In all stretches, use deep abdominal breathing to open the body from inside. Rather than "trying" to relax by pressing the muscles into the stretch, take your breath deep into the center of the pelvis. With each inhalation feel the hips expand, and with each exhalation allow the muscles to slip away from the bones. [ This being said, this is an image: from the anatomical point of view, muscles don't slip away from the bones] Working gently in this way, the body will welcome the pose and progress quickly toward achievement of Padmasana.

Those with knee or ankle injuries should be especially cautious here. If your discomfort cannot be alleviated by adjusting your position, you would be wise to seek the help on an experienced teacher. You might also try alternating sitting positions, such as Virasana (Hero Pose) or Siddhasana (Sage Pose) with the buttocks elevated on a firm blanket. These poses are excellent for both meditation and pranayama practice.

The following series will help you prepare for Padmasana. The stretches are best done after practicing standing poses when the body is warmed up. Those who are tight should practice in the afternoon, when they have more flexibility. Begin by holding each position one minute, increasing to five minutes as the poses come with more ease. Use a watch or timer for consistency, as one minute can rapidly become fifteen seconds in the more intense stretches.

Never force yourself into Padmasana or the other cross--legged positions. The knee joint is particularly susceptible to injury for a number of reason. First, the knee is one of the most primitive joints in the body and is much weaker than the hip. If you have very tight hips, you may over-stretch the knees without increasing you hip flexibility one iota. The hips, not the knees must be flexible for lotus pose. Second, when fully extended, the knee joint will not rotate. When the joint is bent, however, a slight rotation does come into play, and this rotation can be injurious to the knee, damaging the ligaments, cartilage, and meniscus. The knee is an unforgiving joint; once injure, it may never be the same again. Therefore, if you feel a sharp pain in the knee, adjust your position or seek the help of a competent teacher.

Throughout childhood, and especially in the typical adult sedentary job, prolonged sitting on chairs has caused a shortening of the very muscles and ligaments that need to be flexible for Padmasana. To make matters worse, the hip is an deep ball-and-socket joint with some of the strongest ligaments in the body, which prevent the femur from becoming disassociated. With this stability comes a subsequent lack of mobility. To change the structure of the hip takes careful, persistent, practice over a long period of time. But take heart--the Divine is infinitely patient and will not exclude you from a happy rebirth if you do not attain Padmasana in this lifetime!

Well, join the club--you're just one of millions of westerners who find Padmasana (Lotus Position) and the other cross-legged postures among the most difficult yoga poses to master. Unlike our Indian friends, we did not grow up sitting on the floor, and consequently our hips have developed an adaptation to our sitting on chairs.

Or perhaps you've been thinking of meditating but find that legs simply won't hold into one of those pretzel-like poses. So you're holding back--interested, but unwilling to put yourself through the excruciating pain.

Sooner or later, it can happen to even the most experienced meditator. You've been sitting crossed-legged for years without any problem, and one day, in the middle of a retreat, you develop the most excruciating pain in one of your knees. You haven't been paying enough attention to stretching your hips, and now your poor knees are starting to suffer.