One of the most difficult yoga poses for many yoginis
is probably the Lotus Pose (Padmasana), in where you seat with both legs crossed
by placing one foot and another over the opposite side of thighs. For beginners or non-beginners alike, if your
lifestyles haven’t been much closer to the floors while growing up, then, doing
the Lotus Pose for the first time during the Yoga classes can be quite a body-shock. Excruciating pains from the steep ankles in
efforts to put it over to the other side…many would scream and I have no heart
to bear seeing such pains from their faces.
So I rarely ask them to perform in the classes.
But if you can, there is no other yoga poses that
make you feel so good, comfortable and graceful like the lotus poses. The back is naturally straight and gorgeous
looking; the lower back feels so free from any tensions and aches; the ankles
and legs get to receive good blood circulations to relieve all the sluggishness
from long hours of seating and standing.
It can hold the ever-wondering mind into a lotus flower like beautiful tranquillity.
The next, with fingers interlaced, you stretch your
arms over the head while pressing the chin slightly toward the collarbone…then
it becomes the Seated Mountain Pose (Parvatasana). While remaining in Parvatasana, you invite
few deep and conscious breaths in and out throughout the chest and abdomen…you
become as solid as mountain; as fierce as the Lord Shiva deep in the Himalayas Mountain
atop who is ever absorbed in the blissful Samadhi…I don’t know about others,
but, as for me, naturally calm and sanctimonious feeling arise from within
whenever seat in this way. It creates
certain distance to feel safe and stay centred from daily turbulent minds and vulnerable
emotions. It’s my favourite yoga pose.
Since small, even before I began Yogic Path, somehow
I used to love to seat in Lotus Pose. I had unusual habits of seating with legs
crossed under the study tables or dining tables whenever I have chance. I used to like doing sit-ups and headstands
too. Maybe I was a yogi in my past life
if you believe in reincarnation like me.
But the real reason that I was doing louts pose so
religiously was, to be honest…it was to make my legs slim… Yes, that’s
right. To lose weight. I had the phobia of becoming fat while
growing up even though I was never overweight.
In fact, I used to harbour around in underweight zone all the time.
I had one elder sister who didn't quite watch her
mouth with what to say or what not to say.
While growing up, my sister used to tease my short stature and legs. Of course, she herself had the nicest figure
among us, the three daughters. I was
shortest and smallest. We used to go to
the same junior high school. One day
while walking to school together, we saw a dwarfish woman with round body like
a drum. Then my sister spat out this
fatal blow on my young mind, “you will become stocky like her!”
Since then, every time when I looked at the mirror…I
saw myself short and stocky…Every time when I see a pass-by who is short and
stocky…I saw myself in her… Oh, how much I hated and how much I was scared of
getting fat…thus I started to develop disinterest in food. Skipping ropes vigorously after eating and sitting
in the lotus pose whenever I can. I don’t
know when I could finally overcome her curse (?). I did
manage to come out all right after all.
Yes, short but not stocky, and in fact quite good looking for my age, to
often receive disbelief if I reveal my actual age.
I contribute to my sister’s curse (?) for my yogic
habits of sitting that started even before I learned of Yoga. I can’t seat that long in the chair if I don’t
fold my legs. I get aches in the back
and legs. So I will have to cross my
legs even when I am sitting in restaurant chairs. At first, my hubby didn't quite like my ways
of sitting. He said I look like “ahpeck
(not sure of the spelling…but it means an old uncle in the coffee shop). So I try to hide my legs under the table
clothes. Otherwise, I do my best to sit
with legs down. But I can’t last too
long in that sitting pose…imagine if I were to work in an office with tight
shoes and suits…
I think being a yoga teacher is the blessing for my
legs and it’s all started from my elder sister’s causal remarks. I guess she was the dharmic pointer…
