Hatha Yoga

CROW –  KAKASANA – A balance pose to strengthen arms and shoulder girdle.

Start from a squatting position with legs and feet apart. Place palms on mat in front of you inside the knees with the elbows bent. Place hands apart, so they are facing inwards which takes strain off the wrists.  Hands are apart as much as the feet. Spread the fingers to help with distribution of weight.  Keep breathing rhythmically and looking straight ahead, lean weight forward into the arms and hands. Test your strength in arms and wrists.  You may also have to adjust the distance of your hands from the body.  Keep elbows bent outward. If not already on toes, come up on toes and keep knees pressed firmly into the upper arms.  From here on, it is important to keep the chin forward and keep looking up so the head acts as a weight counterbalance. Lifting hips up, move weight forward and onto wrists and hands, allowing your feet to be weight free and start to leave the mat.  Elbows are slightly bent and knees rest against or on upper arms. Hold your balance with toes on mat before further lean forward, ensuring you have sufficient strength in the shoulders, arms and wrists to perform this pose. If stable then proceed to move weight forward until you can lift feet completely away from the mat.  The feet are held in alignment together.  Keep chin forward. Hold up to 30 seconds.

BENEFITS:

• Develop and hold balance, moving weight progressively from feet, legs and hips forward onto hands and arms.
• Strengthen wrists, arms and shoulder girdle.
• Increase wrist flexibility.
• Strengthen triceps muscles.
• Strengthen shoulder muscles.
• Awareness of your body strength.
• Strengthen your concentration and determination.

This yoga asana is an edited contribution for the Sivananda Gurugram partly sourced and edited from the Sivananda Publication : “Yoga: Your Home Practice Companion” – Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Centre – 2010.

Enrich your blood through Japa, Kirtan, Meditation, Sattva, Pranayama, Asanas, tomatoes, grapes, spinach, pure air and sunlight. – Sri Swami Sivananda