9 Wonder Health Benefits Of Vajrasana (Thunderbolt Pose)

What is the meaning of Thunderbolt Pose?

Vajrasana is one of the important sitting yoga poses and meditative yogasanas. Vajrasana means diamond-shaped or thunderbolt. It is pronounced as ‘vahj-RAH-sah-na’. The sitting meditative yoga pose has its own spiritual relevance among Muslims as it is one of the steps while offering Namaz prayer. It is also an important yoga pose for Japanese Buddhists for meditative significance. Vajrasana is known for many health benefits including digestion, spinal health, meditation, etc.

What are the health benefits of Diamond Pose

1. One should practice Vajrasana just after meals as it ensures better blood circulation in the digestion area and also stimulates the enzymes and juices secretion thereby helpful in digestion. It also gives relief from the heaviness of the stomach.
2. Practicing the pose on regular basis and holding the same for a certain period of time helps to reduce acidity, constipation, and gas. Also read: How to reduce acidity naturally
3. This is the best yoga pose for a person who is experiencing sciatic and spinal problems.
4. It is a good yoga pose to strengthen the ankles and knees. Though the beginners may experience pain in the knee and ankle regions but with practice, it helps to make the ankles and knees stronger.
5. Research conducted in 2010 wherein it has been shown that the practice of Vajrasana under the control environment helps to ease lower back pain.
6. This is an excellent yoga pose for Dhyana or meditation, thus effective to combat stress and depression. Being a meditation yoga is also helpful for enhancing concentration and memory.
7. A large number of people are having weak thighs and calf muscles. Practicing the pose with appropriate technique leads to adequate stretching in thighs and calf thus toned these muscles.
8. The diamond pose facilitates suitable stretching in the pelvic region thereby strengthens the muscle and bones of this area. The practice of it is also good to overcome hernia.
9. If you want to raise your kundalini shakti, it is one of the best yoga poses to practice. The practicing of the thunderbolt pose sensitizes all the seven chakras and helps the practitioners to raise the kundalini energy in the upward direction of the body.

How to do Diamond Pose step by step

• Sit on the yoga mat with your knees slightly apart.
• Adjust your feet so that the big toes touch each other and keep your hands on the knees.
• Bring the buttocks downwards upon the heels.
• Head, neck, and back should be in a straight line.
• Relax the whole body and do inhaling and exhaling slowly.
• Maintain the position initially for 20-30 seconds and gradually increase the duration.

Thunderbolt Pose contraindications

• It shouldn’t be done in case of knees and ankles problems:
• Calf injury
• Arthritis
• Pregnant women should slightly keep their knees apart to skip pressure on the abdomen.
• It should also be avoided if somebody has a spinal injury or an intestinal one.
• The sitting technique of the pose having a little bit uncomfortable experience.
• The beginners showing ankles and knees ache initially.

6 Top facts about Diamond Pose

1. As the practice of vajrasana improves, the practitioners enjoy sitting in the pose.
2. This is the only yoga pose that is recommended after having food (breakfast/lunch/dinner).
3. Sitting in the vajrasana reduces blood flow in the lower region thereby increase blood circulation in the digestive region and upper part of the body.
4. It is the starting pose for a large number of other asanas.
5. The psychic vajra nadi which is greatly affected by this pose, is an important energy pathway that carries nervous impulses of the genito-urinary system from the brain.
6. It is said that the pose enables the practitioner to gain control over the sexual functions and direct the energy towards expanding consciousness.

Different names of Vajrasana

• Diamond pose
• Thunderbolt yoga
• Adamantine pose

Vajrasana Vs Sukhasana

Vajrasana has one notable advantage over sukhasana: one tends to automatically hold the spine straight while doing vajrasana. whereas in sukhasana there is more of a tendency to slump forwards. For this reason, vajrasana is far superior to sukhasana once it is mastered.

Vajrasana textual references

The diamond pose has been narrated in many yoga textbooks. In Hatha Yoga Pradipika, it is the synonyms of Siddhasana. Gheranda Samhita describes it as Vajrasana. It has also been mentioned in Yoga and Kriya by Swami Satyananda Saraswati and Light on Yoga by BKS Iyengar.