PA-0128
At a glance
The closing arm balance of the primary series, lifting the entire seated lotus position off the floor using only the hands pressing down, traditionally held for ten breaths as the final effort before the series moves into closing poses. It's a genuine test of accumulated strength at the end of a long practice.
“Press down through the hands to lift the whole seated shape.”
Essence
By the point this pose typically arrives in a sequence, real fatigue has usually built up, and that fatigue is part of what the pose is testing. Sustaining ten full breaths in a lifted position at the end of a demanding practice asks for a different kind of strength than the same lift would earlier, when the body is fresh.
Intention
To lift a full lotus position off the floor using the hands alone, sustaining the lift for ten breaths as a closing effort.
What this pose develops
Physical
- •Arm and shoulder strength, tested under accumulated fatigue
- •Core control sustaining the lift
- •The same lotus hip demand as any lotus-based pose
Mental
- •Genuine mental stamina, sustaining effort when the body is already tired
- •A sense of closure and completion at the end of a practice
Teaching concepts
- •Screening full lotus comfort, the same standard as any lotus-based pose
- •Offering a shorter hold or a modified version without judgment, recognizing genuine fatigue by this point in a practice
How to practise
- 1Come into a comfortable, settled full lotus.
- 2Plant the hands on the floor beside the hips.
- 3Press down firmly, lifting the entire lotus position off the floor.
- 4Hold for up to ten breaths, sustaining the lift as steadily as possible.
- 5Release back down to the floor with control.
Alignment exploration
Instead of searching for the “correct” position, notice:
- •Full lotus stable and pain-free before the lift.
- •Hands planted firmly, weight distributed evenly.
- •Core engaged throughout to sustain the hold, not just at the initial lift.
Breath
Ujjayi breath, steady and sustained for the full ten-breath count, even as fatigue from the preceding practice makes that increasingly difficult.
Teacher’s eye
Screen full lotus comfort first, as with any lotus-based pose. Beyond that, recognize that genuine fatigue by this point in a practice is normal, and a shorter hold or a modified version is a reasonable, expected adjustment rather than a shortfall.
Student practice
Reflect after practising:
- •If you're honestly fatigued by this point in your practice, a shorter hold is a completely appropriate response, not a failure to complete the full ten breaths.
- •Full lotus needs to be comfortable before this pose is attempted, the same standard as any lotus-based shape.
Common movement strategies
Rather than mistakes, you may notice:
- •Build the lift's strength earlier in a practice, when fresh, before expecting to sustain it for the full ten breaths at the end of a demanding sequence.
Modifications
- •A shorter hold time, building toward the full ten breaths over time.
- •Full lotus alone, without lifting, if fatigue or lotus comfort make the lift unavailable today.
Completion check
- ✓Release down with control, unwinding the lotus before moving into the practice's closing sequence.
Related poses
Prerequisites
Complements
Counterposes
Alternatives
Progressions
Regressions
Related movement concepts
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