Easy Posture: Sukhasana

Sit on the floor with the legs crossed (tailor's fashion) at the ankles. Head, neck, and spine should be held poised in a vertical straight line. The knees and outer edges of the legs should be kept as low as is comfortable; if the knees are raised very high the pose will not be as firm as it should be, and the spine will not be kept erect easily -an essential feature of the sitting postures of Yoga. Nor can the body's weight be taken solidly on the seat. Rest the left and right hand limply on the left and right knee respectively. Breathe freely. Gradually, with practice, the knees will lower: when they comfortably rest on the floor you can move on to one of the more advanced sitting postures.

Sitting cross-legged on the ground is common practice among Indians, for whom it is the most comfortable way of sitting. Occidentals, used to sitting mostly on chairs once childhood has passed, need a period of limbering the legs and hips before comfortably being able to stay for minutes on end in the sitting asanas. However, the Easy Posture can be taken up immediately by most Westerners, who should use it several times a day for short periods of reading, listening to the radio or records, watching television, and so on. Thus the knees can be spread further apart, and the legs and hips are limbered in preparation for more advanced postures.

Elderly persons and others who have difficulty in sustaining this Posture for several minutes can experiment with tying a belt around the knees and lower back, to bring increased stability and comfort But this should rarely be necessary.

Vary the crossing of the ankles - a few minutes with right ankle crossed over left; then a few minutes with left ankle crossed over right.

The Easy Posture shares in modified form the benefits accruing from Yoga's traditional sitting postures, which include limbering and strengthening the ankle, knee, and hip joints, countering rheumatism and arthritis, strengthening the back muscles, calming and toning the nervous system, and gathering and conserving vital energies.