Vajra Posture vs Lotus Posture -- the same or male vs female?

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Hope you are well.

I am a Tibetan Buddhism student and a ashtanga yoga practitioner. I have been reaching from the answer to this for a while. In ashtanga yoga, the full lotus posture or Padmasana is always with right leg first, and my teachers in India recommends this because of energy channels stimulation. In tantra traditions (like Tibetan Buddhism), the left leg is always first, and it is called vajra posture ( with the seven point of Vairochana describing this posture); my teacher in India will hit you literally if you put your left leg first as it is considered left handed practises, more exoteric and less God oriented.

I cannot find anything else about the differences.

I hope this helps

Regareds,J

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I am wondering about this , too. There is a Vajrasana in Indian Yoga, similar to the Heroic posture, or Seiza and a Virasana which is similar to the Vajrasana in Indian Buddhism.this is a very dynamic posture, that many children around the world use during play. Similar to sitting on one's heels, with some slight differences. I know the "Vajrasana" in tibetan buddhism says the male usually puts the left leg first and the right on top, and the women do the opposite, but I did no research on this. I don't like the way the Tibetan use this term. I think they like to equate the Padmasana, which is often associated with the control of the passions, as with the "Vajra" vehicle.

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There is both no gender difference in the Lotus Posture and Vajra Posture or any other difference whatsoever as far as I'm aware. These are interchangeable terms for the same posture - the former has its root in Hatha Yoga and latter in Tibetan Vajrayana. There is, however, a gender difference in the Sattva Posture which is often recommended in Tibetan traditions if full lotus is not possible. This is maybe where the misunderstanding may have started? In the 'The Tibetan Yoga of Breath: Breathing Practices for Healing the Body and Cultivating Wisdom':

Sattva posture is done differently for males and females, but both can begin by sitting cross-legged on the floor. Elevating the hips so that they rest above the knees makes the posture easier to hold, so we need to sit on a pillow or cushion. For males, the left leg is tucked in closer to the body and the left foot placed on the inner right thigh, while the right leg rests in the front. For females it is the opposite: the left leg rests in the front and the right leg is tucked, with the right foot resting on the inner left thigh. This posture is similar to a half lotus posture, except that one leg rests in front of the body for balance.

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