I am used to sitting on padmasana and relish it. some time back,i started sitting on siddhasana after reading its benefits at ayp but could not feel myself comfortable.i think sexual aspect of this asana has unnecessarily been stressed.Is there anyone who got used to it and benefited by it. In eastern tradition,this asana is related to achieving siddhis or siddha sect.While padmasana is considered to be helpful in reining in mind.
Aum Shanti.
i think sexual aspect of this asana has unnecessarily been stressed.Is there anyone who got used to it and benefited by it.
Hello Kumar,
meditating in padmasana is totally valid.
Siddhasana, with its potential for sexual stimulation, contains an aspect of the ‘left-handed path’, (I don’t mean any negative connotations here – see below) meaning just it contains some direct manipulation of sensuality. If you are going to stay totally to the ‘right-handed path’, which does not, then padmasana is for you instead.
Yes, I’ve certainly found siddhasana helpful.
What aspect of it is uncomfortable? Is it the actual posture (in which case you can achieve the result with a rolled-up sock), or the stimulation? One other question is how long you have been doing it. Almost any new posture won’t have the comfort of the old for maybe a few months.
Hi all,
I used to meditate in siddhasana some months ago and it seems to help somehow, though I can’t quite discribe it. On the other hand, I later on find it quite a distraction-- not because of the stimulation (which can only be too little…), but because of the extra care when sitting in it. Sitting in Siddhasana for a long time and in the wrong way may lead to erectile problem. So I have to take extra time in adjusting my posture. (I usually meditate on the ground, so I have to put 2 cushions on the ground, the second one being used to bear my weight off from my hip. This could take quite some time.)
Even with careful adjustment, I found my hip tilting back, so that I need some efforts to straighten my back. So on the whole I found it rather difficult to completely relax during meditation.
After a few months, I use some soft objects to play the role of my heel so the weight is more controllable, and my hip can tilt more forward. Yet, I would like to see how those who are sitting on their heels deal with this.
p.s. when I sit on my heel, the back of my hip doesn’t touch the ground unless the whole hip tilt back.
In my experience padmasana is a solid pose for traditional pranayama such as Iyengar style but that when doing Chin pump and kechar he body should be looser and allowed more internal flowing movement so siddhasana allows this. I too have found that siddhasana needs more fine adjustments and that for some people using the heel or end of the extremity as the reference point for adjustment can distort the spine. I have particularly long shins for example so that to sit in a balanced way my heel should be past the center point and touching the opposite thigh. Once I realized that the pose became much more comfortable and balanced. a small rolled up sock to sit on may help but in ,y case does not feel necessary as much as the feeling of getting the legs out of the way of interfering with the balanced seat of the pose much in the way that I don’t want my hands in a fixed position but allowed to rest where is most comfortable. The key here seems to be creating a seat where there is no distracting sensations to interrupt the energy flow through the spine during practice.
I have sat in siddhasana for years as a way to be comfortable while sitting in a chair for long periods such as while at my computor. I also use it for meditation, alternated with ‘easy pose’. I think, perhaps I’m wrong, as a result, all sexual desire has gone. That’s just fine with me.
Unless I’m mistaken, that’s one of the purposes of siddhasana?
Hello All,
Yes,i understand siddhasana needs fine adjustment and longer time to get used to.But in case of padmasana, with the erect pose at ninety degree,and firm grip of asana you can sit longer in meditation.In siddhasana i feel,i remain a bit tilted forward and also it becomes difficult to get upper feet fixed in between lower leg for long duration.It may also be true that with longer practice that feel of sensuality can be had, as i only tried this asana off and on being much comfortable in padmasana while doing kriya or meditation.
Interesting. From where you got this information David? Why do you say that Siddhsana is for left handed practices and Padmasana for right handed practices? are u talking with reference to some scripture or text or it is just your personal comment?
Perhaps I was too vague, and perhaps ‘left-hand’ is vague and loaded; you are probably misinterpreting the way in which I am speaking if you are looking for scriptures. Perhaps ‘Left-handed practices’ have some firm traditional meaning for you; perhaps it seems I am drawing a line in the sand between practices.
No, all I mean to say is that siddhasana, through its potential for sexual stimulation (which is, from many points of view an integral part of it), involves the direct manipulation of sexual energy, which is left-handed, or ‘tantric’ as I understand, and use, the terms.
But no, by ‘left-handed’ I don’t mean to say you have to supplement your siddhasana with dancing and drinking blood around a statue of Kali by moonlight… 
Actually David there are left handed and right handed in Tantra
L&L
Dave
Dave,
Thanks, I’m interested; I’d be curious to hear more about the difference between left-handed tantra and right-handed tantra. I’m guessing that left-handed tantra is just more extreme in its manipulation of taboo energies…
The ‘left-leaning’ path of Tantra has to do with the renouncing of traditional morals in favor of transcending the perceived reality of this life. The extreme leftists are of the aghorin sect, are often celibate, and perform rituals/initiations involving death, corpses, cemeteries, and so on. They’re the minority on the Tantric path, and on the fringes of Hindu society. Heavy on magic, symbolism, pursuit of siddhis, and sexual rituals. I believe that the west’s association of Tantra with extreme sexual practices comes from this school, which in fact is far removed from the mainstream, right-handed, Vedic path of Tantra.
Thanks. Those leftist guerillas, always making a mockery of everything we hold dear!
Hi David,
I only know that left side uses sexual practices and right are normally celibate. I only know of this because guruji was a Tantric yogi of the right before he was given shaktipat and entered the lineage of KMY through Dhyanyogi Madhusudandasji.Incidentally mantras and japa are an important part of Tantra according to my guru.
L&L
Dave
It’s interesting to me that a group or sect is so often identified by its more radical members on the fringes rather than by its mainstream and more traditional followers. There are endless examples, but ‘starving artist’ and ‘Jesus freak’ come to mind. And you can bet that those who drop by this website and think we’re ‘out there’ don’t refer to our unquenchable bhakti or blissful meditations; we’re the pee-drinking frenum-slashers at AYP.
(I was replying to Scott’s post, which disappeared, but I’ll leave my post as is).
Here is the post:
"Here is a rare look into the Aghori, which Meg was talking about, courtesy of Wildboyz!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=-086gpwRBIU "
Meg…the guys in this video clip…are they the mainstream or the fringes of the Aghori that you are discussing?
Kumar,
by the way, I don’t tend to sit in siddhasana myself, rather, use half-lotus and something like a rolled-up sock to create the perineum pressure.
The reason is that this combination seems better for me than siddhasana.
Relative to padmasana, I would say, from my experience, and it might not be true for all:
Siddhasana adds:
perineum stimulation
a certain “circuit” effect with the legs
Siddhasana takes away:
(for me anyway) a certain ease and stability in the posture
This last point might be controversial, and very subjective, but I do find half-lotus to be a more stable and comfortable seat.
I also find that the perineum stimulation to be about 95% of the benefit of siddhasana versus padmasana, and the circuit effect only small. So what I do is padmasana, and add a sock for perineum stimulation. This combination I find to be better overall for me than siddhasana. I’m not saying that’s final, but that’s how it is for me for now.
I had been doing padmasana all the time until I came to AYP, BTW.
Of course, siddhasana has one other advantage: if you are not meditating alone, the sock may not be an option.
David, it’s more or less the same for me. Using rolled-up sock allows my back to remain straight. Though even with that, it takes me a longer time to adjust, and sometimes I don’t like the feeling.
I’m not sitting in padmasana, but one of its benefits (which no other common sitting postures have) is that it reduce the blood flow to the legs, and thus increasing the blood flow in the abdominal area during the time of practice.
The trick to gaining stability in siddhasana is sitting more on the backs of your upper thighs than on your buttocks (when you’re not leaning up against a wall). Your hips need to be more open in order to sit this way, so some hip opening asanas may be good to do for flexibility. You should kind of tip forwards in the lower body…like your butt is sticking way out. Your upper body shouldn’t be doing any work…it should just be resting upon the pelvic area. There’s also a reason why it’s been recommended to bring the head downwards…so the energies aren’t primarily going upward but also coming down to the heart at the same time.
In AYP it’s a bit different, but there are reasons for that. It’s made up for with kechari, chin pump, spinal breathing, etc. I recommend doing things the AYP way, because it’s more stable. Sitting in siddhasana the regular way can be a bit TOO effective.
Also, the more you do it the easier and more comfortable it gets. It’s a good idea that if you’re having a hard time with it, to enter into it for just a minute or so several times throughout the day. This will speed up the process of getting used to it. Think of it the same way as if you’re memorizing flash cards. If you do it once or twice a day for a long period, it’s not going to be as effectively trained into your brain as if you do it 7 or so times a day in shorter spurts. This is because of neural adaptation.
Also, I am not one to believe that you should let your feet fall asleep in meditation. Traditional siddhasana can do this, especially if you have a lot of muscle mass (weight) like I do. Yogani’s recommendation of using a matress, with the feet turned up, is the best approach in my opinion. It still stimulates the periphery (which is the point of siddhanasa and padmasana) yet it does so gently and without damage.
Hope this helps some people out.
Its funny. My sitting pose seems to be changing constantly. I sat in padmasana for years before AYP but changed to Siddhasana. Now although Padmasana is not any more difficult it feels too rigid for deep practices and so has Siddhasana. Allowing the energy to guide my body rather than an outside concept I have found my legs to have loosened up to a much softer cross legged position without any defined place for the feet, just where they are comfortable. Anything else seems to restrict the flow of prana. It is possible that in time it will come ful circle and settle into a more classical position but for teh moment it is interesting to explore where the energy takes my body if I allow it to relax and release into the practice
My own preference for padmasana over siddhasana is similar; not final, but feels the right thing for now.
BTW, I’m not uncomfortable in siddhasana, and this isn’t based on siddhasana being newer.
Anyone know the sanskrit for sock? Insert here:
Padma socki asana is my favorite right now.