ESSENTIAL YOGA POSTITIONS PART XI

In Yoga nothing embodies these qualities quite like the LORD OF THE DANCE pose, a challenging BALANCE posture, that is said to help us connect to the COSMIC ENERGY, making it the perfect asana to starting the NEW YEAR right

NAME:

Lord of the Dance Pose
Naṭarājāsana

SANSKRIT:
नटराजासन

HOW TO:

Start in Tadasana. On an inhale, lift your left foot, such that the heel is placed towards the left butt and your knees are bent.
Transfer your entire body weight into your right foot and keep your dristy by looking at one single, non-moving point in front of you. Keeping your torso upright, take a hold of the left foot from the outside with the left hand.
Make sure to avoid compressing your lower back by pressing your tailbone towards the floor and keeping both bhandas actively engaged.
Slowly lift your left foot up, away from the floor and back behind you. Extend the left thigh behind you and parallel to the floor and simultaneously stretch your other arm forward. Hold this pose for about 5 to 7 breaths, release and repeat on the other side.

VARIATIONS:

There are different options for holding your foot in this asana, either from the inside or from the outside of your ankle.

MEANING:

The name comes from the Sanskrit words, „nata“ which translated to dancer and “raja“, meaning king. It is a tribute to Lord Shiva in his form of the cosmic dancer referred to as „nataraja“. He embodies the dance of creation, preservation and dissolution – or in other words: the eternal cycle of creation, destruction – endings and new beginnings.

BENEFITS:

Natarajasana improves balance and focuses the mind. It strengthens the legs, hips, ankles, and chest, and helps to develop a graceful posture. It promotes inner stillness, while keeping us highly aware of of the ever-changing world world around us, the dynamic dance of the universe. This pose helps us to witness all of these movements and changes while we remain still.

To fully benefit from practicing this asana, make sure that your last meal has been digested for a couple of hours, to make your body ready to expand its energy outwards.
Happy Natarajasana practice – enjoy the DANCE with LIFE on your mat!
Thanks to Matt Giordano Yoga for the amazing picture in DANCER’S pose during the Swiss Yoga Conference- we can’t wait to see you in Zurich soon!
with LOVE
your ATHAYOGA TEAM

Don’t forget: we offer regular classes every day until New Year’s Eve and will be back with a regular schedule from the 3rd of January. More information and weekly schedules are on our website.

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