Yoga Pose OTW: Flowering Lotus

Hip-opening and twisting poses activate the second and third chakras, helping to free energy in those areas, and move it up the spine. Some believe doing so opens you up to can give back to others in creative ways.

While in this flowering lotus pose I am in above, you will embody a luminous lotus flower emerging from muddy water. In yogic lore, the lotus is a metaphor for how past experiences can be used as fertile soil for blooming into a more awakened soul. 

How To Do Flowering Lotus Pose

• Sit on the floor. 
• Bend the knees and press the soles of the feet together. Reach down and press your palms into your knees, slowly opening your legs like a book. 
• Take your gaze up toward the sky and breathe deeply as you open your hips for 5 breaths.
• Inhale and lift both feet off the floor, keeping your heels pressed together. 
• Exhale as you thread both arms under your knees. 
• Inhale as you join each thumb and forefinger together. 
• Open your chest, lift your heart, and take your gaze up toward the heavens or close your eyes. Hold for 5 breaths.

"The lotus, undiscouraged by its surroundings, rises from the depths of a murky pond. It's petals perfume the air, as it flowers and blooms brilliantly, purely, divinely, despite and probably because of its origins. Becoming a spiritual person does not mean you to leave your prior life behind, but instead you integrate, learn, remember, and respect what brought you to this point in the first place."