|
|
 |
|
| Author |
 Topic  |
|
|
Pheel
China
318 Posts |
 Posted - Feb 17 2011 : 10:37:07 PM
|
Hi,
I've tried doing my sitting practices both on soft surface (in bed, or with layers of blankets on the ground) and hard surface, on a thin carpet/yoga mat on the ground. I'm suspecting that sitting on the hard ground is more grounding. Is this true? Is it my mind making up this distinction? Please enlighten, thanks!
Phil |
|
|
Victor
USA
910 Posts |
Posted - Feb 18 2011 : 12:45:01 AM
|
| I prefer a mat on the ground but it is a personal preference. It is neither required nor prohibited to sit either on the hard ground or soft cushion. What is important is to be able to go deeply into the practice |
 |
|
|
jeff
USA
971 Posts |
Posted - Feb 18 2011 : 11:03:25 AM
|
As Victor said, it is personal preference. The only distinction for grounding is the one you create in your mind.
Peace, Jeff |
|
|
|
Pheel
China
318 Posts |
Posted - Feb 19 2011 : 01:06:08 AM
|
Thank you Victor and Jeff for the response!
I usually do mat on ground. But found my knees are higher than my hips, generating a sort of resistance to upright sitting from gravity. My spine has to automatically adjust to upright posture during the course of meditation. tried sitting on a thin pad, the automatic straigtening reduced. Yes, it's my mind creating the difference. thanks for pointing that out:) |
|
|
|
Chrisk
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2011 : 6:16:53 PM
|
I think it depends how good you are at sitting at those yoga postures. A good yoga posture makes difference I beleive, thats why you are feeling differences in the various surfaces. Yoga needs time to learn, the reason is the more you do, the better you can sit at each posture. There is a vast difference of course between the newbies that sit for 5 minutes and feel pain and need to wrab their feet for 15 minutes until they remove the numbness and of course the established yogi who can sit at one position for hours and complains none. Established yogies also do not generate pain, or at least they can easily endure it, while the newbie will be making cries here and there due to pain from twisted joints. The hard ground is definitely not for newbies as it will give more direct pressure on the bones of the butt and the ankles, thus it seems reserved for advanced yogis only, while a blanket would do probably fine for an elementary student of yoga. Let' s not forget that advanced yogis can sit on a bed of nails in padmasana and they are in bliss, feeling no pain, or they do not even get pricked by the nails even if someone hammers them with a sledgehummer.
Thus, the big differrence between the starter and the established yogi.
Chris.
====== |
|
|
|
Chrisk
USA
87 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2011 : 6:33:26 PM
|
Another thing, more grounding would be if you sit in best form possible for you and the longest time being comfortable, i.e. with a matt underneath. It also depends on which yoga posture you are referring to, some postures seem to be more grounding than others depending on yourself also which you seem to give you the best results. There are a multitude of postures from padmasana, to siddhasana, to cross- legged, to pachimottasana, to kneeling posture, to twisting spine postures, to lying postures and to reversal postures, i.e. the head down and legs up. All these postures seem to be grounding each in a different way as well as depending on the temperament of each person, they like one better than another. I heard of past yogis who would swear by one posture and one posture alone and would never do any other posture as that was best for them. Yet other yogis would have a different posture. I even heard of weirder yogis who they would stand on their head (head stand) for hours. Well, try that for grounding and meditation some times. It will really test your desire for liberation!! Let' s not forget also the greatest yogi of all, Buddha himself who is always depicted at padmasana, or as it is called the buddha posture. Well, again only the most adept of yogis can do the lotus posture with good form. I know because it' s been 5 years now trying to acheive it and I' m still at half lotus. Well, anyways, it' s just a matter of... time I guess!! No wonder Yogani recommends the Siddhasana which is much easier as well as some other particular postures that bring some benefit. I beleive he has a lesson for this. Finally, of course yoga has grown to become a multi billion dollar industry, people are constantly making up new systems and new postures. I actually read in a book that there are different yoga asanas as there are people in the world, i.e. the possible asanas are infinite. So, the subject matter here is huge. Feel free to experiment.
Regards,
Chris.
====== |
|
|
| |
Topic |
|
|
|
| AYP Public Forum |
© Contributing Authors (opinions and advice belong to the respective authors) |
|
|
|
|
hard surface and grounding
