Even though Yoga has now become popular all over the world, it has largely found appreciation as an exercise regime rather than a practice that offers hormonal balance and praanic energy. Many people who want to practice it for its original purpose find it difficult. The common excuses are lack of time and the complexity of the traditional Hatha yoga asanas. To offer hormonal health and oneness, Shreeguru Dr. Balaji Tambe simplified Yoga practices into Santulan Kriya Yoga (SKY). SKY is easy to practice and also incorporates the esoteric benefits of the kriya yoga techniques. He emphasized that Yoga is the science of unity, balance and expertise in action.
General Instructions:
- Your clothes should be comfortable, loose on the body or of stretchable material.
- If you are a beginner, it might be necessary to take help of a pillow and/or blanket to give support to joints and ligaments. The height of the pillow can be reduced gradually with practice.
- Ambition is not advisable for any Yoga practice. It is important that you accept the body’s limits and advance according to your individual ability.
- Regular practice is recommended to be able to really benefit and master any Yoga Asana.
In Yoga, different sitting positions fulfill different purposes. They have influence on the muscular system, the ligaments, joints, the circulatory system, different organ systems, energy channels, or the mind as well. In most cases, it will be for more than one purpose. We would like to introduce a selection of the most important sitting positions and their purposes to you.
SITTING POSITIONS
The purpose of any position for Meditation is to be comfortable over a long period of time without moving at all. Only when such an equilibrium of the posture is achieved, can the mind become quiet and the breath will flow without resistance. Only then, peace and happiness can be achieved easily. While sitting in the position, an affirmation may help to remain steady for a long period of time. “I am as steady as a rock. Nothing can disturb my equilibrium.”
Most people find it difficult to sit in the same position for a long time, but if done daily with discipline, you will succeed after a short time. In the beginning, one can sit on a pillow or folded blanket so that the hips and knees are at ease. Gradually, the height of this support should be reduced, until sitting on the flat floor becomes possible.
SUKHASANA
This is the easiest pose in the beginning. It is a simple cross-legged position. It generates a feeling of comfort, well being and stability, hence it is known as Sukhasana.
Technique:
- Sit on the floor with the legs extended to the front.
- Fold the left leg and place the left foot below the right thigh.
- Then fold the right leg and place the foot below the left thigh.
- Rest the hands on the knees and try to sit straight.