Wish to construct intense focus, full-body power and adaptability, plus epic stability? Don’t skip Eagle Pose! Garudasana is the Sanskrit phrase for “majestic hen pose.” Impressed by the focus and power of this iconic hen, Eagle Pose targets almost each a part of your physique, serving to to construct muscle, enhance flexibility, and problem your stability.
Eagle Pose can really feel a bit like a human knot. However this difficult stability pose gives a significant confidence increase and provides loads of stepping-stone variations to attempt on the trail to the total expression.
Let’s dig into every little thing it’s worthwhile to learn about Eagle Pose, plus some easy tricks to grasp it!
Desire video? Right here’s our full tutorial on how one can do Eagle Pose:
Pose Advantages
Eagle Pose is a uncommon asana that targets actually each a part of your physique. You’ll wobble, shake, stretch, elongate, and squeeze over 20 main muscle tissue! The advantages of Eagle Pose embody:
- Better flexibility within the shoulders, calves, thighs, outer hips, and higher again
- Aid from higher again and shoulder ache
- Stronger ft, ankles, calves, glutes, core, shoulders, arms, and again
- Decrease physique strengthening
- Unimaginable stability and physique consciousness
- Improved confidence
- Improved focus and focus
Step-by-Step Directions
Eagle Pose can look fairly intimidating and uncomfortable, however if you deal with every particular person portion of the pose, you’ll find that they finally come collectively like puzzle items. Construct the pose on a stable basis at your ft after which work your method upwards to your legs, core, arms, shoulders, and the ultimate integration of
- Start in Mountain Pose together with your ft collectively and knee barely bent. Root into the bottom with all 4 corners of the ft. Interact the quads and glutes as you barely squat down.
- Discover a drishti (focus level) just a few ft in entrance of you and hold your gaze there for the whole thing of the pose.
- Shift your weight into your left foot and inhale as you deliver your proper leg over your left. Squeeze the correct leg onto the highest of your left thigh. Attempt to hook your proper foot behind your left ankle.
- Should you can’t hook it, merely press the highest of your foot into the skin of your calf. You may also attempt squatting deeper to permit the ankle extra space to rotate and hook the toes behind your left calf. Should you nonetheless can’t get it, merely cross the correct leg over your left and prop your proper toe on a block (variation under).
- Subsequent, stabilize your core. Re-orient your pelvis to make sure that each hips are in line. It’s common for the correct hip to be lifted up, so deal with bringing that hip down and interesting the decrease core. If desired, put your arms in your hip creases and use them as leverage to deliver the hips into alignment.
- Now transfer to your Eagle arms. Optionally, it may be useful to begin together with your arms earlier than transferring into the balancing portion. Deliver each arms bent out in entrance of you want aim posts. Cross your left elbow over your proper. Your left elbow will probably be sitting within the crease of your proper arm and your arms will appear to be an “X.”
- Rotate your wrists to deliver the palms of your arms collectively. Should you don’t have wrist flexibility, you may press the backs of your arms collectively.
- Now exhale as you squeeze every little thing collectively and sit again as if going into Chair Pose. As you absolutely flex all of the muscle tissue in your legs, hold your abdominals lively and your backbone in straight line as a lot as attainable. The physique ought to be upright, not hunched over.
- Slowly increase your elbows to shoulder peak and really feel a deep stretch throughout the again of your shoulder blades. Inhale, lengthen your backbone, and proceed to look ahead at a hard and fast level forward.
- Breathe deeply for five to 10 breaths. It’s pure to wobble and re-stabilize as you discover your stability. Use the resistance of all of your muscle tissue squeezing collectively to carry you upright.
- To launch, squat down deeper then uncross the legs and arms. Repeat on the opposite facet.
Ideas for Mastering the Pose
Should you’re fighting Eagle Pose, you aren’t alone. This posture is so difficult for newbies that many individuals keep away from it altogether. There’s rather a lot happening right here! Use these easy tricks to construct the pose little-by-little and you’ll be a grasp of focus and stability very quickly.
Tip #1: Bend your knees and squeeze your internal thighs
The Eagle is nothing with out sturdy legs. This posture just isn’t about flying, however about balancing on a single limb. In case you are making an attempt to follow Eagle Pose with straight or unengaged legs, you’re already setting your self as much as fall.
The key to a robust Eagle base is within the knees and thighs. Earlier than coming into the posture, make sure that you might have bent your knees as if transferring into Chair Pose. You don’t wish to absolutely squat down, however you must have a major bend that prompts your quads.
If you cross one leg over the opposite, squeeze your thighs collectively as tightly as attainable. This can “lock in” the bind and assist you to stabilize as you deal with the higher physique.
Tip #2: Cross reverse legs and arms
The knot-like twists of your legs and arms could make Eagle extraordinarily complicated. Generally Eagle Pose is taught with the identical arm as leg on prime (which means, if the correct leg is on prime, the correct arm is on prime), however that may truly make balancing tougher.
Should you really feel such as you’re toppling over to 1 facet, create a counterbalance by conserving your legs and arms reverse. This implies, in case you are crossing the correct leg on prime, you must cross the left arm over prime. If the left leg is on prime, then the correct arm ought to be on prime. This creates resistance and equal pulls from each instructions, creating extra stability.
Tip #3: Preserve your pelvis aligned
Like all balancing poses, Eagle Pose requires that you simply hold your physique aligned so that you don’t topple over. Deal with balancing the pelvis so your hips keep nonetheless in a single central aircraft. One hip bone shouldn’t seem taller than the opposite. Chances are you’ll want to attract the hip of the lifted leg again right down to match the hip of the standing leg.
Tip #4: Preserve your torso upright
In case you are having bother balancing, squeeze your abs and hold your torso as upright as attainable. It’s pure to lean ahead just a little bit, however it’s far simpler to stability when your higher physique weight is stacked above your hips. Preserve your gaze ahead and barely up.
Some yogis take their Eagle Pose ahead as they sit again deeper, however this may be too difficult for newbies. Even superior yogis will typically hold their Eagle Pose elevated to essentially construct their power and stability. If you wish to deliver your elbow to the touch your knee, observe the variation directions under.
Frequent Errors
Garudasana can look (and really feel) like a human pretzel. This may be nice for flexibility and power, however difficult in your stability. Preserve your pretzel completely twisted and aligned by avoiding these widespread errors.
Frequent Mistake #1: Uneven hips
Any time you elevate one leg, the hip desires to go together with it. Uneven hips imply that your pelvis is tilted to 1 facet moderately than resting in a single straight line.
Your hips throughout Eagle Pose ought to technically be in the identical forward-facing, sq. place as they’re in Mountain Pose. Sq. aligned hips make for a cheerful low again and stronger stability.
Tips on how to Repair It: It’s OK for one hip to maneuver upward as you attempt to hook the highest leg over the standing leg. However as soon as your thighs are in place, it’s vital to regulate the hips again to heart. Deliver your arms to your hip creases and decrease down the lifted hip.
Most frequently, the uneven hip will probably be on the higher leg facet. For instance, in case your left thigh is on prime, you will want to decrease the left hip right down to be consistent with the correct. Squeeze the glutes to assist deliver the hips in to alignment.
Frequent Mistake #2: Straight standing leg
Eagle Pose is just about unattainable when your legs are straight. But many individuals attempt to hold their standing knee straightened and marvel why they will’t discover correct stability. The knee bend is important to your stability and power on this asana. In actual fact, the deeper you bend, the simpler it’s to cross the highest leg and lock the foot behind your ankle.
Tips on how to Repair It: Some folks discover it useful to begin in Chair Pose earlier than diving into Eagle Pose. Squat backwards and interact all of the muscle tissue in your thighs and calves. This ensures that you’ve got good bent legs and a robust squat to type the inspiration of the posture.
Frequent Mistake #3: Uneven knees
Eagle Pose challenges the pliability of your joints and may really feel a bit compressing on the knee. So long as you aren’t feeling any ache, this may be useful for constructing the muscle tissue round your knees. The hot button is to maintain your knees going through as ahead as attainable.
Oftentimes you’ll find one or each knees splaying out to the facet. For instance, as you cross your proper thigh over your left leg, it’s straightforward for the left knee to wobble round and get pulled to the facet by the other leg. Reorienting the left knee ahead will assist your entire physique stabilize.
Tips on how to Repair It: The knee of your standing leg ought to be going through ahead as a lot as attainable. You shouldn’t really feel any discomfort or awkward twisting within the knee joint. If the knee is splayed out too far, elevate barely out of the pose and produce it again to heart.
Frequent Mistake #4: Unhooked huge toe
A lot of the power in Eagle Pose comes from interlocking your physique collectively. The stress of the toe hooked behind the calf holds your legs in place. Equally, the resistance of your wrists and arms looped collectively lets you open up your shoulders. Should you don’t have these key “hooks” in place, you could end up feeling wobbly and unstable.
Tips on how to Repair It: Stretch out your ankles and wrists prematurely. Deal with interlocking the joints earlier than continuing within the pose. In case you are practising on the left foot, be certain that the large toe of your proper foot is tucked behind your left calf. Squat down deeper to make sure a safe “lock.”
Should you can’t hook your toe behind your calf, use a block or actively press the highest leg foot into the again of the standing leg calf.
Frequent Mistake #5: Rounded backbone
Eagle Pose is all about lengthening and strengthening. Whereas your decrease physique squats down, your higher physique ought to stay lengthy and tall. In case your backbone is rounding or hunching over your thighs, it’s worthwhile to elevate your chest.
Tips on how to Repair It: Inhale and interact the core as you shift your gaze upward. Attract your stomach button in the direction of your backbone and straighten out your again as a lot ass attainable. Roll your shoulders again and down.
Variations
Reclined Eagle Pose
For a extra restorative model of Eagle, you may truly follow this pose whereas laying in your again. This offers you a chance to deal with the actual twists and turns of the asana whereas having fun with a pleasant hip and shoulder stretch. To do it:
- Begin laying flat in your again.
- Wrap your proper leg over your left and lock the correct foot behind the left calf.
- Create your Eagle Arms by wrapping your left arm over your proper and clasping the thumbs collectively.
- On an exhale, curl the physique upward and produce your elbows pointing towards your knees. If it feels snug, contact them collectively.
- Really feel the area between your shoulder blades opening and increasing.
- Inhale and lengthen flat again to the bottom. Then, repeat for 3-5 occasions, holding within the uprgiht place.
- Breathe deeply and hold every little thing engaged. Actively squeeze the thighs collectively and the arms collectively.
Block-Assisted Eagle Pose
Should you can’t cross your foot behind your calf, a block can assist your toe when you work in the direction of constructing extra ankle mobility. Merely begin with a yoga block on the skin of your standing foot, then enter the pose as standard from a Chair Pose place.
Security and Precautions
Eagle Pose is an intermediate to superior posture. Keep away from practising Eagle Pose for those who:
- Have knee, elbow, ankle, or wrist accidents
- Have low blood stress
- Are greater than 2 months pregnant
- Have planatar fasciitis or different foot accidents
- Have arthritis
Educating the Pose
When instructing Eagle Pose, it’s straightforward to get your cues blended up amidst all of the twisting and curling of limbs. Make clear your directions with these easy cues:
- Think about sitting in a chair together with your legs crossed. Actively squeeze your internal thighs collectively.
- Think about your toe and your thumbs as locking factors. Hook the toe behind the calf and latch the thumbs collectively to stabilize your joints in place.
- To increase the shoulder stretch, elevate your elbows to shoulder peak and produce your forearms away out of your face.
- Preserve your gaze on a hard and fast level forward and preserve an upright torso as a lot as attainable.
Preparatory Poses
- Chair Pose (Utkatasana)
- Cow Face Pose (Gomukhasana)
- Bow Pose (Dhanurasana)
Counter Poses
Key Takeaways: Grasp Eagle Pose One Piece at a Time
In the end, Eagle Pose has three predominant elements:
- The leg twist (toe hook)
- The core stability (pelvis alignment)
- The arm twist (elbow lock)
Divide the posture into these three steps and you’ll work in the direction of mastering the artwork of the majestic hen.
Namaste!