You may have come across the lotus flower symbol in yoga philosophy. It is an encouraging symbol on the spiritual path. This beautiful flower continues to grow and thrive in the cloudiest of water. In the iconic yoga posture Padmasana (Lotus Pose), it appears as if the legs resemble the petals of a lotus flower. And indeed it is a beautiful asana on the outside; However, achieving it (safely) requires effort, time, awareness and patience.<\/p>\n
From the beginning of this tutorial to facilitate a painless and safe Lotus pose, it is essential to understand that in India, yoga asana is a part of the culture and lifestyle. Traditionally, everyday activities that require being close to the ground have been a way of life. Like sitting, eating and even sleeping on the floor. On the streets of India, from Delhi to Goa, you will find shoemakers and artisans squatting as they go about their work. The aromatic smells of Indian street food will lead you to see women squatting while cooking. Even the traditional sink requires a squatting position. The daily lives of Indians have slowed themselves to their hips and knees being more flexible than those of Westerners. It is important to raise this anatomical comparison, since in India the variations of the Lotus Pose are typical of traditional yoga asanas, since it was taken for granted that the Lotus Pose could be done quite easily.<\/p>\n
Comparatively, in the West, our daily activities require us to use chairs and sofas. How often and for how long do we find ourselves squatting for anything? Yes, in the West we have welcomed yoga. We can attend yoga class a few times a week or have a daily sixty-minute practice.<\/p>\n
This difference in the way we use our bodies in India (traditionally), compared to everyday Western life, requires us to pay close attention to our knees. Knee pain during and after a yoga asana is common, but that doesn’t mean you can never perform Lotus Pose. It just means that it is not a pose for everyone and that, if you have the opportunity to try it safely, it only requires lightness and patience until you reach the full Lotus Pose. Read on to learn how to practice Padmasana safely and painlessly.<\/p>\n
From an anatomical point of view, to achieve the different expressions of Padmasana, it is necessary that there be a considerable range of motion in the hip joints. The next part of the leg to consider in this cross-legged pose is the knee joint. It is common to experience knee pain in Lotus Pose, but such problems arise due to a lack of hip mobility, compensated for by the knee and ankle joints. These leg joints function as a chain and not as separate joints. As yoga teachers and practitioners, it is imperative that we always put safety first, and the knee joint is a vulnerable and complex joint that deserves close attention in poses like Padmasana.<\/p>\n
The state of the hips, in terms of mobility, will be reflected in the joints of the legs.<\/p>\n
To safely reach Padmasana, we need:<\/p>\n
The main action necessary to do Padmasana is an external rotation in both hip joints. What does this mean? The hip is a ball and socket joint. In terms of definition, it means that type of joint in which a ball moves inside a socket. This allows rotational movements in all directions within certain limits. These movements are backward, forward, sideways and rotation. The socket area, called the acetabulum, is inside the pelvis. The ball part of this joint is the top of the femur. In hip external rotation, the thigh and knee rotate outward, while the foot moves toward or across the midline of the body.<\/p>\n
External rotation of the hip joints requires muscles to move it. The lateral rotator group is a group of six hip muscles that externally rotate the femur at the hip joint. It is made up of the following six muscles<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, we stretch these muscles in a sitting position, when our hips are in external rotation. It is common for the lateral rotator muscle group to be tight in many of us and this greatly influences our ability to externally rotate the femur at the hip joint when sitting (when our hip joint is flexed).<\/p>\n
Read also – Sanskrit mantras to elevate your practice and your life<\/a><\/p>\n When we want to do Padmasana, we find ourselves using the six deep lateral rotators of both legs, since both hips have to externally rotate to a large extent. If this muscle group is tight, you’re likely to get injured if you push yourself too hard. If your lateral rotators are tight, the body compensates by using the lower back. We want to avoid compensation by balancing the mobility, flexibility and stability of the joints and muscles at the origin of movement in a posture.<\/p>\n The seated position of Padmasana requires the bones of the waist to provide a stable base for the spine in this posture. The sit bones make up the lower part of the pelvis. Sitting on the sit bones requires slight anterior rotation of the pelvis (the pelvis tilts slightly forward). Tight hamstrings and glutes make this anterior pelvic tilt difficult.<\/p>\n Quadriceps: Literally means four heads. This large muscle group consists of four prominent muscles at the front of the thigh. It forms a sizable fleshy mass that covers the front and sides of the femur bone. It is an incredible knee extensor muscle. We need this knee extensor action when we perform activities such as squatting, running, walking and jumping. It is specifically the vastus lateralis and the vastus medialis that keep the patella and knee joint stable during these actions. The four muscles that make up the quadriceps surround and attach to the kneecap. Then, through a ligament called the patellar ligament, it is attached to the top of the tibia.<\/p>\n In Lotus Pose you fully flex the knee joints, so flexibility in the quadriceps muscles is required. If this muscle group is tight, it prevents us from fully flexing the knee, which can lead to incorrect technique and, over time, strains and injuries.<\/p>\n We want to avoid pain or tension in the knee joint as it is an important joint. The knee joint is weight-bearing, complex, and vulnerable to injury in unsafe practice. In a hip opener pose, you should not feel pain during or after the pose. The lack of mobility in the hips is compensated for by the knee and ankle joints, and we should avoid this.<\/p>\n Aunque en Padmasana se produce cierto grado de rotaci\u00f3n de las rodillas, por tu seguridad, recuerda que NO debemos rotar en absoluto las rodillas (ni los tobillos).\u00a0 La rotaci\u00f3n se produce S\u00d3LO en la articulaci\u00f3n de la cadera, y es crucial que s\u00f3lo haya rotaci\u00f3n de la cadera cuando la rodilla est\u00e1 en posici\u00f3n flexionada. La flexi\u00f3n de la rodilla permite la rotaci\u00f3n segura de la articulaci\u00f3n de la cadera.<\/p>\n Para prevenir la distensi\u00f3n de la rodilla y evitar el dolor de rodilla en el yoga tenemos que tener en cuenta dos principios:<\/p>\n La articulaci\u00f3n de la rodilla es una articulaci\u00f3n de bisagra. Esto significa que la rodilla puede abrirse y cerrarse, como una puerta.\u00a0 Desde el punto de vista anat\u00f3mico, la articulaci\u00f3n de la rodilla permite principalmente la flexi\u00f3n y la extensi\u00f3n, PERO tambi\u00e9n permite un peque\u00f1o grado de rotaci\u00f3n medial y lateral. Esta rotaci\u00f3n s\u00f3lo puede producirse cuando la rodilla est\u00e1 flexionada. Si la rodilla no est\u00e1 flexionada, la rotaci\u00f3n se produce en la articulaci\u00f3n de la cadera.<\/p>\n Seg\u00fan mi experiencia, tratar la rodilla como si no pudiera rotar nos ayuda a m\u00ed y a mis alumnos a mantener las rodillas seguras. Es incre\u00edblemente dif\u00edcil medir o percibir el rango seguro de rotaci\u00f3n, ya que estamos absortos en nuestra pr\u00e1ctica.<\/p>\n Mi consejo urgente es que trates las rodillas como si s\u00f3lo pudieran abrirse y cerrarse y crear una rotaci\u00f3n interna o externa en una postura \u00a1\u00fanicamente en la articulaci\u00f3n de la cadera!<\/p>\n Al practicar posturas de apertura de caderas como Padmasana, podemos proteger las articulaciones de las rodillas<\/p>\n Leer m\u00e1s:\u00a0 C\u00f3mo evitar el dolor y las lesiones de rodilla en el yoga<\/a><\/p>\n La cuesti\u00f3n es: \u00bfflexionar el pie o no flexionarlo? La constituci\u00f3n anat\u00f3mica de cada persona es diferente. Sin embargo, flexionar la articulaci\u00f3n del tobillo es m\u00e1s seguro en esta postura, ya que esta acci\u00f3n involucra a los m\u00fasculos que tiran de la tibia hacia la rodilla y esto disminuye la rotaci\u00f3n. En cuanto a la colocaci\u00f3n del pie, buscamos que el borde exterior del tobillo se asiente hacia y, finalmente, en el pliegue de la cadera. Si se practica correctamente, no se deber\u00eda sentir ning\u00fan estiramiento en los tobillos durante (Ardha) Padmasana.<\/p>\n La Postura del Loto completa requiere tiempo, esfuerzo y paciencia. Mientras tanto, puedes seguir obteniendo los beneficios de la postura mientras te abres camino hacia ella con posturas preparatorias. Para la Postura del Loto necesitamos rotaci\u00f3n externa de las articulaciones de la cadera, flexi\u00f3n de las articulaciones de la rodilla y una ligera inclinaci\u00f3n anterior de la pelvis. Aqu\u00ed utilizaremos posturas para fomentar el anclaje de la inclinaci\u00f3n p\u00e9lvica anterior y la rotaci\u00f3n correcta de las caderas.<\/p>\n Esta postura se dirige a las principales zonas de rotaci\u00f3n externa de la cadera para prepararnos para la Postura del Loto: los Seis Rotadores Laterales Profundos. Cuando practicamos la Postura de la Paloma, nos encontramos con los seis rotadores laterales profundos de la pierna delantera. Si este grupo muscular est\u00e1 tenso, te costar\u00e1 llevar la nalga delantera a la esterilla. Cuando practicamos la Postura de la<\/a> Paloma con una Pierna, nos encontramos con restricciones en los cu\u00e1driceps y los flexores de la cadera en la pierna trasera extendida. Si estos m\u00fasculos est\u00e1n tensos, te costar\u00e1 llevar la parte delantera del muslo posterior hacia la esterilla.<\/p>\nHamstrings and glutes<\/b><\/h4>\n
The quadriceps<\/b><\/h4>\n
How to keep your knees safe in Padmasana – Lotus Pose<\/b><\/h3>\n
\n
\n
Los tobillos en la Postura del Loto<\/b><\/h3>\n
Posturas preparatorias para Padmasana<\/b><\/h3>\n
Postura del Rey Palomo con una pierna<\/b><\/h3>\n