We’re going in a slightly different direction with this month’s peak pose at Wheel House with the Lotus Pose. While still a challenging pose to get into, requiring flexibility and a lot of practice, this seated pose’s main focus is meditation. The Lotus Pose classes will focus on a series of sequences and poses that will stretch your hips and quads getting you ready for the following steps:
- Get in a comfortable seated position.
- On your mat find a comfortable seated position. Sit up with your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.
- Bring your right foot to your left hip crease.
- Now bring your right foot up to where your left hip creases. Keep your right knee pointed out to the side and your right foot resting on your left thigh. It does not need to be resting directly on the crease of your hip. Your heel should remain close to your body and your toes should point outward.
- Bring your left foot to your right hip crease.
- Now do the same with your left foot, but now in reverse. Bring the left foot up to where your right hip creases. Keep your left knee pointed out to the side and your left foot resting on your right thigh. Again, it does not need to be resting directly on the crease of your hip. Your heel should remain close to your body and your toes should point outward.
- Lengthen your spine and relax your shoulders.
- You’ve made it into Louts Pose! This is the moment where you lengthen your spine, as if someone is pulling an invisible string attached from the top of your head, up toward the ceiling. This helps to keep your back straight and your shoulders relaxed.
- Relax and Reflect.
- Take the next few moments to breathe deeply and settle into the pose. You’ve achieved the peak pose and now it’s time to reflect on how far you’ve come.
It’s important to listen to your body with every pose you do. Never force yourself into a pose that doesn’t feel comfortable or safe. If you have weak knees and ankles we encourage you to instead try a variation of Lotus Pose to get the same benefits, but in a safer way for you.
Talk to your yoga instructor or ask them for modifications. All Wheel House instructors are trained to help you achieve your fitness goals through means that help you feel safe. We also recommend that if you want to achieve a peak pose, you take multiple classes to help you build up and stretch the necessary muscles needed.
Here are some variations to look up if you feel like the Lotus Pose isn’t for you.
- Half Lotus Pose
- Half Bound Lotus Pose Forward Fold
- Seated Mountain Pose
Try out our April Peak Pose at our studio this month. Check the schedule and search for “Peak Pose: Lotus”.
