Learn to Sit Cross-Legged – 10 Min Yoga for Pain Sitting Cross-Legged Stretch

Is pain when sitting cross-legged something you struggle with? I hope this sequence can help you! Let me know if you have any other questions in the comments below - and well done !!

So good to have found a very gentle set o exercises. I’m experiencing considerable pain in my hips and hamstrings, especially the left side so I’m hoping these will help. Thank you

Thank you so much for this practice! 🥰 I've been out-of-practice with my yoga for at least six months, and this was a wonderful reintroduction 💜

Love all your videos, you are so knowledgeable and explain everything so wonderfully. Thank you 🙏🙏

Thanks

I have trouble with my front of my foot joints with my leg and have noticed that my feet are twisted almost facing the floor.

After reading a few comments on here, im starting today. Thank you, love your calming encouragement 💜

Thanks!

Thaaaaaaaaaaaank you - I love Yoga and need more practice. I wish I was as calm and happy like you - it is amazing!

I. had NO idea just how inflexible I'd become until I saw your legs go from side to side and mine didn't budge much. at. all. I had a piriformis injury that took me out of commission for a while. Months and months of therapy. I learned to lean forward when I walked so I could walk with less pain. Now I'm paying the price. I will put this on my calendar for tomorrow. I love that this was 10 minutes long, held my attention, and didn't make me feel ashamed.

I desperately needed this! 🙏 Will start today. Never been able to sit criss cross on the floor & it’s a dream.

I never thought to use a wall to help. I've been struggling so badly with sitting cross legged and more so since I had my children. The one part that hurts me the most when I sit cross legged is actually my middle back. Would love to see this addressed too.

I can do this now thanks to you! I would love to be able to “stack the knees” I think is what you call it. Could you do a video to help with that.
I’d also love to be able to stand up grim this crossed leg position

How can I modify if I am not able to sit on my heals with back against the wall. I am unable to touch my borrow to my heals.

Love this Joelle! Will keep trying! Thank you for all your super videos! 😊

After i get up from sitting cross legged on the floor. There is soooooooo much pressure and pain on my knees and it lasts for like 1-2 hours 😢

This worked amazingly well, thank you.

After sitting like that for a while, is it normal for me to feel a lil pain after releasing my legs from the cross position?

I'm practising this so I can sit cross-legged on my wedding day without shattering my hips 😀

Superb. Thanks so much. Sitting x-legged on the floor is a torture for me, even as an easterner 🙄😂, so these basic asanas are v helpful!

But what if you can’t sit down n your heels either? What can you do instead?

I was struggling to gross my legs but now am happy I found u, I will start practicing with you

Thank you for such a lovely sequence. I used to sit on the floor on my left side with both legs folded to the right side for more than 40 years. Now I try to meditate cross-legged, my right knee would not settle down and the outside of my right foot where it touches the ground is numb and painful after even a short meditation. I also cannot put my right leg in front of the left because that would make my posture even more awkward and even harder to have my back straight. I wonder if you have any solution for my kind of problem? Thanks so much!

Joel I started doing these for sitting crossed leg but 1st was doing your itband video . I've found this video helps with my bad itband better, thou I was wondering if I should be doing them both. Thanks for your videos very helpful

it hurts my abs and back bc i’m pushing myself up to have good posture

I’ve been practicing meditation for the best part of a year now. Only recently have I been adopting correct posture and realised how much I struggled with sitting cross legged with my back completely straight. Going to do this everyday until I can meditate freely.

I just recently started trying this and I must say, I'm shocked that it's going really really well. You see, I have Stage 3 Osteoarthritis in my left knee and Stage 2 Osteoarthritis in my right knee. I didn't have a lot of faith in this stuff but it actually works! I use this video along with the "How to sit on heels" one that you have. This is amazing! (1) the voice is soooooo soothing, (2) the postures are easily accessible and this works well with me, (3) the overall ambiance is just so relaxing!!!!! My flexibility has GREATLY increased because of this! My question is this: do you have anything on hip adductors because now I'm after butterfly pose and getting my knees on the ground. Thank you so so so so much!

The muscle on my outer thigh hurts when I sit cross legged. It is very tight. I think it's called the vastus laterals. Do you have any stretches to help this one please?

If this helps me, I am going to propose to you. Crossed legged of course 😉😂

Me, an overweight who decides to lose weight: I can't even sit properly! I will never be able to do this.
Seeing this video: Oh, I can't do that either, I will never be able to do this.

Can you give the names for every position shown here so I can't search "I can't do ......" and prepare myself to prepare myself to sit?

Thanks. Will try this.

This whole thing hurt… I hope it works

Hi Joelle. Thanks for this and many other videos. The only point I would like to mention is that I believe (stretching, not yoga experience much) that those poses you are showing are great but the duration of some of the poses are not long enough to provide flexibility (over the time), but rather warm up or stretch a bit. I honestly had to adjust the speed of the video to 0.5 so that each session will bring me further and further as I am very stiff and in cross-legged position my knees are pointing upwards a lot. Thank you again!

I’m so embarrassed to be here. I’m 28 almost 29 and I’ve “w” sat almost my entire life. I spent my entire childhood moving and being relocated and fostered that nobody ever really caught on or ever said anything about it being wrong. It makes me so angry and sad honestly. Because now I have horrible posture and can hardly do the basics here and I’m generally a decently fit person but I’m really struggling. Because of my inverted sitting, I have awkward knees and don’t even know if it’s safe for me to try to correct as an adult because I probably “grew” into this posture. My hips basically invert in and I have zero lower back strength. It’s kept me from dancing and hula hooping, two things I super love doing, but I look so awkward and gangly and without a good base, I end up getting hurt a lot. I feel so frustrated and existentially distraught about it ;—-;

I have problem on dead pitcher excercise..others improved a lot.thanks

I love you

I’m trying to improve my hip mobility. I don’t think I sit crossed legged with a straight back so it becomes stressful.

Hello, this is great for my foot pain. I couldn’t find the wrist exercise however, even on the site. Could you send please? Thanks!!!

I was never able to sit crossed legged as a child always had pain and I get so frustrated now because I am in my mid 30's and would really like to do yoga but I get too much pain from just trying to sit cross legged. Didn't manage to last through the video cos it hurt in different places but I shall persevere with it.

Hi Joelle I can't even put my left ankle crossing on the right knee or the opposite way. My legs won't even do that. I'm so stiff and sitting cross legged is impossible

Just what I was looking for. Menopause has made me less flexible and was having trouble sitting cross legged in my yoga class. Will try these to help. Thank you

I’m 6’5 and have terrible hips due to playing sports and sitting in chairs all day. I really needed this and haven’t been as disappointed with my flexibility nonetheless I’m trying to be consistent. Thanks for this video!!

After a broke femur, I've got to try this 😊👌

Thank you! Using the wall initially to “let your back know it’s okay to sit straight while your lower body is doing something different” really helped my hips to slowly relax. I thought my hips were extremely tight but I realize I also just needed my brain to let my hips relax their tension. Good perspective. Hope to keep improving🙏

I found you when looking for counter movements for after sitting cross legged a long time! Sometimes when working I find I've sat for hours and my knees and ankles have started to complain! Can you suggest good counter movements to help them get back in alignment quickly?
I will try to sit for shorter periods and walk around alternately!

Omg I cant even do the windshield wipers when sitting again the wall and keep my upperback and shoulders against it 😢 my right leg just wont go down.. I really should start working on this, damn you office job

love this vedio thank you ..

Wow I'm so glad i found this. As i so want to do yoga for spiritual reasons but my body doesn't cooperate with me. I can't even sit on the floor my spine straight without having so much tension and discomfort..if i consciously relax one part of the body other tense up to keep my straight. So thanks for making those videos for the inflexible beginners. Even there are many videos for beginners but still too advanced for my stiff body lol