How to Do Easy Pose (Sukhasana) in Yoga – Benefits, Tips, and Techniques

If you're practicing yoga, need to meditate, or simply want to relax in a comfortable seated position, Sukhasana (Easy Pose) is the way to go. It's the basis of many yoga-related activities, so it's worth learning how to do well. Plus, by finding ways to make Sukhasana more comfortable for you personally, you can improve your ease and freedom when you're sitting in it!

Easy Pose (Sukhasana), or Easy Seat, is a seated position with the legs crossed. It is one of the most basic poses in yoga practice and meditation, but also one of the best because it's so comfortable. In this case, easy doesn't mean the opposite of difficult. It means "with ease." So, sitting in Sukhasana is actually sitting any way you can with ease.

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Easy Pose (Sukhasana) In Yoga – How To Do It

Practice this yoga pose on a daily basis as part of your meditation practice or when you're looking to take a few minutes for stillness in your day. You'll be surprised at how quickly you reap the benefits.

Here's how you do it:

• Sit on your mat in Staff Pose and bend and widen your knees and cross your shins.
• Slip each foot beneath the opposite knee and bring the shins toward your torso; rest them on the floor with their outer edges touching and their inner arches settled just below the opposite shin.
• The gap between your feet and pelvis should be comfortable, not too wide or too narrow.
• Keep your hips evenly distributed and avoid tilting forward or backward.
• To sit with good posture, lengthen your tail bone toward the floor, firm your shoulder blades against your back, and keep both sides of your trunk long.
• Keep your lower back curved and don’t poke your lower front ribs forward.
• You can sit like this for any length of time, but be sure to change which leg is on top so that both sides of your body have equal time in this position.

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Benefits

Easy Pose is a common yoga asana that opens the hips and stretches the knees and ankles. It also strengthens the back and can be used to calm the mind during meditation. Most children sit in this position, but many adults are accustomed to sitting in chairs and have tight hips as a result. Easy Pose is good for stretching tight hips.

Sukhasana, or the simple sitting position, is one way to help open the hips while also stretching the spine and improving digestion. It can also increase energy and uplift one's mood, as well as improve breathing.

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Tips and Techniques

Sukhasana is a common pose, but it involves several parts of the body. Try these tips to get the most benefit from the pose and avoid discomfort and possible injuries.

• Lift your breastbone and feel your shoulders broaden away from each other.
• Tuck your chin in toward the front of your neck, then imagine that the back of your neck is being gently pulled upward.
• If you're having trouble straightening your back, try imagining that your tailbone is sinking down toward the floor. Doing so will allow your pelvis to tilt back slightly, which in turn will help straighten your lumbar spine.
• If your back is curving outward, try to tilt the pelvic girdle forward. For some people, raising the hips on a blanket or blocks can help them sit with their pelvis tilted forward.
• To help you stay grounded and stable, place a block or two under your buttocks and a folded blanket under your knees.

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Common Mistakes to Avoid

• When you stand in this position, you may tend to curve your lower back in or out. Both types of curvature can put pressure on your spine.
• You may want to sit on a block or folded blanket if you have any circulatory problems in your legs, such as varicose veins or edema, or if you are pregnant.
• If your hips don't bend easily, you may not be able to put your knees on the ground. This will affect your posture and might stress your spine.
• If your knees are raised above your ankles, this can cause a significant degree of sideways flexion in your ankles. This can be uncomfortable or even painful.

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Bottom Line

Easy Pose can be very healing and is a good posture to start your practice. It should help you feel calm and settled and you will find yourself sitting for longer periods of time without feeling pain. This yoga posture is a great one to master at the beginning of meditation practice.

And remember, this is not supposed to be a challenging asana. If it is uncomfortable in any way, try making slight changes to your posture so that it feels good. If you're not feeling inspired, don't force yourself to work on it. It can become a great yoga pose if you maintain it while being calm and focused, rather than forcing yourself to do it.