Feet falling asleep

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

I am a beginner to meditation. I sit cross-legged (easy pose?), and I am comfortable for about 10-15min. After that, my feet fall asleep. I try to hold out for the last 5-10 minutes in the same pose. I’ve been having a sore knees, so lately I’ve been doing my meditation sitting in a chair.

Is there a pose that’s easier on the knees that will help me progress towards easy pose? Somewhere in between sitting in a chair and easy pose? Also, is there something I can change about my pose to keep my feet from falling asleep?

#2

You could lift your knees with pillows as well as sit on a meditation cushion if you have one.
For me what works best is to sit on a meditation chair. If you don’t have a meditation chair you could try sitting on your knees with a blanket or a couple of cushions between your heels and buttocks.
The more you meditate the less the pain becomes so hang in there, it will go away.

#3

One of my meditation teachers sits cross-legged very high up on a pile of cushions/blankets. She then props a yoga block at an angle under each knee. I have tried this position and it seems to work very well at relieving knee and back discomfort.

I really think it’s a matter of trying a whole bunch of different positions, or combination of positions and props, until you find what works best for you! :smiley:

#4

Hello Julia,

there are several points raised by your post.
The primary one, which is not really fodder for the beginning student of meditation, is that there are all sorts of obstacles belched up by the ego when one commits to the path (of meditation). Physical discomfort/pain can often just be another obstacle - like nodding off while sitting. The feet fall asleep, the knees ache, the head bobs, the mind flutters, the face itches…and it all emerges as so very critical that it must be dealt with immediately at all costs :slight_smile:

Stepping back from that, an asana practice which works abduction and external rotation of the hip (actually the femur or thigh bone) would be preparatory for Sukhasana and perhaps eventually for Padmasana. Such things can be addressed with your teacher since meditation is one of the foundational elements of a robust Yoga practice.

In the meantime, as someone else has mentioned, Virasana with a bolster or folded blanket(s) underneath the sitting bones might be easier. Or sitting on the front edge of a crossed bolster so that the pelvis tips forward.