I can't do the Lotus pose.

I've been trying and trying,but my legs are not flexible at all.
Does anyone know a good technique to make it?
ps: I've already tried the half Lotus pose.

 

Lotus posture requires the hips to be quite open

so try some postures that open the hips;

Baddha Konasana
Kapotasana

Also, be careful I've heard you can easily damage the knees if your hips are not open enough.

peacex

 

Very true. Don't force any pose. I did this when I was younger, and did damage to my knee joints.

 

Stretch exercises are helpful. But I prefer slowly style of practising also there. Lot of stretch exercises could help to make your body elastic. But it need lot of patience too.

 

Why do you want to do the Lotus Pose?

 

because it helps you meditate better

 

That's not really true. Most of the Hindu and Buddhist meditation texts tell us to sit in a comfortable posture where the back can be kept straight. This can be done sitting in a chair just as well as sitting on lotus, half lotus or just with your legs crosses (which is what most meditators use).

Please don't make your meditation depend on a particular pose. So long as your comfortable and you can hold your body still and without pain for 15-20 minutes, that's all that matters.

If you still feel you MUST use lotus, I suggest the butterfly pose to stretch your hips and accustom your legs to the lotus.

 

I was being completely sarcastic..

 

Yogi Bear would totally kick your ass for that, man.

 

lol, sorry!
But still it had to be said, man. A lot of people have such silly ideas.

 

I apologize for the humor.

Still, I completely agree with you. It's not all about the "pose". The pose is simply a convenience, like a nice car, and some cars operate better than other cars. But you may not be able to afford a Ferrari. The importance is that there is something internal, and real, going on.

 

To keep my spine straight!

 

just keep practicing but don't force your body

 

You don't need the lotus pose for that. Sitting crosslegged or the vajrasana are good alternatives.

 

Hell, you don't even need to keep your spine straight. I have had wonderful meditation laying twisted on by bed, or sitting like a sloth in a couch.

 

I find that I meditate much better when I'm lying down. That way I can concentrate more on breathing and clearing the mind, instead of the pose I'm in.
However, if you really want to use the Lotus position I suggest practicing stretching. Yoga is a great way to gradually stretch your limbs and make them more flexible, and plus I find it really aids meditation if you practice a little beforehand.
Good luck.

 

the Lotus pose is useful in later spiritual endeavors when there is no attention paid to the body. you need to be able to fully relax and a regular cross legged position doesn't allow that. also it facilitates the flow of prana, and allows the lungs to inflate easier, with the straight spine.

 

it isnt comfortable at all for me to sit with a straight spine is this natural and is this something that can be fixed?

 

Keeping a straight spine doesn't mean "board straight"...
Your spine has a natural s-shape so you should sit as comfortably and naturally as possible... just try not to slump.

The main advantage to sitting meditation is it helps prevent falling asleep!

ZW

 

I also couldn't do the lotus position at first.

I found that it helped to sit in the half-lotus whenever possible, for as long as it was comfortable. Eventually this opens up your hips and you can hold the lotus (first for a very short amount of time).

Please remember that in India many people are used to sitting on the floor since they were children and their hips are generally more open than a westeners because of this, and thus the lotus is initially more natural to them.

I will say that if you do this at the right pace (no one can say what that is except you, just listen to your body), and you manage to hold the lotus while meditating for a while, it's *really really* comfortable, I almost don't want to get up.