Chapters (3)

Yoga : Adept's Pose

Brother Ju Unplugged: Candid Conversations · 1:11

In this practice

Key teachings

Mindful posture and alignment in seated meditation
The importance of stillness and mental calm
Accomplishment through sustained practice (meaning of Siddhasana)
Body awareness and adapting poses with modifications

Ideal for

Meditators and those seeking mental calm
Practitioners working on hip and ankle flexibility
Individuals seeking a stable seated posture for pranayama or meditation
All levels, especially with modifications

Lesson

Instructions

Sanskrit Name: Siddhasana

English Name: Adept's Pose

From Sukhasana, splay the knees slightly farther apart so that the heel of the bottom foot comes up against the opposite groin area. Draw the top foot up into the space between the calf and thigh muscle of the opposite leg. It's much like Sukhasana, but when you look down at your lap, you won't see a triangle or a large gap between the pelvic area and the ankles. Instead, the feet will tuck in close to the pubic bone. Again, sit nice and tall, keeping the head, neck and spine straight and perfectly vertical. Sit for a few minutes in this pose, then switch the position of the feet and sit within the posture for another few minutes.

Contraindications

Knee Injury

Benefits of the Pose

Calms the brain

Strengthens the back

Stretches the hips, knees and ankles

Modifications

Sit with the back towards the wall, about 3-4 inches away from the wall. Take a yoga block and bring it between the shoulder blades and the wall. This helps to find length in the spine while in this posture

Stack one or more blankets under the seat to get the hips higher than the knees. This will help keep length in the spine. Tight hips and problems lengthening can be solved this way. If blankets don't do the trick, sitting on a bolster or block may work.

If the outer ankles are uncomfortable, you can pad them with a blanket.

Steps

Siddhasana (Adept's Pose)
Specific leg and foot placement for Siddhasana
Proper spinal alignment for seated meditation
Using props (blankets, blocks, bolsters) for comfort and support

Benefits

Calms the brain
Strengthens the back
Stretches the hips, knees and ankles
Improves focus and concentration
Promotes stability and grounding

Sukhasana Siddhasana Bolster Asana Modifications Block

Transcript

And the next pose is called sidasana otherwise known as a head depth pose. So from sucasana we're going to spllay our knees slightly further apart so that the heel of the bottom foot comes against the opposite groin area. So, we're going to draw the top foot up into the space between the calf and thigh muscle of the opposite leg. So, it's much like sucasana, but when you look down at your lap, you won't see a triangle or a large gap between the pelvic area and ankles. Instead, the feet will tuck and close to the pel pubic bone. Again, make sure you sit nice and tall, keeping the head, neck, and spine straight and per perfectly vertical. In this pose, you're going to sit for a few moments, for a few minutes, then switch the position of the feet and sit within the posture for another few minutes. Sassa means accomplished, hence the name adapts.

Practice summary

Level: all levels
Duration: 8 minutes
Equipment: yoga matblanketsyoga blockbolster
Target areas: hipskneesanklesspineback
Energy: calming

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