrows one of the oldest images in Indian art, and what the lotus flower means in Hindu and Buddhist symbolism explains why.

A patient approach works on the hips first and counts Half Lotus or a simple cross-legged seat as a complete answer. Half Lotus, Ardha Padmasana and Siddhasana, the accomplished pose are both gentler steps on the way, each with full steps of its own, and the side-by-side Half Lotus and full Lotus comparison shows what changes between them. The standing hip work in a Vinyasa practice is a good way to prepare.

If the knees are not ready for Lotus, Cow Face Pose, with the knees stacked stretches the outer hips from a different angle.

Another seated hip opener, with the shins stacked rather than crossed, is Fire Log Pose, Agnistambhasana. The hip openness that Lotus asks for is also needed in Compass Pose, a seated stretch with one leg lifted.

Where does Lotus Pose come from?

Lotus is one of the oldest seated postures in the yoga tradition. The Hatha Yoga Pradipika, a fifteenth-century manual, names Padmasana among its key seats for breathing practice and meditation, and earlier texts describe it as well. The same seat appears in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain art across Asia: many statues of the Buddha and of the Jain tirthankaras show the figure seated with both feet on the opposite thighs.

How do you prepare for Lotus Pose?

Work the hips first and count each step as complete in itself. Move on only when the step before feels easy for a couple of weeks.

1. Butterfly on a cushion, eight breaths. The knees fall open without pushing.
2. Fire Log or Cow Face, five breaths each side, for the outer hips.
3. Figure four lying on your back, eight breaths each side, a gentle outward rotation with no load on the knee.
4. Half Lotus on a high cushion, five breaths each side, switching which foot is on top.
5. Full Lotus, a few breaths only, with the hands ready to lift the top foot out.

Practise three or four times a week. If any step brings a pinch in the knee, go back one step for the week.

How long does it take to sit in Lotus?

There is no fair answer. People whose hips already rotate outwards easily may find Lotus within weeks; others work at it for months; and for some the shape of the hip joint means full Lotus will never be a comfortable seat. Half Lotus or a cross-legged seat on a cushion is a complete practice, not a lesser one.

Sitting on a hard floor

Many condo floors are tile or vinyl, which is unforgiving on the ankle bones in Lotus. Fold a blanket or a towel under the outer ankles and sit on a firm cushion, so the knees rest lower than the hips. In warm weather, sweaty skin can make the top foot slide off the thigh: a thin towel across the lap stops it slipping.

Protect the knees on the way to Lotus with the gentle work on the knee stretches page.