A 30-year-old man was found dead in the lotus position in his bedroom after a unit fire in Sydney, Australia on Sunday.

The lotus position is a cross legged sitting posture that Yoga students practice to encourage proper breathing and physical stability.

According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the man died of toxic smoke inhilation, but police believe he may have ignored the smell of smoke because he was "zoned out" during meditation.

Emergency services were called to the unit block at about 8:45 a.m. (AEST) where they found the bedroom of the third floor apartment alight. The blaze was extinguished and the man's body was located.

No one else was in the unit at the time and police are working to establish the man's identity and the cause of the fire.