It is festive season and everyone enjoys the culinary pleasures of the Christmas table. It is definitely hard to resist, since all housewifes make their best, and on top of that we go to visit family and friends where we are in for more treat. Just for the sake of being polite you can’t avoid eating, it is impossible to keep your stomach empty. By the way it is the Kapha season, it is cold and damp outside and your body naturally craves for more food. You feel like eating a bit heavier and warmer dishes and this is all natural. But during Christmas and New Year this natural desire encounters serious challenges, and the moment will come when you sigh, ’Ouff, I can’t take any more, I am heavy and full.’
Yes, indeed, the feeling is uncomfortable, your tummy stretches, you can hardly move and all that you want is to lay down. But there is a solution. It is Vajrasana, one of the best „instant yoga solutions”. Vajrasana means diamond, or thunderbolt pose. Hm, quite an interesting denomination and honestly it sounds rather scary. The name is after its impact on the Kanda nadi and Vajra nadi, two important energy channels. Well, energy might be more understandably linked to the image of thunderbolt, right? Anyways, I guess it is just easier to remember that this is the pose that will instantly, (as fast as a thunderbolt) will take away your belly discomfort.
If you look at the picture, it is clear what a great pressure this position places on the legs, they are completely compressed and the blood circulation is also blocked. It is very tonifying. According to a literal interpretation, Vajra comes from the composition of Va+Ra, where Va means ’to move’ and Ra means ’radiant’, so Vajrasana is a pose which pumps, moves energy, blood, radiant life force to your upper extremities.
The best practical effect of Vajrasana is that it alleviates the strain on the digestive system. When your stomach is full, then the area of the abdomen gets congested with blood, therefore your mind gets dull. As the brain receives less blood support, you might easily feel sleepy. The discomfort feeling in your tummy is also caused by the temporarily enlarged veins, besides the fact that you also stuffed your belly to the fullest. Vajrasana presses the veins in the legs and lifts your spine into an upright position, by this latter action it also gently stretches your abdominal area (it is already a better position than the one you would assume after lunch sipping your coffee).
On Christmas day we had a fulfilling lunch with Mum, but I managed to talk her into sitting 5 minutes in Vajrasana. To help the action further we also applied the Vayu mudra. This one really helps to get rid of the unwanted „winds”. You do it like this: bend your index finger and place it on the root of the thumb, then press you folded index finger with the thumb. The other three fingers are relaxed. Palms facing up, place your hands on the thighs.
And the effect came as expected. After five minutes we got up feeling lighter and comfortable. It was a great relief.
How to do it?
Vajrasana is really easy. As you see you just need to sit down on the heels. If this is too difficult, then just place a pillow or folded blanket under the thigh and/or the ankle. Then just lengthen the spine and relax the shoulders, with an inhale lift the top of the head to the ceiling. Take your hands into Vayu mudra and just close the eyes. Focus on the belly. Breathe.
This is the only asana you can practice right after meals, so make use of all its benefits .
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