lotus position

American  

noun

1. a standard seated posture for yoga, with legs intertwined, left foot over right thigh, and right foot over left thigh.

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lotus position British  

noun

1. a seated cross-legged position used in yoga, meditation, etc

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Etymology

Origin of lotus position

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

After taking off your shoes, you are encouraged to sit in the quarter lotus position — legs crossed with one ankle on top of the other shin — if you are a beginner.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 2, 2023

No question: This is a place where you might interrupt an earnings call to sit in the lotus position and, mindfully, breathe.

From Washington Post • Apr. 12, 2022

The ring-tailed lemurs of Madagascar, for instance, often face the morning sun in a posture resembling the lotus position of yoga but with extended legs.

From Scientific American • Nov. 17, 2021

But don’t picture someone in the lotus position with his eyes shut.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 1, 2018

Tendai sat with his knees flexed, almost in a lotus position, with his hands on his ankles.

From "The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm" by Nancy Farmer