Why you need to curve or
lean forward slightly and
how to verify that the
position of your backbone is beneficial (6)
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. 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.
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 rudimentary
seated position with your posterior supported on a firm flat surface and your
legs extended straight forward in front of your body and also to 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.