Benefits of Sukhasana

Amongst all the different postures in different levels of yoga classes, Sukhasana, is a great choice to start your yoga journey. Known to be one of the most popular foundational yoga postures focusing on your lower back, yoga posture sukhasana is appropriate for any age group or gender, and can be modified easily to suit individual comfort levels.

The name in itself means comfort, joy, and pleasure, as it is directly inspired by the word “Sukham” from the Sanskrit language. Given that it is a beginner-friendly yoga pose, it is the right choice to step into the yoga world. It requires minimal strength but maximum patience to build focus.

As part of Indian culture, sitting in a cross-leg position is very common, and almost everyone sits in this position when seated on the floor. This yoga pose is performed in a seated position and offers endless benefits for the body, mind, and soul.

Before we jump into the benefits, let us understand the Sukhasana procedure.

To understand how to perform easy pose sukhasana, it is important to note that this posture is more about relaxing the mind and body for better ease and release of stress.

Find the sukhasana steps below:

Step 1: Place your body on the floor, and sit down while extending your legs forward. If you are uncomfortable sitting directly on the floor, you can use a carpet, a thick blanket, or a mat for support by placing it right under your buttocks when seated.

Step 2: Now, slowly move your legs towards each other and fold them, with your knees facing outside and both feet under the opposite knees.

Step 3: Sit straight, with your neck, head, and stomach in one line and rest your hands on your knees to begin.

Step 4: Close your eyes and slowly tilt your head down to your chest while taking a deep breath, making a light C alphabet with the upper half of the body. Stay in this pose for a few seconds. Please ensure you do not curve it too much, as it can strain your lower back.

Step 5: To release, slowly exhale, and while doing so, bring your head back up, releasing the C shape of the body and returning to a straight-back seated pose.

Step 6: You can repeat this as many times as possible and hold the pose for some seconds before switching. The important thing to do is shift your focus towards the centre of your eyebrows with your eyes closed to feel the sense of calmness taking over.

Sukhasana yoga benefits include improved physical and mental health. Let us dig deeper into the many sukhasana benefits.

Improved Body Posture

The easy pose sukhasana allows you to improve your body posture by allowing you to control your spine and breathe with your chest. When you align the upper body in a straight line, you focus more on a controlled posture, resulting in better body alignment.

Increased Flexibility

Like any other yoga posture, easy pose sukhasana directly involves your back, head, ankles, knees and hips. With regular practice, you start using the muscles in these specific areas more often, making them flexible for more challenging yoga poses or other activities in future.

Better Digestion

The digestive organs are in one straight line during sukhasana. As we breathe in and out during this yoga pose, the functions within the different digestive organs experience a smoother energy flow, preventing common digestive issues like bloating, constipation, and indigestion.

Back Pain Relief

Anyone with a sedentary job can understand the stiffness of the different back muscles due to long hours of sitting in one position. With the help of sukhasana, you can effectively reduce back tension and strain as it pushes your spine into one-line alignment, relaxing all the back muscles together.

Stress Relief

There is no one remedy for stress, but with the help of sukhasana, you get the benefit of stress management without too much effort. When you shift your focus from what is giving you stress to your breathing while sitting in sukhasana, you push your nervous system to calm down, reducing stress and anxiety significantly.

Balance Of Emotions

Like stress relief, as the sukhasana pose gives you control over your nervous system, you also benefit from a better balance of your emotions and mood swings. This is because your concentration is inclined towards balancing the different parts of your body and aligning them with your mind.

Alignment Of Body and Mind

Sukhasana promotes better mental integration of emotions and feelings while improving your overall body’s flexibility and posture. As a result, this simple cross-legged yoga pose improves your mental balance and encourages physical balance, making it the best alignment for a healthier tomorrow.

Here are some preventive tips, also known as sukhasana contraindications, to ensure you do not injure yourself while performing sukhasana:

Anyone with knee, hip or foot injuries, please avoid practising sukhasana until it improves.

For the majority of the senior citizens, sitting on the floor is not comfortable. So, if you wish to practise sukhasana in such a condition, add support using a blanket or pillow and do not spend more than five minutes in the same posture.

Anyone who has recently undergone surgery around their abdominal or leg region should consult their doctor before practising sukhasana.

As the main intention behind sukhasana is to build a body-breath interconnection, it is recommended for beginners to practise it against the wall to start getting comfortable with the pose.

Learning yoga poses like sukhasana can benefit you with improved mental and physical health. Easy pose sukhasana offers multiple benefits and comes with easy-to-follow steps.

By incorporating sukhasana in your daily life, you reduce the chances of attracting many common digestive diseases, body aches, mental health problems, etc. While yoga can boost your general health and help you lead a healthier life, medical emergencies can occur at any time.

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How long do I wait after eating my meal before the sukhasana procedure?

For any yoga activity or practice, allow your stomach to rest for a minimum of 3 to 4 hours in case of a heavy meal or at least 60 minutes after having a light meal to avoid any inconvenience.

Why is sukhasana sometimes considered difficult?

Even though it is an easy pose, sukhasana requires dedication and focus on muscular energy to keep your body straight and seated. This can be tiring for some, but once you start practising sukhasana, it will not look difficult, and you will enjoy the benefits.