LESSON 13/20 · THE BREATHING POSTURE

Sit properly and the breath goes deep — the foundation seats for every practice

Before we go into the named practices in the second half, there is one condition that is almost always overlooked: where you sit. The classical texts are quite explicit — to go on to the higher reaches of breath and meditation, you must first master a seat you can hold still in. The reason is purely mechanical: the chest can only open fully, and the diaphragm only descend deeply, when the spine is upright; sit rounded or lopsided and however hard you try, the air will not reach the base of the lungs. This lesson hands you a set of postures graded by difficulty — so that for every student, stiff as a board or already supple, you always have a sound seat for them to breathe in.

1THE SIX STANDARDS OF A BREATHING POSTURE

Steady without gripping — the spine is the axis, the breath is the current

The breathing seat seen from the side — The spine upright as though each vertebra were stacked on the last, the head floating lightly towards the ceiling, the shoulders down — which lets the rib cage expand and contract completely.

REMEMBER Six points: spine upright · chin parallel to the floor · shoulders down · pelvis neutral · steady-yet-comfortable · knees supported.

Science of Yoga describes a good seat as one in which the vertebrae are stacked on one another along the neutral curve, which is what lets the rib cage expand and contract efficiently. Gathered up, that becomes six standards to check in your students: (1) the spine upright, neither rounded nor arched; (2) the head “light as a balloon”, chin parallel to the floor — not tipped up, not dropped; (3) the shoulders released back and down, the chest open; (4) the pelvis neutral, not tipped backwards; (5) steady but comfortable (the sthira–sukha principle: holdable for a long time without pain); (6) both knees supported.

REMEMBER Stiff hips means RAISE THE SEAT — don't force the knees down.

This is the single most important correction for a beginner. If you let a student with stiff hips sit flat on the floor with the legs crossed, the knees ride higher than the hips, all the weight piles onto the sitting bones, and they automatically tip the pelvis backwards and round the back — which blocks the breath immediately. The remedy: put a firm cushion or a thickly folded blanket under the seat so the hips are higher than the knees. At once the spine rights itself, the knees come down, and the student can sit a long time without back pain.

On the mat: Before every breathing session, walk round and “check the six points” for the room: look at each person from the side to see whether ear, shoulder and hip line up. Anyone rounded, with the pelvis tipped back, gets a cushion under the seat straight away — don't correct the shoulders with words; correct the foundation they are sitting on first.

2FOR BEGINNERS: KNEELING & CROSS-LEGGED

The two easiest seats to start from — the body rights itself, with nothing to force

REMEMBER Vajrasana (the kneeling seat) is the easiest breathing posture for a beginner to stay upright in.

Have the student kneel with the big toes touching and the heels slightly apart, then lower the seat onto the soles; hands on the thighs, back and head upright, no arching. Because the folded legs make a very stable base, the upper body comes upright almost by itself, so a beginner need not grip to hold it. It is also one of the rare seats that can be used after eating. If the ankles or knees are sore, put a thin cushion under the seat or under the ankles. Note: anyone with advanced knee degeneration, or who is pregnant, should not load the knees this way.

Sukhasana, the comfortable cross-legged seat — Sukhasana — the simple cross-legged seat with the hips raised: a familiar, comfortable seat for almost everyone.

GRASP THIS Sukhasana (“the comfortable seat”) — cross-legged, with support.

This is the familiar cross-legged sit: the legs crossed at the shins, each foot under the opposite thigh; hands on the knees. Its advantage is that anyone can do it immediately. Its drawback is clearly recorded in the texts: it is hard to hold for long while the knees are not near the floor — so it almost always needs the hips raised. For most general students, Vajrasana or a supported Sukhasana are the two “safe” options you should offer as the default.

On the mat: Lay cushions and folded blankets out at the top of the mats for every breathing session as ordinary equipment, not as “things for the weak”. Have the room try both — kneeling and supported cross-legged — then let each person choose whichever keeps the back upright most comfortably for three minutes.

3STIFF JOINTS & OLDER STUDENTS: LYING DOWN AND SITTING ON A CHAIR

You can breathe deeply without sitting on the floor — as long as the spine is upright

Lying in Savasana to practise the breath as a beginner — Lying on the back, the whole body released: the floor carries all the weight, so the student can follow the breath without having to hold a posture.

REMEMBER A beginner should practise breathing LYING DOWN first, and move to sitting afterwards.

Iyengar is very clear about this in Light on Pranayama: a beginner should start practising the breath lying on the back, because lying down the whole body is carried by the floor, the muscles release, and the student can follow the movement of the breath far more easily than while sitting and balancing at the same time. Have the student lie on the back, legs slightly apart, arms alongside the body, palms up. One caution: once you are into meditation or held breaths, lying down is not the main posture, because it is very easy to doze off.

REMEMBER Sitting on a CHAIR is a wholly legitimate breathing posture — not “second class”.

For older students, sore knees, stiff hips or anyone carrying weight that makes floor-sitting hard, do not force them down. Have them sit on a flat, firm chair without arms: both feet on the floor hip-width apart, knees at a right angle, and apply exactly the six standards from part 1 — spine upright, chin parallel, shoulders down, not leaning on the chair back. Someone sitting upright on a chair still breathes considerably deeper than someone sitting on the floor and rounded. Your job is to keep the spine upright; how the legs are arranged is up to each body.

On the mat: In a class of mixed ages, set a few firm chairs out at the back yourself and offer them — don't wait to be asked. When you lead the breathing, word the cues so they apply to the floor-sitters and the chair-sitters alike (“lengthen the spine, drop the shoulders”) so nobody feels left out.

4FURTHER ON: THE SIMPLE CROSS-LEGGED SEAT & THE AUSPICIOUS POSE

Once the hips have opened — postures you can hold for a very long time, very steadily

Siddhasana, the simple cross-legged seat for long-time practitioners — Siddhasana — the accomplished seat: a low, stable base, held to be the ideal posture for sitting a long time to breathe or meditate.

GRASP THIS Siddhasana (the accomplished seat) for students already used to sitting.

The student folds one leg and places the heel pressing lightly into the perineum; the other leg folds with the heel on top, close to the pubic bone, the two ankles nearly stacked. The texts regard this as the “accomplished” posture — a low, very stable base that can be held for a long time with the body still upright, so it is ideal for extended sitting to breathe and to meditate. For women students there is a corresponding variant called Siddha Yoni Asana. Not to be practised with sciatic pain. If the ankles are sore, pad them with a thin cloth.

GRASP THIS Swastikasana (the auspicious pose) — the “easy” version of the accomplished seat.

If Siddhasana is still hard, there is an excellent intermediate: Swastikasana. You sit much as for the accomplished seat but without the heel pressing into the perineum or the pubic bone — just tuck the toes neatly into the fold between calf and thigh, let both knees come to the floor, spine upright. The texts call this the easiest of the classical meditation seats, and add a useful point: it is good for anyone troubled by tired legs, swollen legs or varicose veins. It makes a fine rung between the ordinary cross-legged sit and the accomplished seat.

On the mat: Only introduce the accomplished seat to a student who can already sit cross-legged with an upright back comfortably for five to ten minutes. Don't turn a hard posture into a goal; remind the room that the best seat is the one that lets them forget their legs and attend to the breath, not the one that looks the most impressive.

5THE LOTUS: BEAUTIFUL, BUT NOT FOR EVERYONE

Padmasana — the summit of the seated postures, and why not to rush at it

Padmasana, the full lotus — Padmasana — the lotus: each foot resting on the opposite thigh, both knees to the floor, making an extremely stable “locked” seat. Only suitable once the hips and knees are genuinely supple.

REMEMBER DO NOT teach the lotus to unopened hips and knees. The risk is in the KNEE JOINT.

Padmasana is bringing each foot in turn onto the opposite thigh, soles turned up, both knees lowered to the floor. For those who can do it, it is the steadiest and most upright of all the seats. But it is not for everyone: the opening has to come from the hip joint, not the knee. If the hips have not opened and the student hauls the foot up anyway, all the twisting force lands in the knee — a joint that is very easily injured. The texts record the contraindications plainly: not with sciatic pain, a weak or injured knee, or insufficient flexibility, and not recommended in pregnancy. You can begin with the half lotus (one foot on the thigh only).

REMEMBER A “fancy” posture does not make the breath better — only the RIGHT seat does.

This is something a teacher needs to take to heart and pass on: the breath does not go deeper because a student sits in the lotus instead of on a chair. What decides it is an upright spine and a comfortable body, and any posture that achieves those is as good as any other. Plenty of students force themselves into the lotus, end up with sore knees and a stiff body, and breathe shallower than they did sitting cross-legged. A good teacher knows how to pick the lowest posture that still keeps the spine upright for each body, rather than pushing everyone to the highest rung.

On the mat: If a student wants to work towards the lotus, point them to the half lotus and the hip-opening shapes (butterfly, knees folded out to the side) for several weeks, rather than hauling the foot up straight away. Make it a rule of the room: any posture that causes pain in the knee stops at once — the knee has no range to spare for “just a bit further”.

Lesson 14 next: With a steady seat in place, we come to two subtle tools the old practitioners tied to the breath: the hand mudras — how to place the hands to gather attention and to close the nostrils in alternate-nostril breathing; and the three locks (bandha) — Jalandhara, Uddiyana, Mula. The next lesson introduces them at a safe introductory level, with the most important reminder attached: the locks must be learned one at a time, with a teacher, and they are not for everyone.

Professional sources: DK Science of Yoga (Ann Swanson) — seated posture & the neutral spine; Swami Satyananda, Asana Pranayama Mudra Bandha (Bihar School) — the meditation-posture chapter; B.K.S. Iyengar, Light on Pranayama — practising the breath lying down as a beginner.

This is professional education, not a substitute for medical advice. A student with an existing condition — heart, blood pressure, respiratory or neurological — or who is pregnant should speak to a physician before practising.