What are the Benefits of Sukhasana and How to Perform?

Yoga calms your mind and rejuvenates your mind, body, and soul, thus making you energetic. If you have recently been practising yoga, starting with the easy pose is better. This is because it removes all your anxiety and stress and keeps your body at peace before entering the complex yoga poses.

Read this article to learn about the health benefits of Sukhasana or the Easy pose, the process, and the precautions you must take while practising.

The term Sukhasana is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Sukham’ meaning ‘happiness’ or ‘delight’ and ‘asana’ meaning ‘posture’. A meditative yoga pose characterised by a seated posture with cross legs.

One of the major benefits of sukhasana, or easy pose, is that it helps to properly align your spine and is a simple exercise suitable for beginners. Generally, you can perform this exercise as a warm-up pose before doing other exercises or as a finishing pose after completing other exercises.

Sukhasana enriches your soul and keeps you energetic. Following are the benefits that come with this yoga pose.

1. Improves Concentration Levels

As it is a meditative pose and has a relaxing effect, you tend to concentrate as your mind, body, and soul blend into one. This helps significantly in reducing stress and anxiety levels.

2. Provides Good Posture

Easy pose allows proper alignment of your spine. This, in turn, helps to gain adequate body posture, strengthening your back muscles and shoulders.

3. Lengthens Spine and Back Muscles

You must sit in peace, keeping your spine straight while performing this exercise. Therefore, this exercise is helpful in lengthening your spine and back muscles. This, in turn, helps you to maintain a proper balance for your body.

4. Allows Better Digestion

Sitting straight during the exercise allows blood flow towards your lower abdomen and helps in better digestion. This reduces gastric problems and any other issues related to indigestion as well.

5. Stretches Your Ankles and Knees

Sukhasana unlocks your hips and prevents minor sprains. Then, as you sit cross-legged, it stretches your ankles and knees and helps release tension from the body parts.

Other Benefits

The other benefits of Sukhasana include:

• Practising easy poses helps to increase height in your kids.
• Sukhasana broadens your chest and collarbones, thus stretching your body.
• Relieves lower back pain and chronic knee and leg pains.
• Easy pose activates the parasympathetic nervous system.
• It helps to reduce blood pressure.
• The Easy pose garners your internal happiness as you can concentrate on your body.
• It is helpful if you have a stiff or rigid body posture.
• Practising Sukhasana helps in losing weight.

Follow the step-by-step guide to perform this exercise:

Step 1: Start by sitting straight with your legs stretched carefully in front of your body.

Step 2: Then bend your left leg and place your left foot under the right thigh.

Step 3: Follow a similar process with your right leg. Carefully place your right foot under your left thigh.

Step 4: Adjust the legs and body to get comfortable with the posture.

Step 5: Now, sit straight, keeping your neck, head, and spine straight, and place your palms on the thigh.

Step 6: Relax your shoulders and bend your elbows. Now, close your eyes and take slow, deep breaths, relaxing your body.

Step 7: Focus, concentrate and be in that posture for some minutes.

Step 8: Practise this exercise twice or thrice throughout the day by interchanging the position of your legs.

Sukhasana is not a strenuous exercise to perform. However, consulting a trainer will be beneficial if you want to know the correct posture for this exercise. Here are some tips for practising the exercise:

• Keep Knees Close to the Ground: Keep your knees close to the floor as much as possible when performing this exercise. However, do not pull your legs too close to the pelvis.
• Sit on a Block: You can alternatively practise this exercise by sitting on a block or a bolster. This will allow gravity to pull your body weight towards the floor. This will also ensure a safe pelvic posture.
• Increase Elevation: If you are suffering from back pain, use several blocks to allow greater elevation from the ground. This will bring much more relief. Additionally, keep cushions and blankets underneath your ankles to avoid bruises.
• Sit Against the Wall: By sitting against the wall, you can support your spine and sit upright. This will also provide relief to back pains.
• Avoid Areas with Loud Music/Sound: You must avoid sitting in an area that has too much music or sounds while in a meditating posture. This will allow concentration and focus on your mind and body.
• Sit with a Composed Mind: Do not allow your mind to wander while doing this exercise. Instead, try to sit with a composed mind, throwing away anxiety.

Apart from the advantages of Sukhasana, there are certain precautions and contraindications that you must keep in mind:

• You must avoid sitting on the floor if you have arthritis in your hips, knees, and feet.
• If you have tight hips, you must perform a hip opening sequence before practising Sukhasana.
• You must not practise this exercise if you have undergone any abdominal or hip surgery or have some injury in the lower back or hips.
• For beginners, it is better to practise this exercise, keeping your back supported against the wall. This will allow body-breath connection, and you will not find it difficult or uncomfortable to sit with your spine erect.
• To avoid pinching the sciatica nerve, avoid doing this exercise if you have issues related to sciatica.

Some modifications of the Easy pose include:

• Extend your legs in front of you and sit on two folded blankets.
• Cross your right thigh in front of your left thigh and bend down your knees.
• You can move your knees too close, so the feet are exactly under them. This will ensure firm support.
• Interlock your finger and stretch your arms overhead.
• While sitting, try to widen the hips to allow more space to sit comfortably.

So, now that you know about the health benefits of Sukhasana, try practising them at home. It is not only beneficial for your body but keeps your mind at peace. Meditation is a beautiful remedy to kill depression. This exercise is a form of meditation that allows you to focus on yourself entirely. Consult a trainer before beginning this exercise as they will be the correct person to guide you when you must start with this exercise.