Six Poses to Prepare for Meditation

As we move towards the winter solstice (December 21), the shortest day of the year in the northern hemisphere, our practice also moves inwards. The days for spending lots of time on sunny and open poses like dancer (natarajasana) and wheel (urdhva dhanurasana) awaits warmer weather and longer evenings. Instead, a December practice is more naturally contemplative and can benefit from more time in meditation or pranayama. Poses that help prepare you for meditation are naturally introspective. They require less external attention, like forward folds and simpler standing postures.

Slowing Down

For those of us used to an extremely active asana class, it may be difficult to slow down. If this is you, consider shortening your active practice by ten minutes to make a little extra time for some slower movements. Indeed, often the things we don’t want to do in our yoga practice are the things we need to spend the most time on. Making a little extra space for internal reflection may give you time to process and integrate your practice better, too. A physical asana practice is only one limb of yoga. Making time for the other seven is important to cultivate a well-rounded yoga practice.

Six Poses We Love to Prepare for Meditation

We’ve compiled a list of 6 of our favorite meditative and contemplative postures for you to integrate into your practice. Work these in at the beginning of your warm up or add them in to the end so when you slip into your savasana you’re already in a mental state of relaxation.

Dandasana – Staff Pose

When done correctly, staff pose is extremely engaging and can be a lot of work. Press your fingertips lightly into the mat and root the bottoms of your thighs to the mat as you sit up as tall as possible. Focus on the length of your spine and tune in to the connection between your root and your crown chakra. If you like incorporating mantra into your practice, a good one to use here is “as above, so below.

Padmasana – Lotus Pose

This is the most traditional yoga posture associated with meditation, along with variations ardha padmasana (half lotus) and sukhasana (“easeful pose” or sitting cross-legged). Once you have warmed up, particularly in the hips and pelvis, it’s possible to stay in this pose for quite some time. But getting there and getting comfy takes a lot of practice first! Work lotus pose into your hip-opening days, and once it gets comfortable you can even stay here as an alternative to a lying-down savasana.

Tolasana – Scale Pose

Tolasana, or scale pose, is the hardworking sister to lotus pose. To get into scale pose, come into lotus and then press your hands into the mat beside you to lift your hips off the mat. To make this pose available to everyone, you can do this from any variation of lotus (though without the natural bind of full lotus, it requires a lot more abdominal strength to get your feet off the mat!). Try stacking blocks under your hands for an added boost and see how long you can stay here! Some Ashtanga practitioners hold this pose for up to 100 breaths.

Tadasana – Mountain Pose

Standing tall, rooting your feet into the floor, and stretching your head up towards the sky is a powerful way to tap into your inner power and the subtle body. We rarely spend a lot of time in this pose, but if you try standing in an active tadasana for five minutes without moving you’ll see that it really takes some stamina and determination. After you establish yourself in the pose, close your eyes to tune out the rest of the world and feel your body working.

 Baddha Konasana – Bound Angle Pose

Bound angle pose performed with feet together and knees apart as you hinge forward at the hips is a pose that encourages you to close your eyes and open up to sensations. If you have tight hips, stack blocks or blankets under your knees to allow them to settle without straining. Depending on your flexibility, you can try bringing your feet to your forehead, or supporting your head with a block for a restorative version.

Savasana – Corpse pose + alternatives

Meditation doesn’t need to be seated; there are many more poses that support a meditation practice, including a traditional savasana (corpse pose). Don’t be afraid to switch up your savasana from time to time to suit your body’s needs. Your best savasana is anything that allows you to relax without effort so you can tune inwards. Supta baddha konasana (reclined bound angle), legs up the wall, lying on your side with a pillow between your knees, or supported fish pose (matsyasana) are great alternatives.

There are many options when it comes to a supportive and introspective yoga practice (and not all of them are restorative!). Whether you’re firing up your core in scale pose or taking an extended savasana with assistance from bolsters and weighted blankets, tuning in to your inner journey is just as important – if not moreso – than having the perfect alignment. Asana helps us by providing poses to prepare for meditation. Use these postures to help you turn in and tune in.

Ready to start your journey to the inside? Check out these meditative movement videos on YogaVibes from instructor Tara Eschenroeder accompanied by musician Nick Gonnering. Each one is designed to bring you into a flow so your mind can relax and your gaze can turn inwards.