The verse and its meaning · Yoga in Practice · Yoga in Practice — The Old Seats

Vajrasana — the thunderbolt

Gheranda Samhita 2.12

जङ्घाभ्यां वज्रवत्कृत्वा गुदपार्श्वे पदावुभौ। वज्रासनं भवेदेतद्योगिनां सिद्धिदायकम् ॥

Meaning · English

Making the lower legs firm like the thunderbolt, and setting both feet at the sides of the anus: this is the thunderbolt seat, the giver of siddhi to yogis.

The name is vajra plus asana. Vajra is the thunderbolt, the weapon of Indra, and also the word for the diamond-hard, the thing that does not break. Asana is a seat. So the name says: a seat as firm as a thunderbolt. The verse gives the form in one line. The lower legs are folded beneath the body and held hard and steady, like the bolt. The two feet are set at the sides of the anus, so the seat rests low and close to the heels. The text says nothing about the hands, the breath, the eyes or the length of stay. The text teaches it because a yogi must first be able to sit. In Gheranda's list of seats this is a plain, grounded one. It follows the muktasana of the previous verse, and like it, it ends with a promise of siddhi. Siddhi means accomplishment or attainment, and the text uses it for the fruit of practice in general. The text's wording places the feet beside the anus, which suggests the buttocks come down between or onto the feet. Today the pose is taught as sitting back on the heels, and the lesson shows that. The two forms are close kin. In both the shins fold under, the feet stay beneath the body and the spine is left free to stand tall. What it asks of a practitioner is a steady fold of the legs and a seat that does not wobble.

This pose is taught today as a short, simple one. It can be practised even after a meal. That is the modern teaching, not the verse's. 1. Kneel on the mat with the knees together and the tops of the feet flat on the floor. Breathe naturally. 2. Breathe out. Sit back slowly onto the heels. Rest the hands on the thighs, palms down. 3. Sit tall, with the head, neck and back in one line. Let the eyes rest on the floor ahead or close softly. Breathe slowly through the nose and let the breath settle low in the belly. Stay for several breaths at first, and for a few minutes later if it is comfortable. 4. If the ankles or knees hurt, place a folded blanket under them. Use another small fold between the thighs and calves if the knees are sharp. 5. To come out, breathe in. Lift the hips and come up to kneeling. 6. Stretch the legs out in front and rest. Shake the feet gently if they feel sleepy. Fine points: the text sets the feet beside the anus, while the lesson sits on the heels, so the weight lands on the heels and the buttocks do not hover. Keep the knees together and the shoulders loose. Lower slowly and never drop. Let the ankles take the stretch gradually. Do not push down to sit lower than the body allows.

The body folds at three joints. The knees bend fully, the ankles point the feet back, and the hips sit low on the heels. The front of the thighs and the front of the shins and ankles lengthen. The top of the foot stretches against the floor. Because the knee is deeply bent, the pose is easier when the thigh and calf muscles are relaxed. The spine is not asked to bend. With the pelvis settled on the heels, the back can rise by itself, the lower back keeping its natural curve. The trunk holds up with light effort, so there is no strain in the hips as in a cross-legged seat. The legs are quiet and the back is free. The breath is slow and low because the belly is not squeezed. The legs fold beneath the body and the breath falls into the lower ribs and belly without a fight. Breathing out as you sit and in as you rise follows the movement, so the breath guides the body and does not chase it. For the mind, the shape is plain and fixed, with nothing to arrange. Attention has little to do except the breath and the feeling in the ankles, and it settles there. This is the plain reason a firm, simple seat precedes the practices that need stillness.

Gheranda tells Chanda that this seat gives siddhi to yogis. That is the verse's whole promise. It names no organ, no illness and no length of stay. Siddhi here means accomplishment in yoga, the success the practitioner is working toward. It is the tradition's word, and the verse gives no list of what it contains. The verse offers no other reason. The text gives no digestive or other bodily claim for the pose, and the page makes none beyond what the verse says. The link to a firm, steady seat is the tradition's own understanding: a yogi who sits like a thunderbolt can attend to the rest of the practice.

A grandmother finishes the family meal on the floor, sits back on her heels to fold the laundry and chats for a while. Sitting on the heels is an everyday posture in many places, and no one thinks of it as an exercise. What is well established is mostly about the joints. Deep knee bend and ankle stretch are normal movements, and doing them often tends to keep that range of motion. For some people the pose is uncomfortable, especially with knee trouble or stiff ankles, so the blanket and the short stay are sensible. The upright spine with a relaxed belly also makes slow breathing easier. The lesson says the pose can be practised after a meal. That is modern teaching, and many people do find it comfortable. Ordinary medical knowledge does not show that it speeds digestion, and the verse makes no such claim. Whether it suits a full stomach differs from person to person. Siddhi has no modern counterpart. It is the tradition's word for the fruit of yoga, and the practical gain that can be observed is a steady, quiet seat.

This is general guidance and not medical advice. A teacher can correct what a page cannot, and the pose is best learnt with one. Stop at any pain, and do not tell yourself to bear it. The knees and ankles take the load, so anyone with painful, swollen or recently operated knees or ankles needs a gentler form, or should leave the pose out until a teacher or doctor agrees. Sharp pain in the knee, as against a stretch in the front of the ankle, means come out at once. People with stiff feet, large thighs or calves, or little knee bend may find a deep fold hard. Pregnancy calls for a teacher's advice before sitting this way. Anyone with circulation problems in the legs should ask first. Never force the hips down or sit through numbness or tingling. Come out slowly, because standing up fast after kneeling can bring dizziness.

Gentler: roll a blanket and place it under the ankles, or tuck a folded one between the calves and thighs so the hips sit higher. A block under the buttocks lifts the hips and eases the knees. Kneel on a thicker mat if the kneecaps ache. Stiff beginners can stay only a few breaths at first and add time over weeks. Fuller: sit with the big toes crossed or the heels slightly apart, so the buttocks settle between the feet, closer to the text's wording. The pose has no sides to mirror. The text shows no change of side, and the lesson shows none.

Sitting with the knees wide apart loses the seat: keep them together. Slumping back or rounding the lower back loses the line: lift the crown and keep head, neck and back in one line. Dropping down fast jars the knees: lower slowly on the out-breath. Tensing the shoulders or gripping the thighs holds the breath: let the hands rest and breathe slowly. Pushing through ankle or knee pain is the commonest error: add the blanket, or come out. Standing up quickly after a long stay can leave the legs numb: come up on an in-breath and stretch the legs out.

अर्थ · हिन्दी

In this book

• Before: Heels Stacked, Spine Level · Gheranda Samhita 2.11
• Next: Matsyasana — the fish · Gheranda Samhita 2.21
• All of Yoga in Practice · Ask Krishna about it

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