Full lotus and iron shirt

[Fire Dragon]

[VCraigP]

[Immortal]

Aw shucks...full lotus is too hard.

 

M.Chia does go into some detail about why he uses the "throne" position. IME throne seated position can have great stability and translate well into standing practice.

 

And...I wasn't kidding. I think lotus was not included in order to provide a course which could be easily taught to beginners.

 

Craig

 

I bought a book called Becoming the Lotus that has a series of yoga asanas the increase the flexibility in the legs to do the full lotus safely without damaging the knees.

 

But honestly, what are the benefits of the full lotus position?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Lotus-Martin-Faulks/dp/1885928181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287447000&sr=8-1

[Mal]

But honestly, what are the benefits of the full lotus position?

 

It's a great party trick at McDonalds (sorry Drew) I'm told full lotus is good for other stuff too but that's the benefit I'd find fun.

[VCraigP]

 

But honestly, what are the benefits of the full lotus position?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Lotus-Martin-Faulks/dp/1885928181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287447000&sr=8-1

 

Speaking from personal experience - I have no idea.

 

I like half lotus now. Terry Dunn is merciful and allows it for his Flying Phoenix qigong seated meds.

 

My primary teacher over the last several years always uses full lotus in meditation.

I would like to think I can get there, but it hasn't been a priority as of late.

 

initially I just responded to question about Chia system of which I know a little.

[King Kabalabhati]

I bought a book called Becoming the Lotus that has a series of yoga asanas the increase the flexibility in the legs to do the full lotus safely without damaging the knees.

 

But honestly, what are the benefits of the full lotus position?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Lotus-Martin-Faulks/dp/1885928181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287447000&sr=8-1

 

Chunyi Lin gives a few benefits:

 

-5 energy points facing heaven.. crown, feet, hands

-stretching of the lower back bone

-once you're accustomed to it, very stable

 

Then I've also heard it helps to transform Jing, this is consistent with my own experience, read Drew Hempel's posts about it.

[Mark Foote]

I bought a book called Becoming the Lotus that has a series of yoga asanas the increase the flexibility in the legs to do the full lotus safely without damaging the knees.

 

But honestly, what are the benefits of the full lotus position?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Becoming-Lotus-Martin-Faulks/dp/1885928181/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1287447000&sr=8-1

 

In my experience, the lotus is about isolating the motion of the sacrum. I like John Upledger's explanation of that motion, based on his own research and the theories of cranial-sacral osteopathy: the skull bones, the spine, and the sacrum flex and extend with changes in the fluid volume of the dural fluid (ten cycles a minute, Upledger says here Shareguide Upledger interview).

 

Isolating the motion of the sacrum is important, because the fundamental postural activity is generated by the stretch of the ligaments that connect the sacrum to the pelvis. There are ligaments between the sacrum and the wings of the pelvis, ligaments between the sacrum and the sit-bones (the sacrospinous ligaments), and ligaments between the sacrum and the front underside of the pelvis on the left and on the right (the sacro-tuberous ligaments). Stretched ligaments can generate muscular activity to relieve their stretch, without any exercise of volition; when the ligaments are paired there's a phenomena called "reciprocal innervation" that arises as ligaments alternate stretch and activity from side to side.

 

The way to generate feeling for stretch and activity is to attend to the place of occurrence of consciousness, as necessary to realize the breath in or the breath out, and relax.