Let's say that you are feeling tired. Very tired. What would you do? You'd probably lie down on the bed and go to sleep in a supine pose, wouldn't you? Now, let's take it one step further. How would we feel when we're dying? At the moment of death? We'd probably go to the sleeping, supine posture, the posture that we'd take at the moment of extreme tiredness.
Recently, I watched a documentary: Awake, about the life of Paramahamsa Yogananda Giri. Yogananda is credited with spreading Yoga in USA. One image stuck with me when watching the documentary. When Yogananda's Guru, Sri Yukteshwar Giri, leaves his body, he's in the lotus pose (Padmasana), with an erect spine. On a different note, in Balathal, Rajastan, archaeologists excavated a 2700 year old skeleton, in Padmasana, with an erect spine, with the fingers in Jnana-Mudra. This is true for saints in Mahasamadhi as well. It is clear that saints who choose to leave their body, do so in this pose.
References:
Documentary: Awake
http://www.indiadivine.org/2700-year-old-yogi-samadhi-found-indus-valley-civilization-archaeological-site/
https://swarajyamag.com/heritage/kodumanal-awaits-a-museum
Related links for additional research:
http://www.indiadivine.org/mummy-found-inside-1000-year-old-buddha-statue-in-lotus-position/
http://www.jamyangnorbu.com/blog/2012/01/03/self-immolation-and-buddhism/
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