Aloha Velorien,
Working into the lotus posture, Chunyi recommends doing the hip/knee, and ankle exercises in the Level Two manual and work into the full lotus posture by doing your meditations in a semi-lotus position for a number of sessions.
When that becomes comfortable, then do your meditations in the semi lotus position with the other leg on top for a number of sessions. Then try the full lotus position for one of the 30 minute meditations found in Level One. You'll find one leg will be easier to be on top than the other.
Your legs, knees, joints, and energy going through the legs will all adapt. The thing is to let them work into it, rather than jumping right into it (you don't slap 500lbs on the bar and bench press it your first time in the gym).
When I worked into the lotus position for longer and longer periods of time, it all adapted. There was a periord at the begining when I'd be out playing soccer (Fútbol), and almost each time I'd make a quick move to the side, my ankle would give out on me, and bamm! I'd go down. I'd get up expecting that my ankle would be wrecked for a long time, needing ice, compression, elevation, etc. Only to find that that pain of the tearing and streching that would normally come from something like that, wasn't there. Hmmm...when it happened again in the same match, my teammate thought I was faking it, since I just seemed to crumble and get up and be able to play again. It was about a week later, that the ankle's joints, ligaments, and tendons all adjusted and I was playing as usual,
and sitting in the full Lotus.
No weird curvature of the legs or anything after doing this for 10 years.
Much Love, Shawn
