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Simhasana (; ) or Lion Pose is an
The name comes from the Sanskrit words (), meaning "lion", and (), meaning "posture" or "seat". The pose has also been named Narasimhasana, as in the 19th century '' Joga Pradipika'', from Sanskrit
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{{Hatha yoga Sitting asanas Meditation asanas Kneeling asanas Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas
Simhasana (; ) or Lion Pose is an asana
An āsana (Sanskrit: आसन) is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and late ...
in hatha yoga
Hatha yoga (; Sanskrit हठयोग, International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: ''haṭhayoga'') is a branch of yoga that uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word ह� ...
and modern yoga as exercise
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of asana, postures, often connected by vinyasa, flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by pranayama, breathing exercises, and frequently ending with savasana, relaxation lying down or ...
.
Etymology and origins
The name comes from the Sanskrit words (), meaning "lion", and (), meaning "posture" or "seat". The pose has also been named Narasimhasana, as in the 19th century '' Joga Pradipika'', from Sanskrit Narasimha
Narasimha (, , or , ), is the fourth avatara of the Hindu god Vishnu in the Satya Yuga. He incarnated as a part-lion, part-man and killed Hiranyakashipu, ended religious persecution and calamity on earth, and restored dharma. Narasimha has th ...
, a lion-man avatar
Avatar (, ; ) is a concept within Hinduism that in Sanskrit literally means . It signifies the material appearance or incarnation of a powerful deity, or spirit on Earth. The relative verb to "alight, to make one's appearance" is sometimes u ...
of the god Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
. The posture is described in the tenth century '' Vimānārcanākalpa''.
Description
The practitioner kneels with the buttocks on the inner arches of the feet, stretches the arms forwards with the hands outspread just off the ground, and makes a facial expression with the mouth open wide and the tongue out to resemble a lion. The yoga guru B. K. S. Iyengar notes in his 1966 '' Light on Yoga'' that this is the traditional pose; he calls it Simhasana I.Variations
Iyengar's Simhasana II begins fromlotus position
Lotus position or Padmasana () is a cross-legged sitting meditation posture, meditation pose from History of India, ancient India, in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient asana in yoga, predating hatha yoga, and ...
(Padmasana). The practitioner then stands on the knees and moves the body forwards until the front of the body faces the floor and the shoulders are directly above the hands, the arms straight. The facial expression is the same as before.
'' Yoga Journal'' has described a variant "Lion Pose" with the legs as in Muktasana with the facial and hand positions as in Simhasana, suggesting it as a suitable seat for pranayama
Pranayama (Sanskrit: प्राणायाम, "Prāṇāyāma") is the yogic practice of focusing on breath. In classical yoga, the breath is associated with '' prana'', thus, pranayama is a means to elevate the ''prana-shakti'', or life en ...
.
See also
* List of asanas * Virasana, another ancient kneeling pose, without the facial gestureReferences
External links
Illustrated page
Step by step instruction
{{Hatha yoga Sitting asanas Meditation asanas Kneeling asanas Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas