Proven Health Benefits of Vajrasana Pose and How to Do It

Get ready to explore the captivating world of Vajrasana, a transformative sitting posture that brings harmony, stability, and serenity to the practitioner’s life. With its roots in ancient wisdom, Vajrasana offers a gateway to inner strength and profound stillness. Vajrasana pose has several advantages and is an ideal yoga pose for beginners as it strengthens the body and calms down the mind.

Let us discuss more about Vajrasana pose in detail.

What is Vajrasana Posture?

This is a yoga pose that makes your body as strong as a diamond. This asana helps you to overcome all stomach-related problems. You can even perform this yoga pose after your meal. Anyone can perform this yoga pose conveniently. It improves your digestive system and overall health. 

Some other names of vajrasana are:

• Adamantic pose
• Pelvic pose
• Thunderbolt pose
• Diamond pose
• Kneeling pose

Vajrasana benefits are endless.

When to do a Vajrasana?

The majority of the yogasanas are performed on an empty stomach; however, Vajrasana is one of the exceptions, one can perform this asana on an empty stomach as well as after having meals. There are particular benefits of sitting in Vajrasana after food or meals. This posture aids in proper digestion.

How to do Vajrasana?

Follow the below-mentioned vajrasana steps to perform this yoga posture aptly:

• By kneeling, sit on the yoga mat
• Fold your knees and ankles backwards
• By pointing your feet, make an alignment with the legs. The bottom of the feet must touch upward
• Sit back on your legs and exhale
• Rest your buttock on the heels. Similarly, rest your thighs on your calves
• Keep straight your spine, legs, and head and start deep breathing
• Keep your chin parallel to the floor and keep your head straight
• Place your right palm on the right knee and left palm on the left knee and the elbows should be in a straight line
• Inhale for 5 seconds and exhale slowly
• Now, slowly elevate the glutes and thighs of your lower legs until you are returning to a kneeling position
• Then stand up gradually

Initially, perform the vajrasana position for 3-4 minutes. Once you are accustomed to the vajrasana procedure, you can perform it for 5-7 minutes.

Health Benefits of Vajrasana Pose

1. Improves Your Blood Circulation

Vajrasana is very effective in improving blood circulation. This yoga pose enhances the blood flow in the pelvic region. Continuous breathing will elevate the blood circulation in your entire body.

This is especially useful for ladies who suffer from stress urinary incontinence. It also helps relieve pain during labour and cramps during periods.

2. Good for Your Posture

To perform vajrasana, you need to keep your back straight and fixed. It improves your overall posture.

Consistent practise of this pose will train the back to always be erect, resulting in better posture.

3. Improves Your Digestion

Vajrasana is good for your digestive system. Improving blood flow in your stomach area, this asana enhances your bowel movement. Thus, this posture gives you relief from constipation. If you want to overcome problems like gas, acidity, etc., perform vajrasana regularly. This posture ensures the proper absorption of nutrients by your body. To improve your digestion, perform vajrasana after a meal.

4. Gives Relief from Lower Back Pain

Lower back pain is not only excruciating but also interrupts your daily activities. By strengthening your lower back, vajrasana gives you relief from sporadic pain and discomfort. This yoga posture is also beneficial for the pain of sciatica. To strengthen your back, perform vajrasana regularly.

5. Reinforces Your Pelvic Muscle

By improving the blood circulation in the pelvis, this yoga posture strengthens your pelvic floor muscles. This asana is effective for women who are suffering from urinary incontinence.

6. Keeps Your Mind Calm

To lessen stress and improve concentration, practice vajrasana regularly. This asana helps you to overcome depression and anxiety. Continuous breathing during vajrasana makes your mind calm and unruffled.

7. Improves Sleep

Due to anxiety and stress, many people are suffering from insomnia. By controlling your stress and anxiety, vajrasana improves the quality of sleep.

8. Ideal for Weight Loss

Many people are trying various methods to reduce their weight. But have you tried vajrasana to reduce your weight? By improving blood flow to your stomach, vajrasana improves your digestion. Better digestion reduces belly fat and absorbs nutrients properly from the food.

9. Helps You to Deal with Menstrual Cramps

By enhancing blood flow to your pelvic muscles, vajrasana helps you to overcome menstrual cramps. It is also effective in labour by bolstering the pelvic muscles.

10. Strengthens Sexual Organs

Vajrasana improves blood flow to the reproductive organs. It fortifies both male and female reproductive organs.

Other Benefits of doing Vajrasana

• Vajrasana benefits for heart: Vajrasana offers benefits for heart health by improving blood circulation, reducing stress, stabilising blood pressure, and promoting a calming effect.
• May help control blood glucose levels: Vajrasana may assist with management of diabetes. It can help stimulate organs including the liver and pancreas, thereby improving the body’s ability to secrete insulin effectively. Vajrasana has been observed to contribute to short-term decreases in fasting blood sugar levels.
• Rheumatic Pain Relief: Vajrasana enhances the flexibility of the muscles in the thighs, feet, knees, ankles, and hips, providing relief from rheumatic pain associated with stiffness in these regions. Additionally, it can alleviate heel pain caused by conditions such as gout and calcaneal spurs.
• May help with stress and anxiety: Vajrasana helps prevent anxiety and stress by promoting relaxation and releasing negative thoughts through its repetitive breathing pattern. Additionally, improved digestion relieves bodily discomfort, creating a relaxed and positive mindset that allows you to focus on the positive aspects of life and disregard stressful elements.
• May enhance concentration and focus: Vajrasana enhances focus and concentration by involving deep and mindful breathing. The practise encourages directing full attention to the breath, whether with closed eyes or while focusing on an external object. This allows the brain to concentrate on a single subject, minimising distractions and promoting a state of focused awareness.

Precautions To Take Before Performing Vajrasana

Depending on your current health status, your doctor will suggest how to perform various yoga poses and what precautions you must take to avoid problems.

Yoga experts suggest avoiding Vajrasana if you have:

• A knee problem or recently undergone a knee surgery
• A spinal cord condition, especially with the lower vertebrae
• Intestinal ulcers, a hernia, or any other intestinal problems

If you are pregnant, talk to your doctor before performing vajrasana.

What can be done to enhance comfort during the practise of Vajrasana?

For individuals experiencing discomfort during the practise of Vajrasana, it is advisable to consult with a yoga instructor to ensure proper execution. Implementing the following strategies can help alleviate any discomfort:

• Placing a folded blanket or cushion under the shins can provide relief for ankle pain. It is important to ensure that the toes extend beyond the edge of the blanket, promoting proper alignment and comfort.
• To address knee pain, using a rolled or folded blanket or towel can be beneficial. Positioning it across the calves and tucking it below the knees can help alleviate pressure and enhance comfort in the knee area.
• Another option to enhance sitting comfort is to place a yoga block horizontally between the feet. This allows for partial weight support, reducing pressure on the ankles and knees during the practice of Vajrasana.

Remember, seeking guidance from a yoga instructor is crucial to ensuring proper technique and modifications suited to individual needs.

An Intense Variation of Vajrasana

A more challenging variation of the basic Vajrasana is known as ‘Supta Vajrasana’ or the reclined thunderbolt posture.

Performing this advanced version involves:

• Reclining backwards from the seated position
• Carefully place one forearm and elbow on the ground, followed by the other, while keeping the back arched and allowing the head to touch the floor
• If reaching the floor is difficult, gently rest the crown of the head instead

It is crucial to practise this variant under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor. This intensified pose provides benefits such as improved respiration, enhanced blood circulation to the brain, and activation of the adrenal glands.

The Bottom Line

Vajrasana is a powerful practise that offers a myriad of benefits for your wellbeing. It is a simple yoga posture that offers a chunk of health benefits like improving your digestion, calming your mind, giving relief from lower back pain, and many more.

By learning how to do Vajrasana correctly, you can tap into its transformative potential. Whether it is practising Vajrasana in the morning to set a positive tone for the day or incorporating it after meals for improved digestion, this pose can be performed at various times to suit your needs.

The advantages of Vajrasana extend beyond physical wellbeing, as it also promotes a healthy heart and enhanced focus and concentration. So, step onto the mat, breathe deeply, and experience the remarkable benefits that Vajrasana offers to nourish your body, mind, and soul. However, before incorporating a yoga program into your daily routine, talk to healthcare experts.