Seated postures are generally considered grounding and calming. The main exception to this would be boat pose (navasana), which requires more strength and thus tends to be more activating. Most cross-legged seated postures are not particularly helpful for building strength or flexibility except in cases where a practitioner has weak spinal erectors and/or tight hips. In these cases, cross-legged postures can be immensely helpful in training those muscles to both stretch and strengthen. These postures are also a great place to practice the basics of breath, bandhas and drishti. Other seated postures tend to be effective for stretching the lower back and hamstrings, however when practiced actively, they can also be very effective for strengthening the abdominals. Most of the postures in this category are safe for a variety of injuries.