Simhasana(Lion Pose)

How To Do Simhasana

The lion pose is pretty simple to execute. Although there may be a number of steps, this pose really requires very little effort.The lion pose steps are as follows:

• Sit with your legs folded under you so that your toes are pointing straight behind and you are sitting on your heels.
• Keep your spine straight but as relaxed as possible.
• Close your eyes and look to your third eye. (The third eye is a symbolic eye in the center of the forehead. In ancient India, it was assumed that the pituitary gland was located here, although now we know differently.)
• Closing your mouth, touch your palette with your tongue.
• Inhale a deep breath through your nose while your tongue is still touching your palette.
• Exhale in one violent move while sticking out your tongue and opening your jaws as much as possible. Also, your arms should be thrown out and stretched with your fingers splayed.
• Roar at the top of your voice while exhaling. The roar should be with a “Haa” sound and should not be a long drawn out one. Rather, it should be one violent explosion of breath that empties your lungs in the shortest time possible.
• Hold this pose for between 20 and 30 seconds.
• Do not inhale immediately after this pose; inhale after the specified 20 to 30 seconds.
• Repeat 5 or 6 times

Benefits of Simhasana (Lion Pose)

The Simhasana benefits the face and also the throat, that isn’t typically benefited in other yoga posture.

• Best exercise for face, eyes, tongue and throat.
• Clears the Vocal chords.
• Properly opens the Respiratory tract.
• Strengthens Fingers and hands.
• Prevents soreness of the throat.
• Useful for tonsils, thyroid and other problems related to throat.
• Beneficial in unclear pronunciation and in ear problem.
• Best pose for those children who lisp.
• It cures bad breathe.
• Helpful for improving the tone of the voice.
• Give relief in back pain.

precautions

The Lion Pose is basically a stress reliever and can be practiced at anytime and by anybody. There are usually no problems associated with practicing this pose because it does not require any complicated maneuvering of the body. However, if you suffer from any chronic illnesses or physical problems, it is best that you have a discussion with your doctor before you attempt any yoga posture.

variations

Since the Simhasana is such an easy pose, there are not too many variations. However, since the focus is on relaxation, different people make slight variations to the way they perform the pose. Listed below are some of the variations for lion pose.

Variation 1: Some people like to sit with their ankles crossed, so that you sit on one heel instead of two.
Variation 2: As you are supposed to sit completely relaxed and because the most relaxed position while holding this sitting position is to have your hands on your knees, many people do that and just splay their fingers while exhaling.
Variation 3: Some use the same pose, but laugh instead of roar in order to reduce stress.
Variation 4: Instead of closing the eyes and looking to the third eye, this pose is sometimes held with the eyes open and looking to the tip of the nose.