Easy Pose Sukhasana

Easy pose is as easy as its name suggest, simply sit erect with your legs crossed. Sukhasana is a grounding posture that offers a quiet space to reflect on the feeling of your yoga practice and to explore the clarity of your mind. Easy pose is a good posture for meditation and a resting posture between poses.

You can find Sukhasana at the start of all of our flows, but we suggest Easy Groundwork, Vinyasa Flow with Sarah Holmes and Michael A. Riel's Sivananda Flow. Sukhasana is also an excellent posture for our meditations with Kavita Maharaj and Padma.

Benefits: opens the hips, elongates the spine, increases blood flow to the vertebrae,soothes the nervous system,increases mental focus, increases breathing quality and capacity

Drishti: eyes closed or eyes open and facing forward

Technique: sit cross legged on the floor, with feet beneath opposing knees; press the hip bones into the floor slightly and elongate your spine, lifting the crown of your head towards the sky; relax your shoulders down your back and lift your chest slightly, opening the lungs; relax your jaw, relax your forehead and face, soften your gaze, relax the root of your tongue, breathe deeply from your belly, exhale slowly; take your time

Modifications: if you have low back pain, limited flexibility or any knee or ankle injury, modify the pose by sitting on the edge of a folded blanket; this will assist spinal alignment while relieving pressure from the hips, knees and ankles. If you have a more serious knee issue, you may stack folded blankets under your knees for further support

Contraindications: low back pain, knee injury, recent hip surgery;if you intend to use this posture for meditation longer than five minutes, be sure to place a blanket, cushion or zafu under your hips to ensure proper pelvic alignment

Counterpose: None