Hip tightness can manifest in many ways. Tightness of the groins is one of them. One of the common ones is the ability to sit on the floor in any position. Sometimes this may manifest as more obvious pain or discomfort even in other positions in our day-to-day activities. This reduced mobility of the hip joint often increases as we age. In the asana perspective, not being able to sit on the floor comfortably makes many other actions difficult to access.
These actions are also important preparatories for padmasana. the padmasana leg position is of significance both as a recommended posture of meditation, as well as the interesting ways in which combines the actions of the various muscles and joints of the legs.
However, padmasana is a demanding action for the hip joint and the knees. Especially with our modern lifestyles where we seldom sit on the floor, and spend a lot of time seated on chairs, it is a good idea to approach this position with caution. But there are many ways to prepare our hips and knees for this position. This is an interesting journey in itself even for those who might never be able to do and maintain a comfortable padmasana.
In this session, we work with deep knee and hip flexion in positions relatively simpler than padmasana. Those with knee imbalance/ weakness are advised to proceed with caution.
