Explore the pose in detail
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See what is included →Practising with care
If you have an injury or a medical condition, take medication, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or have another circumstance that may affect your practice, consult a qualified healthcare professional about suitable activities and necessary adaptations.
Learn new and demanding poses with a qualified yoga teacher. Adapt the range to your body and stop if you feel pain or dizziness. A short video illustrates movement; its length does not prescribe how long to hold a pose.
Headstands, shoulder stands and lotus are not starting poses for beginners. Injuries, balance problems or glaucoma are examples of reasons to assess suitability individually. Do not force a bind or use the body as leverage against the knee.
The pose in context
The description of Padmasana in Haṭhayogapradīpikā 1.44 includes the feet on the opposite thighs and a hold of the feet with the arms behind the back. This provides an older description of the bind. The passage calls the form Padmasana; the modern distinction between Padmasana and Baddha Padmasana should not be read back into its name. Gheranda Samhita 2.9 likewise describes lotus with a behind-the-back hold of the big toes under the name Padmasana.
Sources for this page
- Svātmārāma: Haṭhayogapradīpikā, with the Jyotsnā and Manobhilāṣiṇī commentaries (1895)1.44, pp. 25–26 · Wellcome Collection
- Gheraṇḍa Saṃhitā — translation by Sris Chandra Vasu (1895)2.9, pp. 11–12 · Wellcome Collection
Yoga forms and variations
These links compare teaching contexts and related shapes. Read the named form, supports and limits on this page before using a position.