Becoming the Lotus

“I wrote ‘Becoming the Lotus’ because I felt it met a need in many different walks of life. Not just in the world of Yoga where the Lotus Posture is a very important pose but also in the worlds of Buddhism, meditation and other spiritual pursuits where the Lotus Posture is used.
Over the years I have seen countless people cause damage to their knees in an attempt to practise the Lotus position. Indeed some extremely well-known Yoga instructors and authorities advise people to put up with the pain of sore knees as part of their process for mastering this posture! This can cause irreparable damage to the knees, which is demonstrated by the numbers of students having surgery to have the cartilage removed.
The great danger of knee damage connected with the Lotus posture comes from people with insufficient hip flexibility trying to force themselves into the position too early. The only way to protect the knees in Lotus posture (in all its variations) is to follow a systematic course in hip flexibility such as the one outlined in my book. Then and only then will you be able to achieve the Lotus position in comfort and safety...
The most important and powerful meaning behind the Lotus stems from the plant’s mysterious ability to remain pure and unsullied. The petals reject any mud or water splashed on them and remain bright and pure. The quality of being able to remain pure when surrounded by swamp is just what the great spiritual masters of old felt was needed in an individual. If we can cultivate the ability to be unaffected by the negative things around us, then like the Lotus with its lovely scent and beautiful appearance, we can have a positive effect on the world around us...”

The article continues to describe incorrect Lotus posture as well the correct one, and describes various exercises you can do to facilitate achieving Lotus. The article is extracted courtesy of the book BECOMING THE LOTUS by Anton Temple and published by Merkur Publishing.