Siddhasana: Benefits, Meaning and Method of Siddhasana

After padmasana, siddhasana is the second most common asana for practising meditation. Siddhasana provides similar benefits to padmasana, but it is much easier to practise and sustain.

Siddhasana, along with padmasana, simhasana, and bhadrasana, is mentioned in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika as one of the four essential asanas for improving body posture and sitting comfortably in meditation.

Meaning of Siddhasana

The term Siddha means Adept’ in Siddhasana. Siddha is a professional yogi who has attained spiritual enlightenment and mystical powers through yoga meditation. Siddhis are the forces of a Siddha that exist within our bodies but that we are unable to completely explore due to our ignorance.

Siddhasana, also known as the ideal pose or accomplished pose, is a basic yoga posture. Siddha, which means fine or completed, and Asana, which means pose, are the two meanings of the pose’s name.

Important Things to Know

1. The ideal pose, the accomplished pose
2. Hips, groyne muscles, lower back, and spine are all targets.
3. Yoga mat is needed for this activity.

Beginner’s Level

Siddhasana improves posture by lengthening the spine and opening the hips, chest, and shoulders. This is an excellent place for meditating because you can hold it for long periods of time.

It’s also a fantastic exercise for increasing hip and groin/inner thigh flexibility.

Siddhasana is an important core pose that you can add to your yoga repertoire or perform on your own, particularly if you practise meditation and deep breathing on a regular basis.

Advantages

The hips, adductors, elbows, and ankles are stretched in the Siddhasana pose. It also helps direct energy from the lower body upward through the spine, resulting in a flat back, straight posture, and long spine when done correctly.

Staying in Siddhasana for long periods of time while practising deep breathing will provide the most benefits. This helps you to concentrate on the tighter areas of your hips, gradually opening them with steady, conscious breathing each time you do the pose.

Regularly practising Siddhasana can help to lower stress levels and anxiety symptoms. Additionally, sitting in a meditative posture while practising deep breathing helps to ground you and provides both physical and mental relaxation from life’s stresses.

1. The pressing motion of the heel against the perineum in Siddhasana purifies all 72,000 nadis (the place of Muladhara chakra and three main nadis, Ida, Pingala, and Sushumna).
2. Furthermore, purification of the Nadis eliminates negative thoughts, improves Prana flow, and aids in the awakening of the Ajna Chakra, the psychic heart.
3. It increases hip joint flexibility and, with the addition of regulated breathing, it focuses on the tighter areas of your hips.
4. Sitting in Siddhasana for meditation and pranayama practice calms the nervous system, calming each and every cell in our bodies. It also makes you more attentive and concentrated, which helps to alleviate stress and anxiety symptoms.
5. In Siddhasana, heels exert a pressure against perineum to stimulate the reproductive hormones. In this way, Siddhasana may help in relieving the problem associated with the prostate (urinating and bladder control).
6. Siddhasana encourages the release of reproductive hormones, and helps to suppress intense sexual appetite when practised regularly. As a result, it aids Brahmacharya. Siddhasana strengthens the joints of the pelvis, elbows, and ankles. It is advised that stiffness in the hips, groyne, and thigh muscles be released. It also increases blood circulation in the abdomen, groyne, and legs.

How To Do it Step-by-Step Format

1. Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front of you and your hands at your sides to begin. Consider sitting on a yoga mat or blanket for added comfort.
2. Bring your left heel close to your body by your groyne area by bending your left knee.
3. Shift your right knee toward the front of your left ankle by bending it.
4. Inhale and raise your right foot to just above your left ankle when exhaling from this spot. Bring your right heel all the way into your groyne. This move should be relaxing. Don’t try to push it.
5. Slide your right foot’s toes through the gap between your left calf muscles. This will assist you in maintaining a stable stance.
6. Take your hands from your sides and put them on your knees, palms down. Your knees should be parallel to the ground. Stretch your arms straight out to the sides and place the backs of your palms or wrists on your knees, palms facing upwards. If you are unable to do so or are experiencing pain, use one of the modifications until your hips are more flexible.
7. Sit with your back straight and your eyes ahead. From the top of your head to the floor, there should be a long, straight line.
8. Stay here for a minute or more, breathing deeply.

Mistakes to Avoid While Crossing the Same Leg

To properly perform Siddhasana, you must alternate the leg you cross on top each time you hold the pose. It’s not uncommon for one side to be more accommodating than the other. It’s for this reason that it’s important to alternate legs.

Preparatory Poses

• Staff Pose (Dandasana)
• Easy Pose (Sukhasana)
• Cradle Pose (Hindolasana)
• Gracious Pose (Bhadrasana)
• Half Accomplished Pose (Ardha Siddhasana)

• Getting Your Knees to Go Down

Do not push your knees down to get closer to the ground if you’re new to this position or have limitations in your hips or knees. Just descend from the depths to which you are at ease. Sit on a folded blanket if you can’t get your knees into a comfortable spot. This will relieve some of the strain on your knees and hips.

• Upper and Lower Back Rounding

The effectiveness of this pose depends on having an upright posture with a flat back and long spine, particularly during long meditation sessions. Consider sitting with your back flat against a wall if you have a tendency to round your lower back.

Variations and Modifications

In most yoga sequences, Siddhasana is a must-do pose. With that in mind, there are a variety of ways to make things simpler for you. The following asanas you can practice to overcome difficulties while performing this asana.

• Matsyendrasana (Ardha Matsyendrasana) (Half Fish Pose) Variations of Siddhasana

Bring your chin close to the middle of your collarbone and gaze at the centre of your eyebrows (Bhrumadhya Drishti) to practise Jalandhara Bandha or chin lock.

Lift your hands to chest level, palms facing each other, when in this seated posture known as Kshemasana.

Other variants of Siddhasana include Muktasana (liberated pose) and Guptasana (secret pose), in which the leg and foot positions differ.

Siddha Yoni Asana – This version of Siddhasana is recommended for female yogis, according to Hatha Yoga Pradipika. The left heel is pushed into the vaginal opening, and the upper heel rests against the clitoris in this position.

• Ardha Siddhasana (Ardha Siddhasana)

When the hip joints aren’t completely open, it’s difficult to sustain Siddhasana properly. Ardha Siddhasana (half perfect pose) is a good option for people with this issue.

Arrange the left foot as mentioned above for Ardha Siddhasana, but position the right foot on the floor just in front of the left foot, rather than above it.

Siddhasana is similar to a lotus pose in which one leg takes over the other, except in lotus pose, both ankles are cross-legged. Siddhasana is also known as Ardha padmasana because of this (half lotus pose).

• Do you need a change in your asana?

Sit on a folded blanket with your hips above the level of your knees if you experience pain in your hips when doing the Siddhasana pose or if your hips are too tight to do the move. If this isn’t enough of a shift, consider adding another blanket or pillow to prop yourself up. Try Sukhasana, or simple pose, as a warm-up for this pose. This changed form of Siddhasana shifts the position of your feet, allowing you to focus on hip strength and flexibility.

• Modifications & Props

1. Place a folded blanket under your sitting bones if your tight hips prevent you from sitting comfortably. Ensure that your hips are higher than your knees.
2. Make sure your knees are touching the floor when sitting in this position; otherwise, put a blanket or cushion under your knees.
3. Sit with your back against the wall if you have a curved back. You also have the option of simply placing a block between the wall and your scapula.
4. Even if your hips aren’t flexible enough, you can comfortably sit in Sukhasana, or Comfortable pose.

Follow-Up Poses

• Janu Sirsasana (Head-To-Knee Pose)
• Parivrtta Janu Sirsasana (Revolved Head-To-Knee Pose)
• Ardha Matsyendrasana (Half Fish Pose)

Do you want to take on a challenge?

Since Siddhasana is a seated yoga posture that is widely used for meditation, one way to make it more difficult is to perform it for longer periods of time. When holding the pose for an extended period of time, however, it’s necessary to be comfortable without straining the muscles. Start with short intervals, such as one minute, and gradually increase the time as you become more comfortable with the pose. Since Siddhasana necessitates strict posture, you can make it more difficult by concentrating your attention on sitting tall and lengthening your spine.

Precautions and Contraindications for Siddhasana

The Siddhasana pose is suitable for people of all fitness levels. This exercise should be avoided if you have any knee, hip, or sciatica problems. In addition, if you have problems with your feet, pay attention to any pain or restricted range of motion when performing this pose. If you experience some discomfort, come to a halt. When you lower your knees to the floor, ease into the pose and stop pushing it. You can feel a stretch in your inner thighs, hips, and groyne area, but it should never be too painful.

If you have injuries in your back, hips, knees, or ankle, don’t sit in this position.

This seated pose will compress your joints and cause inflammation, so if you have arthritis, you should avoid it.

If you have a sacral infection or sciatica pain, avoid doing this asana because it will obstruct the flow of blood to the sciatic nerve and can exacerbate your condition.

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