Thunderbolt Pose or Vajrasana combines two words – Vajra, meaning thunderbolt (also indicating hard as diamond), and Asana (posture). It depicts a sitting pose. Vajrasana (also called Vajrasan) is a sitting posture where your heels touch your glutes (muscles covering your hips). As a result, pressure is exerted on your ankles, knees, and thighs. Energy/blood circulation is drawn away from the limbs and and is circulated strongly in the mid-section of your body, especially the lower back.
Key Takeaways:
i. Thunderbolt pose (Vajrasana) is performed by sitting with the lower part of legs folded under your thighs and knees touching the ground.
ii. Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana) benefits include improved digestion and lower back strength, relief from gaut, rheumatic pain and heel pain due from calcaneal spurs.
In this article you will discover the following information about Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana):
Other Names
Diamond pose
Thunderbolt pose
Adamantine pose
Kneeling pose
Pelvic pose
Etymology/Origin reference
One finds the mention of Vajrasana in ancient Hindu texts. There is also a mythical story attached to the name of this asana.
Benefits of Thunderbolt Pose (Vajrasana)
There are multiple benefits arising out of this asana’s practice. They are discussed below.
i. Research-backed benefits
- As per a study1 conducted by the IJAHM, published on the interscience.org.uk website, one finds that Vajrasana helps in chronic cases of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus (diabetes).
- As per an article2 published in National Research Symposium 2016, Sri Lanka, one finds that Vajrasana helps improve the heart’s condition and is good for the cardiovascular system.
ii. Benefits not supported by clinical trial
There are many benefits arising from the practice of this asana. They relate to various aspects of our existence – mental, physical, psychological, and emotional. The list is as below:
- It relieves lower back discomfort and pain
- It helps in improving digestion and reduces flatulence (gas formation).
- It strengthens pelvic floor muscles, especially in women facing urinary incontinence.
- Relieves Rheumatic pain
- Relieves Gaut
- Relieves heel pain due to calcaneal spurs
- Improves sleep
- Relieves Sciatica pain
- Strengthens sexual organs
- Relieves menstrual pain
- Strengthens thigh muscles
- It helps keep the mind calm and stable
- It helps improve meditation practice
- Increases blood flow to the lower abdomen by reducing the flow in the legs. This helps reduce acidity.
- Reduces Obesity
iii. Muscle/Muscle Group, Organ/s, Joint/s Strengthened
The front thigh muscle group is impacted positively and grows in strength. The names of these muscles are:
i. vastus lateralis
ii. vastus intermedius
iii. vastus medialis
iv. rectus femoris
In addition, the knee joints, tibiofemoral and patellofemoral, are also strengthened due to Vajrasana. But one should refrain from practicing when one has pain in these joints. Instead, one should practice this asana to build strength when there is no inherent pain.
Level
Beginner
Type
Stretch
Duration
Beginner: 10-30 seconds (upto 3 repetitions)
Intermediate: 2-5 minutes
Expert: up to 15 minutes
Preparatory Poses
These poses are to be practiced to prepare the body and mind for doing Vajrasana:
i. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
ii. Bound Angle Pose (Baddha Konasana)
iii. Sun Salutation (Surya Namaskara)
Follow-up Poses
These are to be practiced immediately after trying Vajrasana to regulate the energy flow:
i. Staff Pose (Dandasana)
ii. Corpse Pose (Savasana)
Process
- Stand straight with your feet together.
- Bend forward to the ground while bending your knees, and put your hands on the floor for support. Keep your legs joined all this while.
- Sit back on your legs while keeping them joined. Your heels should touch your glutes.
- Reach a position of comfort when seated by adjusting your upper body forward or backwards slightly.
- Keep your back and head straight.
- Rest your arms on your legs comfortably, with your palms facing downwards.
- Look straight ahead.
- You are now in the Vajrasana pose.
- Focus on your breathing during the entire duration of this sitting posture. Breathe a bit slowly.
- Keep all thoughts away and remain focused on your breathing.
- After spending the required/desired duration, bend forward while lifting your pelvis ahead, and take support of the floor with your palms to get up slowly. This completes 1 iteration of Vajrasana.
Observations/Tips
- When one starts initially, they will feel a high level of discomfort and pressure on their ankles, knee joints, and thigh muscles. It may become difficult to sit for more than 5-10 seconds. However, one can do this much (upto 10 seconds) as a beginner and should not panic.
- Tolerance level builds up quite fast for Vajrasana, and within a week, one should be able to sit in this pose for around a minute normally. From there, it is up to the individual to scale up as per need.
Variations
There are over 50 variations of this asana. All of them are practiced for different reasons. Each one targets a different body part, a different muscle/muscle group/joint. However, the legs remain in the same position in the different variations.
Intense Variant: Supta Vajrasana
Easier Variant: Laghu Vajrasana
Prohibitions
- People who experience inflamed pain in the knees, ankles, feet, and lower back (spine especially) should refrain from practicing this asana until they recover.
- Pregnant women should avoid the intense variant and keep their knees apart to avoid pressure on their stomach area. They should attempt this asana only with prior permission from their doctor.
Calories spent
Approximately 10 calories are spent when it is practiced for about 5 minutes.
Chakra affected
The chakras are an integral part of the concept of Yoga. Practising this asana, the Third eye (Jnana), Sacral (Swadhisthana), and Root (Muladhara) chakra are said to be positively impacted. Thus it is practiced by yogis regularly.
Dosha Impacted
As per ayurvedic studies, the Pitta and Kapha doshas are impacted positively by the practice of this asana.
Element Impacted
The natural elements impacted by this asana are light, water, and earth in a person’s composition.
Next Level Poses
These can be targeted once you have mastered Vajrasana:
i. Little Thunderbolt (Laghu Vajrasana) Pose
ii. Couch Pose (Paryankasana)
iii. Frog Pose Variant (Bhekasana)
Conclusion
It is an excellent asana with a plethora of benefits associated. It is usually always included by all beginners. It helps you become much better at food absorption and develop strong lower back and leg muscles and joints.
References:
I. Interscience.org.uk. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://interscience.org.uk/images/article/v7-i4/3ijahm.pdf> [Accessed 7 July 2022]. Go back to research-backed benefits
II. Repository.kln.ac.lk. 2022. [online] Available at: <https://repository.kln.ac.lk/bitstream/handle/123456789/16190/10.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y> [Accessed 7 July 2022]. Go back to research-backed benefits
