Editing Lotus position (section)

{{Short description|Cross-legged sitting meditation pose}}
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{{Use British English |date=March 2025}} 
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2017}} 
[[File:Padmasana - Yoga Class - Chamrail - Howrah 2013-08-24 2027.JPG|thumb|upright=1.35|Demonstrating lotus position]]

'''Lotus position''' or '''Padmasana''' ({{langx|sa|पद्मासन|translit=padmāsana}})<ref>{{cite book |last1=Budilovsky |first1=Joan |last2=Adamson |first2=Eve |title=The complete idiot's guide to yoga |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b5pE8-Oyly0C |edition=2 |year=2000 |publisher=Penguin |isbn=978-0-02-863970-3 |page=204}}</ref> is a cross-legged sitting [[meditation posture|meditation pose]] from [[History of India|ancient India]], in which each foot is placed on the opposite thigh. It is an ancient [[asana]] in [[yoga]], predating [[hatha yoga]], and is widely used for [[meditation]] in [[Hinduism|Hindu]], [[Tantra]], [[Jainism|Jain]], and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] traditions.

Variations include easy pose ('''Sukhasana'''), half lotus, bound lotus, and psychic union pose. Advanced variations of several other asanas including yoga headstand have the legs in lotus or half lotus. The pose can be uncomfortable for people not used to sitting on the floor, and attempts to force the legs into position can injure the knees.<ref name="AcottCramer2013"/>

[[Shiva]], the meditating ascetic God of [[Hinduism]], [[Gautama Buddha]], the founder of [[Buddhism]], and the [[Tirthankara]]s in [[Jainism]] have been depicted in the lotus position, especially in statues. The pose is emblematic both of [[Buddhist meditation]] and of yoga, and as such has found a place in Western culture as a symbol of healthy living and well-being.