Gomasana
Back to asanas
Lion Pose
Kneeling

Lion Pose

Simhasana

A seated pose that mimics a lion's roar. From a kneeling position with ankles crossed, the hands press onto the knees, the mouth opens wide, the tongue extends, and the gaze is directed upward. It releases tension in the face, throat, and chest.

  • ·Relieves stress
  • ·Calms the mind
  • ·Stimulates thyroid

Instructions

  1. 1Kneel on the floor and sit back onto your heels, or cross your ankles and sit between your feet.
  2. 2Place your hands on your knees with fingers spread wide like claws.
  3. 3Inhale deeply through your nose, sitting tall and broadening your chest.
  4. 4Open your mouth wide, extend your tongue fully downward toward your chin, and exhale forcefully with a 'haaa' sound.
  5. 5At the same time, open your eyes wide and gaze upward toward your eyebrow center.
  6. 6Hold the expression for a breath, then relax your face completely on the next inhale.
  7. 7Repeat three to five times, releasing facial and jaw tension with each roar.

Contraindications & precautions

  • ⚠Knee injury or severe knee pain — sitting on the heels compresses the knee joint and may aggravate ligament or meniscus conditions.
  • ⚠Temporomandibular joint (TMJ) disorder — the wide-open jaw position and forceful exhalation can strain an already sensitive jaw joint.
  • ⚠Recent throat or tongue surgery — the strong tongue extension and vocal exhalation should be avoided until full healing.

Videos containing this pose

No videos linked to this pose yet.