Welcome to Eagle Pose, definitely the most fun pose in yoga. It’s kind of like playing the children's game ‘touch your head and rub your tummy’. You need to keep your wits about you as you balance on one foot while wrapping a foot around your calf and keeping your hands in an extra twisty prayer position. It’s super fun while you are getting it wobbly-wrong, then when you get it right as you dip deep you feel such a level of self control and focus that your body is almost growing out of the earth with vitality. You’ll see what I mean after a few weeks of practice. Eagle Pose is called Garudasana in Sanskrit, garuda means eagle and asana means posture.
How to do Eagle Pose:
Step 1 ~ Stand at the top of your mat in Tadasana (Mountain Pose) facing the mirror or the wall since you will need to find your drishti (point of focus) during this pose.
Step 2 ~ Bend your knees and shift your weight to your right foot and steady yourself. Now cross your left thigh over your right thigh. Steady yourself. Find your drishti in front of you.
Step 3 ~ Hook the foot of your left leg behind your right calf. For a beginner this can be difficult, instead bring your leg as far around as is comfortable. The hook will come in time.
Step 4 ~ How to wrap your hands for Eagle Pose: With your arms extended in from of you drop your left hand under your right arm and bend your elbows. Now place your hands into prayer if you can palms touching each other. Raise your forearms so that they are perpendicular to the floor. The tips of your fingers should be level with your third eye (point between your eyebrows).Make note of which thumb is wrapped over the other as you will be changing sides when we reverse the pose.
Step 5 ~ Perfecting your pose – Keep your shoulder blades pressed back. Sit deeper into the pose and keep your back straight as if your back were against a wall. Your hands knees and foot should all line up in the mirror. Adjust your body so that your hips are square. Your shoulders should be in level, both right and left, if one is higher than the other bring it in line with the other for balance. Hold for a minute. In the beginning you may fall out of the pose. Come back to it gently and try again.
Step 6 ~ Unwind your arms gently, and get back into Tadasana. Repeat the pose on the other side.
Here is a link to my Bikram Yoga Video Playlist:
Please read disclaimer before attempting any of the exercises,yoga poses or advice expressed in this blog.
No comments
Post a Comment