How to support a kneeling position (7)

1 Chapter 1 describes how to practice simple yoga in a kneeling position. This chapter provides detailed information about some aspects of a kneeling position.

 The method of simple yoga is founded on the principle that every cross-legged position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition supports and improves your body thoroughly. The method is applied here to a kneeling position as much as the method can be applied to a position that’s not cross-legged. To experience a reliably beneficial position of your body when you're kneeling you need to be kneeling because you cannot sit cross-legged comfortably in your present physical condition or due to circumstances of your external environment.

A position of kneeling is not sufficiently integrated that you can benefit from the position itself by maintaining the position still. A rudimentary seated position on a firm, flat support with your legs extended straight outward in front of your hips and a cross-legged position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition are the only positions that are described in this text that are sufficiently integrated that they can be reliably beneficial to maintain still as long as your breathing is free and the position is comfortable.

Some influences that might not interfere with the beneficial motion and rest of energy in your body when you’re moving can disrupt, block or spend the energy in your body while you remain still. Experiencing energy, effort, tiring and rest in the muscles that support your body upright while you remain seated still in a beneficial position of your body is described in Chapter 3.

Every position of remaining seated still that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition supports and improves your body thoroughly.

2 To maintain a beneficial kneeling position the support beneath your body should be firm. The cushion or pile of folded cloth beneath your posterior and the support beneath your knees, ankles and feet should be firm, not springy or spongy. If the support beneath any part of your position is not firm your position will become uncomfortable soon and you will need to move to be comfortable.

The kneeling position described here is equally a seated position. Because your posterior (hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips) is seated on a firm cushion or seated on a stack of folded natural fiber cloth or a low bench the kneeling position that’s described in this text is equally a seated position. The kneeling position described here supports your posterior as firmly as your posterior is supported when you’re seated on a chair.

Seat your posterior on one or several firm cushions or a stack of folded cloth.  The cushion or stack of folded cloth should be elevated slightly higher in the middle and rounded downward toward the sides, if possible, to ensure that your hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips are supported firmly directly beneath where your thighs join your hips.

Support your posterior directly beneath where your thighs join your hips.  If you support the ends of your thighs near to where your thighs join your hips but not directly beneath where your thighs join your hips, then all of the weight of your body will press downward on your hips but your hips and thighs will be supported some distance away from where your thighs join your hips. If you maintain that position still your thighs will gradually move out of joint with your hips.

Support your knees and ankles firmly on the rug or mat beneath them at both sides of the cushion or stack of cloth that supports your posterior. The cushion or stack of folded cloth that supports your posterior should be narrow enough from one side to the other so that your legs (between your knees and ankles) are supported firmly on the rug or mat beneath them at both sides of the support beneath your posterior.

The support beneath your posterior should be high enough so that your hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips are elevated higher than your knees.  Supporting your posterior at a higher level than your knees supports more of your weight beneath your knees and supports your position firmly.

Don’t support your posterior too high compared with the level of your knees. It’s not beneficial to support your posterior very high compared with the level of your knees when you’re kneeling. Supporting your posterior very high compared with the level of your knees does not help your position to be more stable or comfortable.

Your hips should be level one side with the other.  If one hip is elevated higher than the other your backbone will curve toward the side of your hip that's higher. That will interfere with straightening and standing your backbone upright.

3 Support your knees, ankles and feet on a rug, mat or folded cloth on the floor beneath them.  You can place as many layers of folded cloth as you want on the support that you kneel on. If you don't place enough layers of folded cloth on the support that you kneel on your knees, ankles or feet will press on the hard surface beneath them and will become uncomfortable or numb.

The rug, mat or folded cloth beneath your knees, ankles and feet should not contain even a thin layer of sponge or elastic material. The hazard of supporting any part of your position on springs, sponge or an elastic surface when you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body is described in Chapter 3.

Support the ends of your shins at your knees directly beneath where your shins join your knees. If you don’t support the ends of your shins at your knees directly beneath where your shins join your knees your knees will move out of joint.

Your shins between your knees and ankles should be supported in horizontal positions as much as the shape and flexibility of your knees, ankles and feet allow.

You can place a small firm cushion or a low roll of cloth on the surface beneath your ankles in the space between your ankles and the surface beneath them to support your ankles comfortably.  You can allow your heels to tilt outward toward the sides and your toes to point inward if that’s more comfortable. Your big toes can touch with small pressure.

Your knees should be located apart far enough to hold your position securely in place. Your knees should be located apart far enough to maintain a stable position when you’re kneeling. If your knees are not located apart far enough when you’re kneeling your position won’t be held in place securely by the muscles at the sides of your thighs, hips and backbone and you’ll tend to fall toward one side.

Your knees should not be located far apart. If your knees are located far apart the muscles of your thighs, hips and backbone won't support your position as thoroughly as they can when your knees are located at a natural distance one from the other that strengthens the cohesion of your thighs, hips and backbone.

Don’t subject your knees, ankles or feet to any position or pressure that’s uncomfortable.

4 Another way to support your body in a kneeling position is to support your posterior on small rolls of cloth that you place under and above –or between your ankles.

First kneel on the rug or mat beneath you. Then lift your posterior as high as you need to place a small roll of cloth on the surface under your ankles, then place a second small roll of cloth above your ankles with the ends of the rolls toward the sides.

Then sit down on the rolls of cloth under and above your ankles. Your ankles should be located between the two levels of rolls of cloth. Or you can place a roll of cloth between your ankles parallel with your shins. Then sit down on the rolls of cloth.

Your weight should be supported by the rolls of cloth and should not press down on your ankles and feet.

5 Another way that you can support your body in a kneeling position is to support your posterior on a low bench or a board that’s supported on the floor at both ends. You can cover the upper surface of the low bench or board with a firm cushion or folded cloth so that the surface is not hard.

The bench or board should be high enough above your ankles and wide enough so that your ankles and feet have enough space beneath it. The bench or board should be supported firmly on the mat or floor beneath it at both ends and should extend across the distance above your ankles like a bridge. The bench or board that supports your posterior can be lower at the front, or the cushion or folded cloth covering the bench can be piled higher at the back, so that the lower sides of your thighs won't press hard on the front edge of the support.

Your ankles and feet can rest comfortably in the space between the bench or board and the surface beneath them.  When your posterior is supported on a low bench or board your weight does not press down on your ankles and feet.

Your ankles and feet should be free to move slightly in all of the kneeling positions that are described here.  Small natural motions of your ankles and feet while you’re kneeling don’t interfere with maintaining a beneficial kneeling position.

6 You can begin to support your body in a kneeling position by sitting on the rug or mat first before you place your legs and hips in a kneeling position. Whenever you’re feeling weak or tired you should sit on the rug or mat first before you place your legs and hips in a kneeling position.

You need to support some of your weight on your arms to place your body in a kneeling position. When you’re seated on the rug or mat and you intend to place your body in a kneeling position, lean toward one side and extend both of your arms straight down on that side your body to support some of your weight on your arms and hands. Your fingers and thumbs should be open and relaxed when you support some of your weight on your arms.

Ease your knees, ankles and feet into a kneeling position.  Bend your hips and knees into a kneeling position slowly. Bend only a little and bend farther when you feel that your hips, knees and ankles are flexible enough.

Hold and move your body with all of your attention so that you won’t stumble or fall. Move every part of your body slowly.

Don’t exert more than a small muscular effort to place your body into a kneeling position. You can hold and move your body strongly and skillfully while you exert only a small muscular effort when you do it slowly and carefully.

Don’t force or strain any part of your body into a position that’s not comfortable.  Don't use your weight to crush your knees, ankles or feet into a kneeling position. Forcing your knees, ankles or feet into any position even gradually is harmful.

Don’t try to hold your body upright or hold your head up or converse with another person until you have completed placing your body in a kneeling position.

7 You don’t need to be concerned with the positions of your knees, ankles or posterior after you have placed them in a firm and comfortable kneeling position.

After you have placed your knees, ankles and posterior in a kneeling position don’t be concerned with those parts of your position until the end of that session of remaining still. If you’re concerned unnecessarily with the condition of your knees, ankles or posterior after you have placed them in a firm and comfortable kneeling position your knees, ankles or posterior might become uncomfortable.

8 When you have placed your knees, ankles and posterior in a kneeling position, stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to support more of your weight on your knees. The muscles beneath your thighs and posterior and at the sides and back of your body will exert effort –or stretch more than they exert effort ordinarily to support your position upright, allowing the muscles at the front of your body to rest more than they rest ordinarily when you support your position upright. This distribution of effort and rest in the muscles that support your position can help you to maintain your position upright nearly effortlessly.

Stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough so that when you condense the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale the following inhalation can be effortless. When you contract the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale and the following inhalation of your breathing is not effortless you should improve your position or rest. How to verify that the upright position of your backbone is beneficial is described in Chapter 1 and described in detail in Chapter 8.

Don’t continue to maintain a kneeling position if your breathing is not free or if your position is not comfortable.  You won't benefit reliably from maintaining an uncomfortable position and the discomfort might worsen.

You might be able to maintain a beneficial kneeling position nearly effortlessly for 10 or 15 minutes. You don't need to remain still for a long time to experience the benefits of simple yoga. Even a moment of experiencing the best position of your body that you can is beneficial.

9 To rise from a kneeling position, curve or lean forward far enough to support as much of your weight as you can on the palms of both of your hands, with your fingers and thumbs open and relaxed. Move your body freely while you’re rising from a kneeling position. Your entire body should be flexible.

Lift your hips up slowly and carefully from being supported on the cushion or low bench, relying on the strength of your shoulders and arms to support and balance your body. Supporting as much of your weight on your arms as you can allows your legs to move with agility to raise your body to a standing position.

Support some weight first on one foot then support some weight on your other foot while continuing to support as much of your weight as you need on your arms.

After you have raised your body up from a kneeling position and you’re standing upright, press the front of your feet downward to support more of your weight on the front of your feet than you support ordinarily. This can help to restore normal control and feeling in your feet, ankles and legs.

You can stand upright nearly immediately after supporting your body in a beneficial kneeling position.  When you begin to rise from a kneeling position your feet, ankles or legs might be unresponsive for a short time. If you regain normal control of your feet, ankles and legs after a few seconds or a minute your position might have been beneficial. If you don't regain normal control of your feet, ankles or legs after a few seconds or minutes, or if your feet, ankles or legs feel uncomfortable several minutes after you have stood upright from a kneeling position, then some aspect of your kneeling position might have been mistaken. Review chapter 1 that describes the method, chapter 3 regarding energy and chapter 5 regarding being seated on a chair to consider how to improve your position of kneeling.

10 Maintaining a beneficial kneeling position loosens any stiffness and realigns any dislocations there might be in the joints of your hips, knees, ankles and feet and strengthens them.

Maintaining a beneficial kneeling position develops flexibility, strength and control of your legs, hips and backbone that can help you to be seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position.

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