How to perform Simple Cross Legs Lying Back
Cross your legs and lie back over support or straight onto your mat.
What is Supta Swastikasana?
An alternative to Supta Baddha Konasana, especially useful if you have stiffer hips. This particular variation is more restful.
You can place a bolster or rolled-up blankets underneath your back to provide your chest with extra opening and support the natural arch of your lower back.
If you use support, you can experiment with its positioning. For example, if you place a bolster beneath your buttocks, you will provide your abdomen with extra blood circulation and will make the hip-opening motion feel milder. This kind of positioning usually appears after such mild inversions as Viparita Karani.
When to use Supta Swastikasana?
It is often practiced at the start of a session or at the very end, as a restorative and meditative pose. It can also be used during a hip sequence as a warm-up for the hips.
This pose has very similar benefits to those of Supta Baddha Konasana. It increases blood circulation in the pelvis and abdomen, making this pose very useful for relieving pain or discomfort in the area. During menstruation, it can offer relief from abdominal cramps.
