Simhasana

The Gheranda Samhita places the heels beneath the buttocks, the hands on the knees, the mouth open and the gaze fixed between the brows, and calls simhasana the destroyer of disease and the best of postures. The Pradipika lists it among its four principal seats. It is unusual in the classical catalogue: a posture built around the face, throat and tongue rather than the limbs. The tradition connects it to the throat — to jalandhara bandha, to the voice, and in later manuals to the practice of khechari — and treats the wide-open mouth and extended tongue as a release of the tension the throat habitually holds.

• Releases habitual tension held in the jaw, throat and tongue
• Engages the muscles of the face and throat rarely used deliberately elsewhere in practice
• Traditionally linked to supporting a clear, resonant voice
• Offers a playful, expressive counterpoint to quieter seated postures
• Encourages a strong exhale that can relieve built-up tension after concentrated effort

1. Kneel with the hips resting on the heels, or sit on a block.
2. Place the palms on the knees, fingers spread wide.
3. Straighten the arms, lift the chest and lengthen the spine.
4. Inhale through the nose.
5. Open the mouth wide, extend the tongue toward the chin and exhale strongly with an audible haaa.
6. Turn the gaze up between the eyebrows or to the tip of the nose.
7. Close the mouth, breathe normally, and repeat three to six times.

Forcing the kneeling position with ankle or knee pain. If the classical seat under the buttocks is uncomfortable, sit cross-legged instead and keep the face and breath work the same.

Holding back the exhale. The pose loses its point if the roar is timid — commit to a full, audible exhale through an open mouth.

Straining the eyes upward with tension. The gaze between the brows should be steady, not forced or strained.

Treating it as purely comic. While it looks playful, the classical texts describe it as a serious throat and voice practice connected to jalandhara bandha, not just a party trick.

Easier: Sit in a comfortable kneeling or cross-legged position rather than the classical heels-under-buttocks seat if the ankles or knees resist.

Easier: Practice the face and breath alone — wide eyes, open mouth, extended tongue, forceful exhale — from any seated position.

Harder: Take the classical vajrasana-based foot position with the heels pressed under the sitting bones.

Variation: Simhasana II, taught in some modern lineages, uses a wide-legged seated base instead of the kneeling one described by Gheranda.

The Gheranda Samhita calls simhasana the destroyer of disease and among the best of postures, and the Hatha Yoga Pradipika counts it among its four principal seats — unusual company for a pose built entirely around the face and throat rather than the limbs.

The wide mouth, extended tongue and fixed gaze are traditionally connected to the throat centre and to jalandhara bandha; releasing the throat's habitual grip through this exaggerated opening is described as freeing tension that would otherwise restrict the breath and, in more advanced practice, the tongue-lock of khechari mudra.

Kneeling gives a neutral pelvis with little demand on the hips; raise the seat on a block if the knees complain. The distinctive part is the facial and pharyngeal work: strong tongue protrusion with a wide mouth activates the suprahyoid and tongue muscles and the muscles of the soft palate. Tongue and oropharyngeal exercises of this kind have been studied for snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnoea, where regular daily practice produces modest measurable improvement in upper-airway tone — a narrow but real overlap with the text's claims about the throat. The forceful exhalation through the open mouth also releases jaw and facial tension that a habitual clench keeps in place.