One of the most painful experiences I had when starting yoga was sitting to meditate!
It looks so easy, but it's not. Arguably more difficult for us men because our hips, sitting bones and pelvis don't usually have the same flexibility of a woman. We're not very good with pain management either (LOL). We're from MARS after all :)
Sitting on the floor for yoga for the first time, would give me terrible tension in my upper thigh, pelvis and groin. I couldn't relax my muscles and the spasm and discomfort robbed me of being able to enjoy meditation or sitting and listening to the wise words of my teacher.
My teacher said I should sit with FOUR cushions under my bum and a large bolster under each knee!
I felt more than conspicuous; my 53 year old body was raised high above all the young flexible things in my class, but as I persisted it took less than a week before I was able to start removing cushions and finding it more comfortable.
If you are a beginner and very stiff, this short clip will help you use cushions to help start the process of relaxing your muscles so you can be seated in a yoga pose called, the Bermese position.
There are a few variations on sitting cross-legged on the ground, but all of them are best supported by having a formal meditation cushion. If you are going to use pillows from your couch or bed that’s okay, but it takes a bit of adjustment to get you sitting high enough so that it’s not painful. That said, if you want to grab some sturdy cushions and sit on those to get going, go for it.
Enjoy the tuition and if you'd like to join one of my 'try before you buy' classes, then get in touch by email: mindfullypauli@gmail.com
Namaste
Pauli
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