Email
PrintLotus Pose
Photography by Lewis Metts
I read once that the reason the Chinese use tea cups that don't have handles derives from of this simple reasoning: If the cup is too hot to touch, the tea is too hot to drink. The more I've thought about this, the more I've thought that this theory can be applied to our lives. We rush through our daily lives moving so quickly forward that we miss what we're moving through (and often, what we're moving toward). We have drive-up food, drive-up coffee; I’ve even seen a drive-up ice machine. It's as though we don't have time to just wait anymore. Why is it so hard just to wait and let life happen? Why are we so afraid of what the future might, or might not, bring? Why is it so hard to simply, be? So often we become so over-involved that we forget that our true self is within. We focus on control instead of acceptance and forget to take time to pause, to breathe, to check in with ourselves, to be in the world.
Lotus Pose helps put you in a state of acceptance of what is. It allows you to be present, live in the now, gain patience and go within to listen to the inner sounds of your Self. Lotus can be used in conjunction with meditation. Meditation needn’t be daunting—it’s as simple as sitting and breathing. But this pose goes beyond sitting; it puts the intention into the action of sitting—the intention to go within to the hushed tones of the inner spirit.
Find a quiet place, even if for only a few moments, where you can take a break from the drone of the outside world. Sit in Full Lotus or Half Lotus (with only one ankle pulled up to the thigh) by crossing the legs and one by one lifting the ankles up to rest on the thighs. Begin in Half Lotus and see how it feels to you. Don’t force yourself into Full Lotus and if you’re just beginning this pose, only stay in Full Lotus for a few moments then release. Though it seems like an easy, beginner’s pose—Full Lotus is quite advanced and some people are never able to perform it based on how their body is made. That is okay. If Full Lotus is painful or causes enough discomfort that it is a distraction switch to Half Lotus. Listen to your body; allow it to be where it is. Lotus can be performed at the beginning of a practice to calm the mind and prepare it for yoga practice, at the end of a practice to move into meditation or any time you want a moment of quiet peace.
When in Lotus take a moment to pause—inhale and hold the breath for a few seconds. Listen to the sound of your heartbeat. Take this moment for yourself, within yourself. This is your time of just being. Don’t rush the pose. Sit in it and be in it fully present until you are compelled to move on. Have the experience of a quiet personal moment. Adopt the tea cup philosophy and its simple reasoning: If the cup is too hot to touch, the tea is too hot to drink. Sometimes, it's better to just wait and enjoy the experience of tea time than it is to rush the drinking of the tea.
M/Gatlianne is an Author, Yoga Instructor, Interfaith Minister and Holistic Health & Reiki Practitioner based in Athens, AL. For more information, contact her at M@Gatlianne.com or visit Gatlianne.com, DeepRiversHealing.com, or DiscoverPath.com.
