Week 37 : Garudasana 

Garudasana comes from the name Garuda, though often translated as “eagle,” it is actually a mythical bird in the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. 

In Garudasana your body might feel awkward and constricted, but you can still ride the wind like an eagle. “Riding the wind” means riding the flow or energy of any situation or any challenging pose and finding a way to become stable and steady within it, resistance in this posture will likely cause you to tense up and lose your balance. 

This pose, although it feels like you are wrapping your self up, actually stretches you out. It broadens the area between the shoulder blades, releasing upper-back tension. It stretches your shoulders, ankles, hips, and wrists. And widens the lower back where lots of people feel tense, so lets see how we go: 

Start in Tadasana. 

Take the arms out to the sides at shoulder height. 

Cross at the elbows in front of the body with the left arm over the right. 

Bend the elbows so the hands point up to the ceiling. 

And either bring the backs of the hands together or bring the palms together. 

Now for the legs. 

Bend the knees and balancing on the left leg, lift the right leg, cross as high up the thigh as you can manage. 

Bring the right foot around either to the outside of the left leg or hook the toes around the back of the leg. 

Now put the arms and legs together, find your balance and focus with the eyes on a spot about 5 feet in front of you on the floor (this is your drishti point). 

Hold for 5 breaths and then gently unwind from the posture. 

Reset back in tadasana and reverse the posture with the right arm over the left and the left leg on top. 

Posture : Eagle Posture 

Sanskrit name : Garudasana 

Benefits

*Loosens shoulders arms and wrists. 

*Strengthens and stretches legs, ankles and hips. 

*Releases tightnes in the upper and lower back, good for sciatica. 

*Improves balance. 

*Improves concentration. 

*Gives confidence. 

Avoid if : Ankle, knee or shoulder injury. 

Beginners Tip : Beginners sometimes find it hard to hook the foot around – so practice with the foot resting against the outside of the standing leg instead. if it is hard to bring the palms together – practice with the backs of the hands together instead. 

Serena is a yoga teacher and the founder of The OM Space . She is a passionate believer in yoga as a life enhancing practice and runs several classes in Colombo including the very popular Yoga for Children and Yoga for Pregnancy. Serena trained in the UK with the British Wheel of Yoga and is a UK Yoga Alliance registered Senior Teacher.