You and Your Asana.
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I tend to shy away from asanas such as The Arrowhead, The Bear, The Ivy, & The Parallelogram for the simple reason that they all tend to keep the head out of alignment with the spinal column. If I were to choose an asana from 666's suggestions in Liber E then I would be more inclined toward The God, The Thunderbolt, or The Dragon. The Ibis I avoid because, in my mind, it defies Patanjali's qualification for 'asana':
@Patanjali said
""asana is that which is firm and pleasant.""
The Ibis seems to me more akin to performing a field sobriety test rather than an asana
The Dying Buddha, The Hanged Man, & The Corpse all tend to put me to sleep, but they are great when experimenting with CCXX, II:22
616
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I like the God posture; it is very easy on the body and produces little strain. Besides this, I use the thunderbolt a lot when I'm outside. I like it, there is something nice about how the hand is placed downward, it seems very lively and aware too. Also, I consider the Ibis a unique posture of Chokmah mostly, perhaps because IBIS = 222 and Thoth can be attributed to it. The Ibis stance seems to go with a silent grin very well, thus exhuberance; also it is studious, as an Egyptian scribe.
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Personally I prefer the lotus or half-lotus. I have been using it for... well around 8 years. I chose it because it aligns the spinal column and head, while being an easy position get into. The dragon, too, is a good one, but it is one hell of a painful position if you are doing it right. i didn't practice it long enough to pass the pain....
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Personally I prefer the lotus or half-lotus. I have been using it for... well around 8 years. I chose it because it aligns the spinal column and head, while being an easy position get into. The dragon, too, is a good one, but it is one hell of a painful position if you are doing it right. i didn't practice it long enough to pass the pain....
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93,
Half-lotus.
IAO131
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I have found the "Bear" Asana to be most suitable, and comfortable for meditation.
The "Dragon" Asana is a bit more painful if you are not used to it, but this posture is a great one as well.
(Just my opinions:-)
93 93/93.'.
James Cruz
Kohen ha-Gadhel
Albuquerque, NM -
93 rzk,
I agree completely! Just hoping these aren't personal instructions from you to me?
93 93/93.'.
James Cruz
Kohen ha-Gadhel
Albuquerque, NM -
@rzk said
"Shachdar8=3:
When learning the Dragon/Diamond Asana I usually recommend using one or two pillows as support. One could be used under the legs and one between them. This leaves out much of the pain, if one do not want to face that "problem" directly.
Just make sure that the spine is erect."I am curious why Book 4 shows the Dragon, etc. without -as far as I can tell- any pillows or props. I find the Dragon, Thunderbolt and God to be highly uncomfortable without making any modifications. Then again I'm really a beginner for the most part. I use the God, but I am content, for the moment, to keep my knees apart. I tried for months to keep them together and it was not letting me actually calm down and meditate.
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93 rzk,
Sounds good:-)
93 93/93.'.
James Cruz
Kohen ha-Gadhel
Albuquerque, NM -
The key to being successful with the Dragon position is the heel placement.
If you look at the diagram there is a sweet spot where the heels lock into the pelvis.This will provide good balance and minimize the amount of pain you will feel.
Keep your knees apart.I keep my knees about two fists width apart.This will help your balance.
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Since we're talking about the Dragon asana, can someone tell me how I'm supposed to position my toes? I can't figure that out.
Am I on top of them, similar to how one is while crouching, or are the tops of my feet on the ground?
Thanks!
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@fraterlvf said
"Am I on top of them, similar to how one is while crouching, or are the tops of my feet on the ground?"
I have been wondering this for a while because I don't think the Book 4 or even A Master of the Temple photos are at all clear on this. If I recall, the description is vague. Nice clarification!
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Thank you, Vod-Vil. That clarifies things.
If I may ask, where did you learn that from?
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The Dragon position is more commonly referred to as "Seiza".Do an internet search and you will get a ton of information on the position.
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@rzk said
"Within the context of tantrism/yoga, why use the japanese word?"
Because if you do a web search for "seiza", you get lots of instructions, tips, and pictures, whereas if you do a search for "dragon asana", you don't
Incidentally, I notice that the Japanese seiza is different for men and for women, with the women's legs held closer together and the posture altogether less relaxed. I had the impression that the yogic "dragon" posture, regardless of your sex, was like the female seiza. -
Recently, I have been doing most of my meditation while walking. Trying to keep my spine in alighment as I meander about my day.
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Savasana. Simple but effective. And highly underrated.
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@RifRaf said
"I have recently realized how difficult it is for someone to get back into an Asana, even after using one for years, after being idle with Yoga for a certain amount of time. For the past few months I have been working so strenuously with my Ceremonial work that I have not practiced meditation at all (which is the first time I have stopped doing my daily positions for nearly a year and a half). I started today and it was completely worse than when I first started, and doing Pranayama cycles like I used to would be a joke, too much "worshipping Hadit"."
Interesting isnt it - its like your muscles that were developed atrophied and needs to be rebooted. Concentration can be the same way (although I feel that is more like riding a bike)
IAO131
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I am not sure if this is an Asana described elsewhere or if it is my own. I haven't seen it described elsewhere anyways.
What I do is sit on the ground, taking my left foot and placing the heel of that foot over the genitals as if going into the Lotus. I then take my right leg and stretch it out completely in front of me, the right foot sticking straight up perpendicular to the ground. The toes of the left foot are then resting on the right calf. I place my left hand, palm down, on my left shin and my right hand over top of my right knee. Back, neck, and head straight.
I originally used this as a stretching technique in preparation for using the Lotus Asana, but came to realize that it is a viable position in its own right. I have had much success with it, if you call such discomfort success...