ESSENTIAL YOGA POSITIONS PART III
For today’s essential yoga position let’s spread our wings and fly, because it’s all about the strong and elegant BAKASANA pose!
This challenging ARM BALANCE is one of those positions that look SO EASY when your teacher just seems to float into it and then you give it a try and realize it’s a though one, especially dealing with that fear of falling over. But don’t worry – it’s all a matter of practice, patience and some useful tips and tricks that will get you there.
SANSKRIT: BAKASANA in Sanskrit is written बकासन, whereas KAKASANA is काकासन
VARIATIONS: BAKASANA, the CRANE pose and KAKASANA, the CROW pose are often used interchangeably, however they are slightly different in terms of alignment. In crane pose, the arms are straighter than in crow pose, making this variation even more physically demanding.
HOW TO:
1. start in a squat position (MALASANA) and press your arms to the inside of your legs.
2. place your hands on the mat, about a shoulder width apart and spread your fingers wide.
3. start shifting your weight forward while keeping your gaze in front of you, not down towards the mat.
4. place your knees as far up your triceps as you can, maybe try lifting one leg after the other to make it easier.
5. using your abdominal muscles and mula banda, press your torso against your thighs to maintain balance.
6. to come out, slowly lower your legs town towards the mat and come back to malasana pose.
BENEFITS:
1. builds strength in your arms, triceps and shoulder as well as your abdominal area
2. strengthens the wrists and hands
3. promotes focus, mental clarity and builds endurance
FOLLOW UP POSITIONS/TRANSITIONS:
1. to come from KAKASANA to BAKASANA, straighten your arms
2. you can attempt to carefully lower your head towards the mat for TRIPOD HEADSTAND
3. you can shoot your legs back to come directly into CHATURANGA
We love how graceful our dear Hélène Schneider looks like in this beautiful photo – thank you!❤️
Let us know what YOUR biggest challenge is when coming into this asana and we’ll try to give you some ideas on how to progress with BAKASANA.
HAPPY BAKASANA practice from the ATHAYOGA Team and HELENE!