Progress
in the development of a cross-legged position
and how to lift your
ankle with your hands to support it
on the upper side of
your opposite leg (4)
1 When
you’re seated cross-legged in a position that’s as near to a completely developed
cross-legged position as you can experience in your present physical condition,
supporting your posterior and the ends of your shins at your knees on the upper
sides of your ankles and feet, -
The
first sign of progress that you experience is a series of physical events that
occur inside your body while you remain seated still. The first part of this chapter describes that
series of events.
The
second aspect of progress is a series of actions that you can do to lift your
ankle with your hands to support it on the upper side of your opposite leg. The main part of this chapter describes those
actions.
The third aspect of progress is a series of
changes that occur in the physical position, muscular effort and rest of your
body while you’re supporting your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg. The third part of this chapter describes
those changes.
2 The progress described here is based on the developments that you
experienced when you were seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position and
describes continuing progress toward a completely developed cross-legged
position.
The beneficial changes that occur inside your
body when you’re seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position need to occur before
you lift the end of your shin at your ankle to support it on the upper side of
your opposite leg. You cannot make those changes occur inside
your body by supporting your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg.
Supporting your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg won’t help
you to experience more of the benefits of a cross-legged position nor help your
cross-legged position to develop more quickly. Don't imagine that
you need to support your ankle on the shin of your
opposite leg as soon as you can. Progress in being seated
in a cross-legged position is not measured by how high on the shin
of your opposite leg or how near to your abdomen you can support one or both of
your ankles.
Don’t support your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg for the
purpose of accelerating progress in the development of your cross-legged
position, because that will distort the natural development of your position,
you’ll experience excessive tensions in your abdomen and the knee of your leg
that’s uppermost will twist out of joint.
The
flexibility and strength that develop in your legs, hips and backbone from
being seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position help to support your ankle
on the upper side of your opposite leg. When
you practice simple yoga in the beginner’s cross-legged position that’s described
in the previous chapters for at least a few minutes nearly every day for
several weeks or months, your legs, hips and backbone will become more flexible
and strong. In time you’ll become able to support your ankle comfortably on the
upper side of your opposite leg in the developed cross-legged position that’s
described in this chapter.
Your hips might be flexible and strong enough
already so that you can support your ankle on the upper side of your opposite
leg as described in this chapter spontaneously with needing to learn or think
about a method.
3 You need to maintain the same concerns that you maintained when you
were seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position as described in Chapters 1-3
to support your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg as described here. Most
of the concerns for
experiencing a beneficial seated position that are described in
the previous chapters are not repeated in this chapter.
The position that’s described in this chapter
is a transitional position. Whenever
you’re seated cross-legged in a position that’s as near to a completely
developed cross-legged position
as you can experience comfortably in your present
physical condition your position will develop naturally to become a completely developed
cross-legged position.
You will naturally experience the position that’s described in
this chapter while your position is developing to become a completely developed
cross-legged, whether you follow a method or not.
4 The following part of this chapter is a detailed description of how
you can lift your ankle with your hands to support it on the upper side of your
opposite leg.
The description of any action that you can do
might be accompanied by a caution regarding what you should not do, or what you
should not allow to happen.
5 When you’re seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position, you can
support your posterior (hips and the ends of your thighs at your hips) at the
same level as the rug or mat that supports your feet;
Or you can support your posterior on a firm
cushion or pile of folded cloth elevated higher than the rug or mat that
supports your feet.
6 When you intend to support your ankle of the upper side of your
opposite leg, -
When your posterior is supported at the same level as the rug that
supports your feet, -
Place your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg, -
Then raise your body up far enough to place a
firm cushion or a low pile of folded cloth beneath your posterior, to be seated
with your posterior elevated higher than the rug that supports your feet. You will need to support your weight on your
arm, holding your arm straight to lift your body up, until you sit back down on
a firm cushion or pile of folded cloth.
7 When you intend to support your ankle of the upper side of your
opposite leg, -
When your posterior is already elevated higher than the rug that
supports your feet, -
Place your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg if you can do
that comfortably.
Or
move your posterior off the cushion and sit on the rug that supports your feet,
-
Place your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg, -
Then raise your body up far enough to place the
cushion or pile of folded cloth beneath your posterior again, to be seated with
your posterior elevated higher than the rug that supports your feet.
8 Your posterior should be elevated higher than the level of the rug
or mat that supports your feet, when you support your ankle on the upper side
of your opposite leg. This will help your position to be firm and
comfortable and will ensure that the positions of your legs and hips will
progress toward a more developed cross-legged position while you remain seated
still.
Don’t support your posterior elevated excessively high, compared to the
level of the rug or mat that supports your feet and ankles.
If
you support your posterior elevated excessively high, that will cause the end
of your shin at your knee that’s uppermost to press down hard on your partly
upturned foot beneath it;
That will pry the knee of your leg that’s
uppermost out of position, and that knee might separate and sprain.
9 The height or elevation of your posterior should not be level with
or lower than the rug or mat that supports your feet, when you support your
ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg.
If
the height or elevation of your posterior is level with or lower than the rug
or mat that supports your feet, -
The
end of your shin at your knee that’s uppermost won’t press down hard enough on
your partly upturned foot beneath it, and -
You’ll experience excessive tensions in your
legs and hips, and the knee of your leg that’s uppermost might separate and
sprain.
10 You need to feel or appreciate the weight of your body pressing
down constantly on the support beneath your posterior and legs, during all of
the time that you’re seated cross-legged.
A description of your backbone as a
relatively straight and naturally curving tower of vertebrae is provided in
chapter 5 regarding Standing your backbone upright.
Don’t imagine that you’re weightless, or
suspended, when you’re seated cross-legged.
If you imagine that you’re weightless or suspended when you’re seated
cross-legged, you might not exert
enough muscular effort to straighten your backbone beneficially, or you
might exert confused muscular effort and become uncomfortable.
11 While you’re actually lifting your ankle with your hands, to support
it on the upper side of your opposite leg, -
Your breathing needs to be already free, and you need to be already -
Straightening your backbone as well as you can with a small muscular
effort, and -
Seated cross-legged with the ends of both of your shins at your knees,
supported on the ankle and foot of your opposite leg beneath them, and -
Standing your backbone upright and curved forward as much as you need,
to support more of your weight on your knees.
All of these need to be actually happening,
while you’re lifting your ankle with your hands to support it on the upper side
of your opposite leg.
12 To support your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg -
Place your leg that will remain supported on the rug, as far away from
the front of your body, and as far toward the side of your ankle as you can
maintain it comfortably.
If
you don’t place your leg that will remain supported on the rug, as far away
from the front of your body, and as far toward the side of your ankle as you
can maintain it comfortably, -
When you support your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg, your
leg that’s supported on the rug will move inward toward your body
uncontrollably, and your knee or hip of that leg will move out of joint and
sprain.
Your legs will be safe from injury, when you
place your leg that will remain supported on the rug as far away from the front
of your body, and as far toward the side of your ankle as you can maintain it
comfortably, before you support your ankle on the upper side of it.
13 When you support your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg,
don’t support the knee of that leg on the rug.
If you
support the knee of your leg that’s uppermost on the rug, the muscles inside
the fold of that leg will exert effort uncontrollably and will pull your ankle
toward your body, and your knee or hip of that leg will move out of joint and
sprain.
Your legs will be safe from injury if you
don’t support the knee of your leg that’s uppermost on the rug, when you
support your ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg.
14 Maintain your legs in contact, one touching the other, during all of the
time that you’re lifting your ankle to support it on the upper side of your
opposite leg, and during all of the time that you remain seated cross-legged. Maintaining your legs in contact ensures that
you won’t place your ankle too high on the shin or thigh of your opposite leg,
or too near to your abdomen.
If you allow your legs to separate from
contact when you’re lifting your ankle or while you’re seated cross-legged,
your knee or hip might twist out of joint. Your
legs can be clothed in any natural fiber cloth without interfering with the
contact described here. Cotton or linen clothing
does not interfere with your legs
being in contact.
15 Don’t move your legs in a way that causes a sound to occur in a joint
of your foot, ankle, knee or hip while you’re lifting your ankle with your
hands. A sound occurring in a joint of
your foot, ankle, knee or hip, while you're lifting your ankle with
your hands, can be a sign of harmful tension or pressure that might cause injury.
If you hear a sound
occurring in a joint of your foot, ankle, knee or hip while you’re lifting your
ankle with your hands, release that part of your position from tension or
pressure and place your legs in an easier position.
16 Before lift your ankle with your hands to support it on your opposite
leg, first you need to -
Curve or lean your body forward as far as you need to support as much of
your weight as you can on the ends of both of your shins at your knees;
You might need to curve or lean forward
far, to support enough of your weight on the ends
of both of your shins at your knees, to lift your ankle with your hands without
causing any harmful tensions in your knee or hip.
Then curve or lean your body toward the side as far as you need
to press the end of your shin at your knee downward more firmly on the partly
upturned foot of your opposite leg;
Then lift your ankle with your hands, rotating it slightly, the upper
side forward, lower side backward.
Continue to curve or lean your body forward
and toward the side as far as you need, until you have placed your ankle firmly
and comfortably on the upper side of your opposite leg.
17 Don’t curve your backbone inward, while you’re lifting your ankle
with your hands.
If you curve your
backbone inward while you’re lifting your ankle with your hands,
that might dislocate your knee or hip.
18 Your ankle should be easy to lift with your hands to support it on
your opposite leg.
If your ankle is not easy to lift, then you
should not continue to lift it.
19 Rotate your ankle slightly, the upper side forward, lower side
backward, turning the bottom of your foot upward as far as you can without
discomfort, while you’re lifting your ankle with your hands. The
bottom of your foot that's rotated will turn partly upward, and your toes will
point more toward the side, after
you have rotated your ankle slightly, the upper side forward, lower side backward.
Don’t cause or tolerate pain or discomfort
while you’re lifting your ankle and rotating it slightly with your hands.
20 Don’t pull your ankle upward onto your opposite leg or inward toward
your abdomen, forcefully stretching muscles or ligaments of your leg or hip
while you’re lifting your ankle with your hands.
If you forcefully stretch muscles or
ligaments of your leg or hip while you’re lifting your ankle with your hands,
the knee of your leg that’s uppermost might twist out of joint.
21 Don’t lean on your arm or on a backrest, nor lean backward, while
you’re lifting your ankle with your hands.
If you lean on your arm,
or on a backrest or lean backward, while you’re lifting your ankle with your
hands, the knee of your leg that’s uppermost might twist out of joint.
22 Don’t push the knee of your leg that’s uppermost –downward with your
hand, while you’re lifting your ankle with your other hand.
If you push the knee of your leg that’s
uppermost –downward with your hand, while you’re lifting your ankle with your
other hand, your knee might twist out of joint.
23 You can support either your right or left ankle on the upper side
of your opposite leg, whatever position is more comfortable.
Supporting your right ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg,
causes the muscles of primarily your right leg and hip, and the back and
primarily left side of your body to exert effort, and vitalizes and integrates
both of your legs and the back and both sides of your body while you remain
seated still.
Supporting your left ankle on the upper side of your opposite leg,
causes the muscles of primarily your left leg and hip, and the back and
primarily right side of your body to exert effort, and vitalizes and integrates
both of your legs and the back and both sides of your body while you remain
seated still.
You
don’t need to support both of your ankles in alternation for the positions of
both of your legs to progress toward a more developed cross-legged position.
It’s sufficient to support your right ankle
on the upper side of your opposite leg, for your position to progress toward a
more developed cross-legged position while you remain seated still.
24 You can support your heel on the shin of your opposite leg, if
supporting your heel is more comfortable than supporting your ankle. You might not be able to support your ankle,
but you might be able to support your heel on the upper side of your opposite
leg.
You
can support your heel on the front of your opposite shin, and support your toes
on the rug or mat, -
Until you can support your ankle comfortably
on that shin.
25 Your ankle should bend sideways only a little, when you support your
heel or ankle on your opposite leg. The
end of your foot can curve
inward toward the sole as long as your foot and ankle are comfortable.
Don’t place any part of your foot that’s
uppermost, inside the fold of your knee of your opposite leg. That will interfere
with the natural rotation, the upper side forward, lower
side backward, of the end of your shin at your ankle that’s uppermost, and will cause
uncomfortable tensions in your leg.
26
Support your heel or ankle, as high on the shin or thigh of your
opposite leg, and as near to your abdomen as you can support it firmly and
comfortably with only small downward pressure, for your position to progress
reliably toward a more developed cross-legged position.
If
you support your heel or ankle too high on your opposite leg or too near your
abdomen, your knee that’s uppermost might twist and sprain.
You
won’t accidentally place your heel or ankle too high on the shin of your
opposite leg, or too near your abdomen, because your position is not
comfortable when your heel or ankle is supported too high on your opposite leg
or too near your abdomen.
You
might be able to support your heel or ankle only low on your opposite leg, and
only a little near to your abdomen, when you’re learning how to be seated in a
developed cross-legged position, and whenever you begin to be seated
cross-legged, if you recently rushed or felt hurried, because muscular tensions
in your abdomen might persist and might cause your legs to be tense.
Supporting your heel or ankle as high on the
shin or thigh of your opposite leg, and as near to your abdomen as you can
support it firmly and comfortably with only small downward pressure, is
sufficient for your position to progress reliably toward a more developed
cross-legged position.
27 Your ankle that’s uppermost should be supported with only small
downward pressure, on the upper side of your opposite leg. If
your heel or ankle that's
uppermost presses down hard on the shin of
your opposite leg beneath it, that might pry
your knee of your leg that's uppermost out of
joint and your knee
might separate
and sprain.
If your ankle that’s
uppermost presses down hard on your opposite leg when you begin to be seated
cross-legged, your ankle won’t press down less after some time has passed. It’s
not beneficial that your ankle presses down hard on the upper side of your
opposite leg for even a short time.
If
your ankle that’s uppermost presses downward hard on your opposite leg, support
your ankle lower on your opposite leg, or remove your ankle from being
supported on your opposite leg, and support that ankle on the rug or mat in a
beginner’s cross-legged position.
Don’t support your ankle on the upper side of
your opposite leg, in conditions when you might be surprised by an external
event, because your legs might become tense impulsively due to the intensity of
your emotion and the knee of your leg that’s uppermost might sprain.
28 Maintain the positions of your legs as even or similar as you can,
during all of the time that you remain seated still to benefit from the
position of your body. The positions of your legs and both sides of your body
should be as even or similar as possible, the position of each part of your
body resembling the position of the corresponding
part of the other side of your body, as well as
you can maintain those factors of your position comfortably.
Support your ankle that’s
uppermost only a small distance nearer to your abdomen than your ankle that
remains supported on the rug. If you place one
ankle much nearer to your abdomen than your
other ankle when you're seated cross-legged, the
end of your shin at your ankle that's much nearer to your abdomen
might fold inward uncontrollably and
your knee might twist out of joint.
You’ll
become able to place your ankle slightly higher on the upper side of your
opposite leg, and slightly nearer to your abdomen, as your position progresses
toward a completely developed cross-legged position. The
ends of both of your shins at your ankles rotate minutely, the upper side
forward, lower side backward, and move progressively higher and nearer to your
abdomen, your ankle that’s lower slightly less than your ankle that’s higher,
as your cross-legged position progresses toward a completely developed
cross-legged position.
Maintaining 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 is thoroughly beneficial at
every stage of development of your physical position.
29 When your legs are crossed in the position that you intend to
maintain still, -
To
ensure that you did not place the end of your shin at your ankle too high on
your opposite leg, or too near your abdomen, -
Tighten
the muscles inside the fold of your crossed legs for a few seconds to pull your
knees closer together slightly so that your ankle moves slightly higher on the
upper side of your opposite leg; Tighten the muscles inside the fold of
both of your legs at the same time.
Then tighten the muscles
at the outer sides of your legs for a few seconds to move your knees farther
apart slightly, and to rotate the end of your shin at your ankle that’s
uppermost slightly, the upper side forward, lower side backward. Tightening the muscles of
your legs in these ways for a few seconds is sufficient. Don't tighten
the muscles of your legs in these ways for longer than a few seconds each time.
If you did not place the
end of your shin at your ankle too high on your opposite leg, or too near your
abdomen, -
When you tighten the muscles inside the fold of your crossed legs to
pull your knees closer together slightly, your knees will move closer together
slightly, and your ankle will move slightly higher on your opposite leg;
And
when you tighten the muscles at the outer sides of your legs to move your knees
farther apart slightly, your knees will move farther apart slightly, and the end
of your shin at your ankle that’s uppermost will rotate slightly, the upper
side forward, lower side backward.
You’ll easily feel that the positions of your legs are flexible enough to move
slightly closer together, even though your
knees might not actually move closer together, when you tighten the muscles
inside the fold of your legs. And you’ll easily feel that the position of your ankle is flexible
enough to move slightly higher on the upper side of your opposite leg, even
though your ankle might not actually
move
higher on your opposite leg, when you tighten the muscles
inside the fold of your legs.
If you did place the end
of your shin at your ankle too high on your opposite leg, or too near your
abdomen, -
When you tighten the muscles inside the fold of your crossed
legs to pull your knees closer together, your knees won’t move closer together
and your ankle won’t move higher on the upper side of your opposite leg;
And
when you tighten the muscles at the outer sides of your legs to move your knees
farther apart, your knees won’t move farther apart, and the end of your shin at
your ankle that’s supported on your opposite leg won’t rotate, the upper side
forward, lower side backward.
Then you need to place your ankle slightly lower on your opposite leg,
or farther from your abdomen, -
Or release your legs from a crossed position
and allow your legs to rest for a while.
30 When you have placed your legs and hips in 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, -
Stand your backbone
upright and curved or leaned forward slightly;
Standing your backbone upright and curved forward
slightly causes more of
your weight to be supported beneath the ends of your shins at your knees, and causes more of
the muscles beneath your hips and
at the back of all the levels of your backbone to exert effort –or stretch to
support your position, and allows the muscles of your abdomen and chest to rest.
Then curve or lean your
backbone toward the side far enough, to press the end of your shin at your
knee, downward on the upper side of your opposite leg –between your ankle and
heel; Standing your backbone upright and curved forward slightly
and curving your backbone toward the side where the
end of your shin at your knee is supported on your foot and ankle –between your
ankle and heel, balance the positions, muscular effort and rest of your legs,
hips and backbone, and cause the ends of both of your shins at your ankles
to rotate minutely -the upper side forward, lower side backward,
and ensure that the positions of your
legs will
progress toward a more developed cross-legged position while you remain seated still.
And then align your
shoulders, arms, hands and head with the position of your backbone, as well as
you can. Chapter 1 describes how to align your
shoulders, arms, hands and head with the position of
your backbone in the context of the main concerns of simple yoga. Chapter 8 describes how
to align those parts of your position in detail.
31 Maintain the position of your body still within one or two minutes from
the time that you begin to place your body in a position to remain seated
still. The sincerity of
your intention to place your body in a beneficial position should not overrule
the importance of the caution that you should not take longer than one or two
minutes to place your body in the position that you intend to hold still.
If you take a longer than
one or two minutes to place your body in the position that you intend to hold
still, you might not continue to allow your breathing to be free and thorough,
or you might not continue to straighten your backbone as well as you can with a
small muscular effort;
You
might not perceive or control the position of your body reliably, and the
position that you hold still might not be beneficial.
32 The third sense of progress described here is a series of
beneficial changes that can occur in the position, muscular effort and rest of
your body, while you’re seated in 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, and supporting your ankle on the upper side of
your opposite leg as described previously. The developments that are described in the
preceding sections of this chapter are cumulative and develop further in the
experiences that are described here.
33 Standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly, -
Causes the muscles beneath your thighs and hips and at the back of all
the levels of your backbone to exert more effort –or stretch to support your
body upright, and -
Causes the ends of your thighs at your knees to press downward so that
more of your weight is supported beneath the ends of your shins at your knees,
and -
Allows the muscles at the front of your body, and at the upper sides of your
thighs and shins to rest;
The
ends of both of your shins at your ankles rotate minutely -the upper side
forward, lower side backward, –
And
fold inward slightly and upward toward your abdomen.
All of these changes allow the muscles of
your abdomen and chest to rest more than they usually rest when you’re
supporting your body upright, and your breathing can be more free and thorough
than your breathing is ordinarily.
34 Additionally, curving or leaning toward the side where the end of your shin at
your knee is supported on the partly upturned foot of your opposite leg, -
Causes the end of your shin at that knee to press downward more firmly
on the partly upturned foot of your opposite leg;
The
end of your shin at your ankle presses downward less on the upper side of your
opposite leg, and rotates more -the upper side forward, lower side backward, -
And
folds inward farther and upward nearer to your abdomen.
In time, you might become able to lift the
end of your shin at your ankle with your hands, and place it comfortably higher
on the upper side of your opposite leg and nearer to your abdomen.
35 Maintaining a beneficial cross-legged position, supporting your ankle on
the upper side of your opposite leg, distributes the effort and rest in the
muscles that support your body as comfortably and beneficially as when you’re
seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position, and induces your legs and hips to
progress toward a more developed cross-legged position while you remain seated
still.
You experience these
motions of your legs and hips naturally, when you support the ends of your shins at your
knees on the upper side of the ankle and foot of
your opposite leg beneath them in a beginner’s cross-legged position.
You can induce these motions of your legs and hips to progress to a more
developed cross-legged position, when you support your ankle on the upper
side of your opposite leg as described in this chapter.
You
can practice a series of sessions of remaining seated still, supporting your
ankle slightly higher on the upper side of your opposite leg, and slightly
nearer to your abdomen, and experience a progression of more integrated
positions that you can perceive and control as easily as the preceding
positions. When you practice simple yoga in the
positions that are described in this chapter for at least several minutes
nearly every day for several weeks or months, you can experience this
progression of developments of your cross-legged position. You can experience
the same improvements of your physical position by maintaining a beneficial
position of your body nearly every day for comparatively more weeks or months
when you’re elderly.
In time you might become
able to support both of your partly upturned feet comfortably on the upper side
of your opposite leg beneath them in a completely developed cross-legged
position. You can remain still and alert nearly
effortlessly and for a relatively long time when you’re seated in a completely
developed cross-legged position.
Because the main concerns
of remaining seated upright and still in 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 inherent and mutually
supporting, you can experience improvements of the integrated positions of your
legs, hips and backbone sooner than physical improvements ordinarily occur.