Guptasana – Secret / Hidden Posture
24 Nov 2020 HYN Himalayan Yoga Academy
Guptasana – Secret / Hidden Posture – Asana no: 12
“Jaanurvorantare Paadau Kritvaa Paadau cha Gopayet;!
Paadopari cha sansthaapya Gudam Gupataasanam Viduh!! –21-
Meaning: Keep both feet hidden in the middle portion of both the knees and bring the anal region between the feet. This is called ‘Guptasana’.
Guptasana also known as Siddhasana is an Asana. It is translated as Hidden Pose from Sanskrit. In the world of yoga, there are numerous poses that seems to be simple but are quite powerful. Among such poses, one of them is the ‘Perfect pose’ or ‘Adept’s pose’. In Sanskrit, this pose is also well known as ‘Siddhasana’ or ‘Guptasana’. It is to be mentioned that Guptasana is the oldest, seated yoga form that has been conventionally used since long period for the purpose of meditations and breathing exercises.
It’s similar to Swastikasana, same as Siddhasana, but practiced by men only, purely meant for meditation. As this Asana hides well the organ of generation it is called Guptasana.
-Initially it is required to sit down on the floor and keeping legs stretched and spine straight in sitting Dandasana.
-Rest the arms at the sides. This pose is known as Dandasana
-By tilting the left knee and taking the left heel towards the groin area.
-The heels would rest on the perineum which is the area at the base of spine in between the anus and genitals
-Similarly, tilt the right leg and take the right heel inside, then required to keep the right ankle over the inner ankle of the left foot, Place your right heel over the pubic bone
-keep your hands over the thighs and face your palms facing upward
-Spine needs to be straight
-It is supposed to close the eyes slowly and gaze inward
-Remain in this pose for around one minute or till the time during meditating or in pranayama practice
-Come out of this pose by stretching your legs in the floor in Staff pose. You are then required to rest yourself in Corpse pose for one to three minutes
How to release the stretch
Sit in this position as long as you can and come back to the basic sitting Dandasana position, release one by one how we formed it and followed by Shavasana to relax.
Benefits of Guptasana :
This Asana is useful for stimulation of all the visceral organs, controlling heart rate, blood pressure and for correcting sexual and emotional problems.
It calms and relaxes the physical tension and pressure.
It is also for concentration, reaching higher state of awareness, and meditation as well.
It stimulates the genitals and also increases secretion of testosterone.