Easy
People all over the world have been sitting on the ground in cross-legged positions such as Sukhasana (Easy Pose). Although this seated posture looks simple and even commonplace, when you practice it with a clear intention, Sukhasana has the power to draw you deep inside, leading you toward a meditative state. Although it is most commonly translated as “easy” or “comfortable,” the word sukha can also mean “happy” or “joyful.”
Sukhasana has a whole inner life that you will discover with practice. A well-aligned Sukhasana creates the conditions for a relaxed yet alert state in both the body and mind. The first alignment challenge of this pose is to sit with the legs relaxed while lifting the spine and opening the chest. You will make many small adjustments as you work to distribute your weight evenly over your sitting bones, to balance your shoulders directly over your hips, and to align your head on top of your spine. This takes a surprising amount of core strength, and so repeated practice will tone the entire circumference of your torso—front, sides, and back. As you make all of these small adjustments directed toward extending the spine, your attention will gradually draw inward, toward your heart, allowing you to sit in comfort, with physical balance and mental poise.
Despite its name, Sukhasana doesn’t always feel easy for a lot of people. We’ve become accustomed to sitting on chairs, and this encourages you to lean back and sink through the middle of your body, weakening the abdominal and back muscles. When you move to sitting on the floor, it can be challenging to sit upright, especially if you have tight hips, knee injuries, or lower-back pain. However, if you approach the pose with proper support, you can learn to hold yourself upright without a chair to lean back on. Elevating the pelvis by sitting on folded blankets will allow you to gradually release and open the hips while you lift and lengthen your spine.
To achieve the full length of the spine in Sukhasana, you must find balance at the base of the posture. Notice the position of your pelvis: Do you tend to sink back through the hips and low back? Or do you naturally tip your pelvis to the front with your belly falling forward? Instead, balance on the center of your sitting bones, positioning the pelvis so that the sacrum moves in and the abdomen lifts both inward and upward.
When you’ve found steadiness at your base, focus your attention on your upper body. An important part of Sukhasana is easy breath. To help the upper chest expand in Sukhasana, fold your palms together at the center of your chest and gently spread your collarbones. This firms the outer shoulder blades and the upper-back muscles. Lengthening the sides of the torso will also help you expand your rib cage and deepen your breath. Practice finding length by interlacing your fingers and extending your arms overhead. Actively lift your rib cage and feel the stretch of the muscles between the ribs. Try to maintain that length even after you lower your arms.
Finally, the back of the rib cage should widen and expand in Sukhasana. An easy way to practice this is by folding forward with your hands extended on blocks. Feel the back of your rib cage spread as you lengthen the spine forward. Keep that expansiveness when you sit upright in Sukhasana, noticing how the entire rib cage moves freely with your breath.
Keep in mind the meaning of the name as you practice: Easy Pose. Since it's so important to be comfortable in this position, make whatever modifications you need to feel steady, safe, and supported in the pose. Here are a few suggestions:
Find yourself struggling to be on top of those sitting bones, with shoulders aligned with hips without creating slack in the back? Change the geometry of the pose! If you come to my classes you may notice if I start class in a seated position, that I always recommend adding elevation under the hips by sitting on the edge of a blanket. This gives me more room in my hips to explore sitting bones alignment without compromising the length in my lumbar spine (low back). Play with the elevation of blankets until you find your sweet spot.
Knees hurt? This is common. If elevating the hips as suggested above does not help, try moving your feet further away from the body and offer support for the knees. Adding blocks, bolsters, cushions or blankets to rest the knees on while in a cross-leg position will help relax your hips and relieve tension around your knees.
Can’t maintain this pose for an extended period of time? While this pose is supposed to be “easy”, it is not and can be difficult to hold for a longer period of time, especially when in meditation. Give your back some support by sitting up against a wall while still following the alignment cues above and using props as needed.
Can’t sit on the ground at all? Find a chair that allows you to place both feet firmly on the ground, with hips level with knees. Practice sitting bones engagement, opening collar bones, lengthening the sides of the torso, and creating space with your breath. You do not need to sit cross legged to reap the benefits of Easy Pose.
Even if you’re not an experienced meditator, in Sukhasana you learn to take a comfortable seat, and this is the beginning of meditation. Sitting in this way at the start and end of your practice creates a positive and memorable impression on your body and mind. You will notice a subtle shift from your active or even distracted mind toward a focused and centered meditative mind. After you have established your posture and alignment, turn your attention to your breath and the subtler sensations within the body. Start by releasing tension in the face by softening the muscles around your eyes, your jaw, and your mouth and tongue. Learning to detect these smaller inner movements can improve your ability to relax into meditation.