Simhasana

Simhasana

Simhasana (Sanskrit: सिंहासन; IAST: Siṁhāsana) or Lion Pose[1] is an asana.

Etymology

The name comes from the Sanskrit words simha (सिंहा) meaning "lion", and asana (आसन, āsana) meaning "posture" or "seat".[2]

Description

The asana resembles[3] a seated lion, hence the name Simha (lion in Sanskrit) asana. The practitioner's facial expressions are modified to resemble a lion.

The Lion Face Gesture (Simha Mudra) is performed with other sitting asanas such as Padmāsana (Lotus Pose), or standing with the palms on the waist and the feet 6-12 inches apart.

Benefits

The stretching of the tongue in the asana has been claimed to help with voice-related difficulties (e.g., stammering) and throat-related problems (e.g., hoarseness and tonsillitis). The asana has been claimed to aid better functioning of the carotid sinus, the sinus nerves, the larynx, and the thyroid and parathyroid glands. The carotid bodies assist in maintaining normal blood pressure and heartbeats. The breathing exercise is claimed to help the chest and abdomen.

See also

References

  1. "Yoga Journal - Lion Pose". Retrieved 2011-07-03.
  2. Sinha, S.C. (1 June 1996). Dictionary of Philosophy. Anmol Publications PVT. LTD. p. 18. ISBN 978-81-7041-293-9. Retrieved 9 April 2011.
  3. Picture of the pose

Further reading

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Wednesday, March 20, 2013. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.