While demonstrating a posture in class you may have noticed that I ask you to take the Thunderbolt pose while you observe. I thought it's time for me to tell you a little bit more about this posture.
Starting with how to come into the posture:
Fold the legs under, resting the top of the feet on the floor, keeping big toes together, heels dropping out. Relax the hands on the thighs, notice the length in the spine, top of the head reaching up, tailbone reaching down.
Continuing with it's wonderful benefits:
it helps in digestion
encourages better posture
it helps in getting rid of constipation
it helps to fight digestive disorders
a few minutes of Vajrasana and you can feel the mind calming
it helps in increasing the blood circulation in the body
it can help with lifting depression, lethargy
helps relieving piles
it tones the thighs, hips, spine and abdomen and reduces fat from hips and thighs
it tones the reproductive organs
Variations for the pose if you find the original too strenuous:
- fold a blanket under the ankles if they feel sensitive (see middle picture above)
- put a block between the ankles and the bottom to ease the posture (see right picture above)
- put a cushion under the knees to avoid straining them
Contraindications - Stiffness of knees and ankle joints, spinal injury or pain, sciatica