Why you need to curve or lean forward slightly when you remain seated still

to benefit from the position of your body and

how to verify that the position of your backbone is beneficial (8)

 

 

1  All of the descriptions in this text are relevant to being 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.  Chapter 1 and most of the following chapters describe aspects of how to maintain the most developed cross-legged position that you can experience in your present physical condition and the changes in the positions, muscular effort and rest of your legs, hips and backbone that occur when you remain still.

 

  Your intention to be 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 is applied as much as it’s relevant to the descriptions of a position seated on a chair with your feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing and a kneeling position.

 

 

2  When 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 -

 

  Stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough -

  To press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward –

  So that more of your weight is supported beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees: -

  That causes the muscles beneath your thighs and hips and at the sides and back of your body to exert more effort than they exert ordinarily -or stretch to support your position upright and -

  Allows the muscles at the front of your body to rest more than they rest ordinarily when you support your body upright.  Any excessive muscular tensions there might be in your abdomen and chest subside and the muscles of your abdomen and chest are comparatively free to support your breathing.

 

  Your breathing becomes more free and thorough than your breathing can be when you’re walking, standing or seated on a chair.

  The muscles at the upper sides of your shins and thighs rest and -

  The muscles beneath your shins and thighs exert effort so that -

  The ends of your shins and thighs at your knees press downward like when you’re standing.

  The ends of your shins at your ankles rotate minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward, –

  The soles of your feet turn upward and outward and -

  Your legs gather closer together and nearer to your abdomen in a more stable position.  Standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward is described in the context of the main concerns of simple yoga in Chapter 1 and described in detail in Chapter 5 part 5.

 

 

3  To be seated in a reliably beneficial cross-legged position –

 

  You need to also stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward -

  So that more of your weight is supported beneath the ends of your shins as near as possible to your knees on the upper sides of your ankles and feet or on small firm cushions beneath them.

  If you don’t stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward -

  The ends of your shins at your ankles might not rotate minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward -

  But might rotate in the opposite from the natural direction -

  And the joint of one of your knees might twist and sprain.  Chapter 5 part 4 describes how your legs will be injured when you’re seated cross-legged if you don’t stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press your knees downward.

 

  Whenever you’re seated cross-legged if you don’t stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough or if you lean backward -

 

  The vertebrae in the inward curves of your backbone will press together, your shoulder blades press your backbone and your position will become rigid and harmful.  Chapter 5 describes how excessive pressures will develop between the vertebrae in the inward curves of your backbone if you don’t curve or lean forward far enough or if you lean backward when you’re seated cross-legged.

 

  Don’t worry that you might not curve or lean forward far enough because it’s natural to curve or lean forward far enough for your crossed legs to be comfortable.  Even when you fall asleep in a cross-legged position you naturally curve or lean forward and your legs don’t twist in the wrong directions.

 

4  When you’re seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position and standing your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of both of your shins as near as possible to your knees downward firmly on your ankles and feet or small firm cushions beneath them –

  You need to additionally curve or lean toward the side far enough to press the end of your shin as near as possible to your knee downward more firmly on your ankle and foot –between your ankle and heel- of your opposite leg beneath it to ensure that shin will not rotate in the opposite from the beneficial direction.

  Curving or leaning forward slightly and toward one side adjusts for the intentionally asymmetrical aspects of the positions, muscular effort and rest of your crossed legs to ensure that you experience the full benefits of a symmetrical cross-legged position and compensates for the asymmetrical aspects of curving or leaning your backbone forward and toward one side to ensure that you experience the full benefits of standing your backbone upright.

  Whenever you’re seated in a beneficial cross-legged position the combined positions of your legs, hips and backbone feel balanced and stable internally when you hold all the parts of the position still.

 

 

5  Don’t twist the upper levels of your body when you curve or lean toward one side.  Your shoulders should be located equally distant from your knees. One shoulder should not extend forward or back farther than the other.

 

  Don’t curve or lean toward one side when you’re seated on a chair nor when you’re kneeling.

 

  Don’t lean on your arms nor support more than a small part of your weight on your arms when you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.  Leaning on your arms or supporting more than a small part of your weight on your arms when you remain seated still interferes with allowing your breathing to be free and straightening your backbone and causes any excessive curves there might be in your backbone to increase.

 

6  You might be concerned that some of the muscles that adjoin your backbone seem to not exert any effort when you curve or lean toward one side.  The muscles at the side you lean away from exert more effort than they exert ordinarily or they stretch beneficially. The muscles at the side you lean to seem to not exert any effort at all.

  When you’re seated in a beginner’s cross-legged position your legs, hips and backbone are gathered into mutually supporting positions that support your body upright more thoroughly than you support your body ordinarily.  The architecture of your legs, hips and backbone engages improved combinations of your muscles to exert effort to support your position and rest.

  Similarly when you’re seated in a developing cross-legged position, leaning toward the knee of your leg that’s uppermost causes the ends of both of your shins at your ankles to rotate minutely, the upper side forward, lower side backward.  When you’re seated in a developing cross-legged position with one ankle supported on the upper side of your opposite leg, leaning toward the knee of your leg that’s uppermost compensates for the asymmetry of the positions of your legs and ensures that the end of your shin at your ankle that’s supported uppermost won’t rotate in the opposite from the beneficial direction.

 

7  While you’re placing your body in a position to practice simple yoga –

  And during all of the time that you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body allow your breathing to be free and thorough.

  Inhale and exhale as quickly or slowly as you want.  Allowing your breathing to be free and thorough is described in the context of the main concerns of simple yoga in Chapter 1 and described in detail in Chapter 5 part 3.

 

 

8  Do every action that’s described as a main concern of simple yoga as well as you can, one action following the other without hesitation.  Maintain each part of your position in place from the time that you place that part of your position for the duration of that session of remaining seated still.

 

  After you have gathered your legs, hips and backbone into a combined position maintain your position still as long as your breathing is free and your position is comfortable.  Don’t remain still to benefit from the position of your body before you have placed your body in a beneficial position.

 

  An experience of simple yoga begins when you have gathered all the parts of your body together to support a beneficial cross-legged position and you’re holding the position still.  If you don’t remain still after you have placed your body in a beneficial position it’s possible that you won’t experience any benefit.

 

 

9  When you’re seated in a beneficial cross-legged position you can stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward slightly nearly effortlessly for a relatively long time.  Because your weight is distributed on three bases of support more of the muscles at the sides and back of your body exert effort to support your position upright than exert effort to support your position when you’re walking, standing or seated on a chair.

 

  When you’re seated on a chair with your feet supported on the floor like when you’re standing you can stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward nearly effortlessly for a comparatively shorter time.  Because your weight is distributed on only two bases of support comparatively fewer of the muscles that can support your position upright exert effort to support your position. This is described in detail in Chapter 5 part 4 comparing seated positions of two and three bases of support.

 

 

10  You need to stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press the ends of your thighs at your knees downward during all of the time that you remain seated still to benefit from the position of your body.

 

  You can maintain the balance of muscular effort and rest that you need to stand your backbone upright nearly effortlessly by curving or leaning forward far enough so that when you contract the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale the following inhalation can be effortless.  The inhalation of your breathing being effortless means when you want to verify that the inhalations of your breathing can be effortless you contract the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale then rest those muscles and the following inhalation might be effortless.

 

  Don’t curve or lean forward so far that the inhalations of your breathing cannot be effortless.  If you curve or lean forward far you’ll exert excessive effort in the muscles that support your position upright, your breathing won’t be free and you won’t be able to stand your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward beneficially.

 

 

11  To verify that the upright position of your backbone is beneficial -

  Contract the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale   Exhale thoroughly by contracting the muscles of your abdomen inward by their own strength. Don't contract the muscles of your abdomen inward by pressing your abdomen with your hands. You can curve or lean forward slightly farther if that helps you to exhale.

  Then relax the muscles of your abdomen to inhale effortlessly.  Allow the muscles of your abdomen to relax so that you inhale effortlessly. If you curved or leaned forward slightly farther when you contracted the muscles of your abdomen inward to exhale then you might stand your position more upright when you inhale.

  If the following inhalation is effortless you can be confident that the upright position of your backbone is beneficial.  You can maintain the position of your body upright beneficially as long as your position is comfortable and your inhalations can be effortless.

 

12  When you’re learning how to practice simple yoga it’s easier to be seated upright to benefit from the position of your body after you have rested the muscles that support your position upright.  When the muscles that support your body upright are already tired or tense, rest before you sit upright to benefit from the position of your body, if you can. Lie on your back on a firm rug or mat with your legs extended outward for a while. Elevate your head and knees with small firm cushions or small rolls of cloth if you can. Or lean on a backrest to let some of the muscles that are tired relax. Leaning on a backrest for more than a short time causes tensions in the muscles that support your body upright and in your abdomen and chest.

 

  When the muscles that support your body upright are already tired or tense before you sit upright to benefit from the position of your body ensure that those muscles relax very soon after you sit still.  If tired or tense muscles don't relax soon after you sit still those muscles will become tense or dormant. The muscles of your abdomen and chest will become tense and

  Don’t continue to sit upright to benefit from the position of your body after the muscles that support your body upright have become too tired to support your position nearly effortlessly.  When the muscles that support your body upright have become too tired to support your position nearly effortlessly the muscles of your abdomen and chest will exert more effort to support your position than they exert ordinarily your breathing won’t be free and you won’t be able to support your body upright nearly effortlessly.

your breathing won’t be free and you won’t be able to support your body upright nearly effortlessly.and you will need to exert increasing muscular effort to breathe.

 

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Shoulders, arms, hands  (9)