Temple of Thelema

by **Frater SOL** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 6:40 am

Siddhasana.

"When siddhasana is mastered, of what use are the various other postures?" - Hatha Yoga Pradipika

616

by **gmugmble** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 10:05 am

What is the arrowhead?

I've always liked the full- or half-lotus positions (with a pillow or blanket to sit on). I guess that's the same as or similar to the siddhasana. It feels natural to my body and seems extremely stable, especially the full lotus; I don't have to work at not moving. But after about 15 minutes seated like that, my legs always go numb, and I've never found a way to stop that, so I've had to abandon it.

Now I use the "dragon" or "seiza" posture, but I'm not fully satisfied with it. I have to concentrate too much on maintaining the posture itself, and I never quite feel that I've got it right.

The "god" position (basically, sitting up in a chair) is often recommended as an easy meditation posture for inflexible westerners, but for me, I have to expend all my energy in the effort not to move my legs.

by **Frater SOL** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 1:04 pm

I tend to shy away from asanas such as The Arrowhead, The Bear, The Ivy, & The Parallelogram for the simple reason that they all tend to keep the head out of alignment with the spinal column. If I were to choose an asana from 666's suggestions in Liber E then I would be more inclined toward The God, The Thunderbolt, or The Dragon. The Ibis I avoid because, in my mind, it defies Patanjali's qualification for 'asana':

Patanjali wrote:"asana is that which is firm and pleasant."

The Ibis seems to me more akin to performing a field sobriety test rather than an asana :lol:

The Dying Buddha, The Hanged Man, & The Corpse all tend to put me to sleep, but they are great when experimenting with CCXX, II:22 :wink:

616

by **Wizardiaoan** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 7:23 pm

I like the God posture; it is very easy on the body and produces little strain. Besides this, I use the thunderbolt a lot when I'm outside. I like it, there is something nice about how the hand is placed downward, it seems very lively and aware too. Also, I consider the Ibis a unique posture of Chokmah mostly, perhaps because IBIS = 222 and Thoth can be attributed to it. The Ibis stance seems to go with a silent grin very well, thus exhuberance; also it is studious, as an Egyptian scribe.

by **FiliusBestia** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:12 pm

Personally I prefer the lotus or half-lotus. I have been using it for... well around 8 years. I chose it because it aligns the spinal column and head, while being an easy position get into. The dragon, too, is a good one, but it is one hell of a painful position if you are doing it right. i didn't practice it long enough to pass the pain....

by **FiliusBestia** » Sat Nov 22, 2008 9:13 pm

Personally I prefer the lotus or half-lotus. I have been using it for... well around 8 years. I chose it because it aligns the spinal column and head, while being an easy position get into. The dragon, too, is a good one, but it is one hell of a painful position if you are doing it right. i didn't practice it long enough to pass the pain....

by **Aum418** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 2:32 pm

93,

Half-lotus.

IAO131

by **DELETED** » Sun Nov 23, 2008 4:49 pm

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by **Shachdar8=3** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 8:14 am

93.

I have found the "Bear" Asana to be most suitable, and comfortable for meditation.

The "Dragon" Asana is a bit more painful if you are not used to it, but this posture is a great one as well.

(Just my opinions:-)

93 93/93.'.

James Cruz
Kohen ha-Gadhel
Albuquerque, NM

by **DELETED** » Thu Nov 27, 2008 1:24 pm

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by **Shachdar8=3** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 7:11 am

93 rzk,

I agree completely! Just hoping these aren't personal instructions from you to me?

93 93/93.'.

James Cruz
Kohen ha-Gadhel
Albuquerque, NM

by **DELETED** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:19 am

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by **Escarabajo** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 8:31 am

rzk wrote:Shachdar8=3:

When learning the Dragon/Diamond Asana I usually recommend using one or two pillows as support. One could be used under the legs and one between them. This leaves out much of the pain, if one do not want to face that "problem" directly.
Just make sure that the spine is erect.

I am curious why Book 4 shows the Dragon, etc. without -as far as I can tell- any pillows or props. I find the Dragon, Thunderbolt and God to be highly uncomfortable without making any modifications. Then again I'm really a beginner for the most part. I use the God, but I am content, for the moment, to keep my knees apart. I tried for months to keep them together and it was not letting me actually calm down and meditate.

by **Shachdar8=3** » Fri Nov 28, 2008 4:58 pm

93 rzk,

Sounds good:-)

93 93/93.'.

James Cruz
Kohen ha-Gadhel
Albuquerque, NM

by **Vod-Vil** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 9:34 am

The key to being successful with the Dragon position is the heel placement.

If you look at the diagram there is a sweet spot where the heels lock into the pelvis.This will provide good balance and minimize the amount of pain you will feel.

Keep your knees apart.I keep my knees about two fists width apart.This will help your balance.

by **fraterlvf** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 2:40 pm

Since we're talking about the Dragon asana, can someone tell me how I'm supposed to position my toes? I can't figure that out.

Am I on top of them, similar to how one is while crouching, or are the tops of my feet on the ground?

Thanks!

by **Vod-Vil** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 3:20 pm

by **Escarabajo** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 4:24 pm

fraterlvf wrote:Am I on top of them, similar to how one is while crouching, or are the tops of my feet on the ground?

I have been wondering this for a while because I don't think the Book 4 or even A Master of the Temple photos are at all clear on this. If I recall, the description is vague. Nice clarification!

by **fraterlvf** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:20 pm

Thank you, Vod-Vil. That clarifies things.

If I may ask, where did you learn that from?

by **Vod-Vil** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:55 pm

The Dragon position is more commonly referred to as "Seiza".Do an internet search and you will get a ton of information on the position.

by **fraterlvf** » Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:59 pm

Vod-Vil wrote:The Dragon position is more commonly referred to as "Seiza".Do an internet search and you will get a ton of information on the position.

Thank you so much!

by **DELETED** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 10:50 am

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by **gmugmble** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 12:41 pm

rzk wrote:Within the context of tantrism/yoga, why use the japanese word?

Because if you do a web search for "seiza", you get lots of instructions, tips, and pictures, whereas if you do a search for "dragon asana", you don't

Incidentally, I notice that the Japanese seiza is different for men and for women, with the women's legs held closer together and the posture altogether less relaxed. I had the impression that the yogic "dragon" posture, regardless of your sex, was like the female seiza.

by **Uni_Verse** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 4:18 pm

Recently, I have been doing most of my meditation while walking. Trying to keep my spine in alighment as I meander about my day.

by **DELETED** » Mon Dec 01, 2008 9:18 pm

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