Why you
need to curve or lean forward slightly 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 the position that’s as near to a completely developed cross-legged position
as you can experience comfortably in your present physical condition to benefit
from the position of your body.
The information that describes how you can 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 description 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 you -
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.
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 and –
The
soles of your feet tend to turn upward and -
Your legs tend to 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 when you’re seated
cross-legged -
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 if you don’t stand
your backbone upright and curved or leaned forward far enough to press your
knees downward when 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 when you’re seated
cross-legged -
The edges of the vertebrae in the inward
curves of your backbone will press together excessively and your shoulder
blades will press your backbone excessively 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 natural direction. Curving or leaning forward slightly and
toward one side adjusts for the asymmetrical aspects of the positions, muscular
effort and rest of your crossed legs and ensures that you experience the
benefits of a symmetrical cross-legged position.
When 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 as well as you can. 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 support your
body upright ordinarily 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. And
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 natural direction.
When 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.
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.
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.
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 nearlty 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.
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 - 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.
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, you need to ensure that those muscles relax 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 your
breathing won’t be free. You won’t be able to support your body upright nearly
effortlessly and you will need to exert increasing muscular effort to breathe.
13 Don’t remain seated 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. If you remain seated upright after the
muscles that support your body have become too tired to support your position
nearly effortlessly then some of the muscles that don’t exert effort might
become dormant and an excessive curve of your backbone that has already
developed might worsen. Accumulating tensions of the muscles of your abdomen
and chest will compress some inner organs and interfere with some functions of
your body.
Remaining seated upright after the muscles that support your body have
become too tired to support your position nearly effortlessly can be a cause of
no seated position being comfortable after a short time has passed. That can be a cause of not experiencing
progress in the development of your cross-legged position.