Asansa, The Lotus Position, Impossible? Options

Have been sitting in asana for a good few yers now, basically corss legged and yet after all this time I still can't manage to sit properly for more than a few minutes. Can basically do a 1/4 lotus, not a full half, leg on upper thigh but its fustrating. Sat comfortably the other day and realized that its the essence to a good practice, all that shifting and shuffling during the MP or general meditation just dosen't cut it... throws everythnig off. Main thing I'm trying for now is a full lotus, a stable position that keeps the back straight and energy flowing for an undisclosed period of time.

Can anyone here do the full lotus? How did you achive it and how long did it take?

Peace
.M.

Hello,
I have a question about this... I'm also trying to achieve stillness with an asana, but I have scoliosis, not that critical (i think) but if you pay atention to my back It's posible to spot it. And when I try to sit with my back straight, I often find it hard to have the neck and the back aligned (and i also feel the shoulders are at different heights). Anyone had this problem o knew of someone who did? How did you solve it?
I really want to overcome this problem, since I can't meditate lying in the floor because i fall asleep.
Thanks in advance
Saquian

I also have scoliosis; Asansa helps some but it will not fix the underlying spinal formation unless you are under 16. After that your spine does not grow fast enough to change much. Asansa is very good for correcting the resulting mismatched muscle tension though. The concave side of the back will have tighter, shorter muscles then the convex side. Most assana classes do not help much with that unless you know how to modify the poses. Some of the better classes are taught by people with good understanding of scoliosis most are only superficially acquainted. Try hatha for scoliosis dvds or a yoga therapist if you can. If you are not careful hatha will pull your back further out of alignment. My yoga practice got much better once I started working with an applied kinesiology chiropractor and very diligently stretching my concave side.

If you can get you body to accept as normal that one side is a few centimeters shorter then the other you will be well on your way. In my case, the shoulder issue was elevated by lots of chiropractic and shoulder strengthening work. I spent many years in a back brace which basically atrophied my back. If you can develop the muscles to hold the correct alignment you will have a much better time.

From time to time the bones will tend to "slip" from alinement. There are techniques -yogic and taoist- to realign them. I man named Christopher Lee Matsuo who put out a few dvds on a related topic and goes into some depth about bone alinements. "Kuji kiri for healing" was the title I think.

On a related note, you should check to see what pasture you are using to meditate. Padmasana is not a meditation posture, hatha yoga pradipika classifies it as a Pranayama posture and therefore not fit for long sitting. Same with other postures - vajrasana and half lotus - yet people still use them. Siddhasana and swastikasana are considered the best and second best. Until you can sit in in a chair jack straight (without your back supported) it is best to use lots of cushions and blankets. You will not look like a sadu but you will progress further by not torturing you body by a difficult posture you are not ready for.

Best of luck.