Virabhadrasana
warrior 3 pose
Virabhadra = the name of a fierce warrior, an incarnation of Shiva, described as having a thousand heads, a thousand eyes, and a thousand feet; wielding a thousand clubs; and wearing a tiger’s skin.
Stay in this position for 30 seconds to a minute. Release back to the lunge on an exhalation. Bring your hands to the floor on either side of the right foot, and on an exhalation, step your left foot forward to meet your right. Stay in this forward bend for a few breaths, then repeat for the same length of time on the other side.Preparatory Poses
Parivrttaardha chandrasana
revolving half moon
Stay here 5 to 10 breaths, aiming your inhalation into your abdominal cavity and into your kidneys. Relax your diaphragm and feel lightness and space around all your organs. Then bend your right arm, bring your right hand back to your hip, and slowly bend your right knee. Avoid collapsing into a heap! Be sure you have enough gusto to exit. To come out, reach your back leg down to the floor and retrace the pathway you took to enter the pose.
Upavistha konasana
wide angle seated forward bend pose
Supra padangusthasana
sleeping big toe bent knee version
Hold the vertical position of the leg anywhere from 1 to 3 minutes, and the side position for an equal length of time. Once you have returned to vertical release the strap, hold the leg in place for 30 seconds or so, then slowly release as you exhale. Repeat on the right for the same length of time.
Kurmasana
tortoise pose
From Dandasana, spread your legs a little more than the width of your shoulders. Bend your knees slightly, and lift your belly off your thighs. Lengthen your torso and fold forward. Slide one arm at a time, palms facing down, beneath the thighs and walk the palms out to the side as far as possible. Widen across your chest and release your shoulders toward the floor and away from your ears. Breathe softly, relax your face, and practice patience. Take a few gentle and skillful breaths to help you discover where you can move.
Dandasana
staff pose
Krounchasana
heron pose
Navasana
boat pose
Eka pada bakasana 2
one legged crane pose version 2
Once the right foot leaves the ground, hug the inner thigh around the right arm. Drop your hips so you’re soon folding your left leg into a little yoga sandwich. Spread your collarbone and extend the right leg straight just as you would in Tittibhasana (Firefly Pose). Hug the outer arms in and press the palms to help the arms straighten. Take a good 5-8 breaths then set down and come into Standing Forward Fold to release.
Tittibhasana
firefly pose
Bakasana
crane pose
Astavakrasana
eight angle pose
Eka pada bakasana 1
one legged crane pose version 1
Adho mukha vrksasana
full arm balance
To start stay in the pose 10 to 15 seconds, breathing deeply. Gradually work your way up to 1 minute. When you come down, be sure not to sink onto the shoulders. Keep your shoulder blades lifted and broad, and take one foot down at a time, each time with an exhalation. Stand in Uttanasana for 30 seconds to 1 minute. We tend to kick up with the same leg all the time: be sure to alternate your kicking leg, one day right, next day left.
Vrschikasana
scorpion pose
If you are comfortable balancing in the middle of the room, you’ll want to kick up into your Forearm Balance first. Engage your legs and hug them tightly together keeping the toes spreading and reaching toward the ceiling. Start to melt your chest and pull your heart through the gateway of your arms. Keep the upper outer arms firming in and all 10 knuckles pressing down, especially the inner hands. Once you’ve met your chest melting capacity, bend both knees together letting them separate hip width apart but keeping the inner big toes touching. As the feet come closer to your head, keep you gaze forward and up so you can open and lift your chin. Relax the upper back as you engage the backs of your legs to bend deeper. Remember, the goal isn’t to touch your head, it’s to keep your backbend even. To exit, try bringing your legs back up as a team with your core engaged to enter your regular Forearm Balance and then come down into a Child’s Pose.
Ustrasana
camel pose
Stay in this pose anywhere from 30 seconds to a minute. To exit, bring your hands onto the front of your pelvis, at the hip points. Inhale and lift the head and torso up by pushing the hip points down, toward the floor. If your head is back, lead with your heart to come up, not by jutting the chin toward the ceiling and leading with your brain. Rest in Child’s Pose for a few breaths.
Eka pada viparita Dandasana
one legged inverted staff pose
Like most yoga poses, Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana takes strength, flexibility, and focus. And more so than with many poses, mastery of this one requires a good deal of time and effort. Most of us can achieve the beautiful actions of this asana only by practicing regularly and earnestly for months or years. There are no magical potions or secrets; it takes hard work. But the extraordinary benefits of backbends like Eka Pada Viparita Dandasana make them well worth the energy we invest in them. They don’t just bring agility and longevity to our spine and shoulders, counteracting the tendency of the upper back to round as we age. As we use them to explore the unknown, they bring joy and freedom to our soul as well.