The whole thing You Must Know to Come Into Eka Pada Koundinyasana

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Yoga teacher Hiro Landazuri has devoted years to creating a way of yoga that enhances the experience by way of a nuanced understanding of anatomy. We requested him to share his approachable technique to educating poses, which builds as a lot as an issue by incorporating prep exercise routines that may help you actually really feel different elements of the pose sooner than you try to put all of it collectively in a single pose. Proper right here’s his empowering sort out Eka Pada Koundinyasana, which makes it—or a variation of it—doable wherever you may be in your apply.

When you apply yoga, the exact pose you’re attempting, akin to an arm steadiness like Eka Pada Koundinyasana, doesn’t matter. It’s apply for all occasions. Troublesome poses help you to attempt one factor that’s outdoor of what’s comfortable. They help you be taught to step into fear. They mean you can apply tips about learn how to be additional assured. The fear of making an attempt one factor is on a regular basis going to be there until you really attempt that issue.

The asymmetrical aspect of Eka Pada Koundinyasana is attention-grabbing on account of it brings a part of coordination to the arm steadiness. In yoga, numerous folks misjudge whether or not or not they’ll do one factor, or not, based totally on their perceived power and flexibility. It’s really about their coordination. I desire to technique the pose by breaking it into specific particular person areas of the physique, which reinforces an understanding of which muscular tissues it is worthwhile to work together and the way in which.

See moreover: Hiro Landazuri explains why yoga’s not regarding the type of the pose

7 concepts for working in direction of Eka Pada Koundinyasana

Arms

Instead of making an attempt to create a 90-degree angle in your arms, you want to emphasize pushing the underside away as lots as doable. This engages the pectoralis muscular tissues, anterior deltoids, and the serratus anterior, which is your “punching muscle.” These muscular tissues are integral to providing stability and power so that you probably can keep your self up throughout the posture. Moreover they make it easier to in getting in and out of the posture safely.

Chest and Shoulders

Think about pushing or lifting the spine bigger than your shoulder blades or making an attempt to hold your chest farther away from the underside. That’s shoulder protraction, or what I identify scapular or shoulder pushes. It’s vital in most arm balances.

Hips

Eka Pada Koundinyasana requires a part of hip flexion and as well as hip abduction. Doing exercise routines that emphasize making an attempt to faucet your knee to your elbow is essential as a result of it mimics what happens throughout the pose. You’ll actually really feel how lots hip flexion you need and as well as actually really feel how lots is important to open your leg out to the side. If touching your knee to your elbow is troublesome, apply completely different hip-extension stretches, akin to Utthan Pristhasana (Lizard Pose), to assemble additional hip mobility.

Once more

A typical misalignment on this pose is coming proper right into a slight backbend. Tight hips are usually the provision of this draw back, which suggests as an alternative of lifting and completely extending your once more leg, you arch your once more. To counter this, push the underside away from you in shoulder protraction.

Legs and Glutes

One different frequent issue that happens is you develop into so concerned with the knee that’s balancing in your arm, you neglect about your once more leg. You need to squeeze the lateral (outer) glutes of your once more leg so that leg stays straight behind you and doesn’t swing out to the side.

Abs

Draw your navel bigger, in direction of the ceiling. That’s most of your stability correct there, along with pushing the underside away and lifting your spine bigger than your shoulder blades. This usually falls into place if the whole thing else is engaged.

Steadiness

The ultimate piece is discovering your steadiness stage while you’re throughout the pose. You’ll’t truly intellectualize that. It’s one factor that comes with experience. I uncover that it’s dictated by making an attempt to squeeze the glutes of your once more leg and using your fingertips as brakes. Digging in collectively along with your fingertips helps you keep your head up and away from the underside. It’s a seesaw steadiness.

About our contributor

Hiro Landazuri is the founding father of Physique Good Yoga. He empowers others with the necessary devices to turn into their excellent selves. He repeatedly teaches in-person and on-line workshops and shares educating films on Instagram at @actionhiro.

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The Prep Exercises

I uncover that it truly helps to point frequent misalignments in poses so faculty college students can acknowledge and correct them.

Hearth Hydrant

Start on fingers and knees in Tabletop with shoulders over wrists. Elevate your correct knee to the side and maintain proper right here for a variety of breaths. Repeat on the other side.

For additional sensation in Hearth Hydrant, convey your knee to the same-side triceps, keep it there, and work on scapular pushes (lifting your spine above your shoulder blades).

Modified Half Frog

From Tabletop, lower to your abdomen and extend your legs behind you. Ship your elbows barely in entrance of your shoulders and can be found onto your forearms, very like Sphinx Pose. Bend your correct knee and slide it out to the side any amount. Press your knee into the underside. Repeat on the other side. This mimics the engagement you will actually really feel in your knee in Eka Pada Koundinyasana.

Wrist Flexor Curls

From kneeling or sitting, convey your arms in entrance of you collectively along with your elbows bent and your forearms going by means of each other. Clench your fists and curl your fingers down in direction of your inside wrists, then launch and convey your fingers upright. Repeat a variety of cases. This trains your thoughts to work together solely the wrist flexors, which might be underused in frequently life. It moreover mimics the movement in arm balances.

Anjaneyasana (Low Lunge)

From kneeling, convey your correct foot forward proper right into a Low Lunge, taking a barely shortened stance. Really squeeze the glutes of your once more leg. To intensify the stretch, inch your once more knee farther away and bend additional deeply into the doorway knee. Repeat on the other side. This makes it easier to extend your once more leg straight behind you.

Standing Hip to Knee

From standing, convey your arms in entrance of you and bend your elbows. Flip your palms to face away from you, flex at your wrists, and draw your elbows in direction of your sides, as for those who occur to have been in Chaturanga. Elevate one knee out to the side and try to contact the same-side elbow and keep. Repeat on the other side. This mimics the sensation of Eka Pada Koundinyasana nonetheless with out the burden in your shoulders.

Avoid bending your side to convey your elbow to your knee, an ordinary misalignment on account of tight hip flexors. Instead, protect your physique straight as you carry your knee until you’re feeling a stretch in your hip.

For additional stability in Standing Hip to Knee, stand collectively along with your fingers in opposition to a wall for steadiness. Try to contact your knee to your elbow.

Half Chaturanga

Come to Plank Pose, lower your knees, and bend your elbows to come back again into Half Chaturanga. Maintain your elbows over your wrists and drawn in in direction of your sides. Try to hold your spine above your shoulder blades in a scapular push. This replicates the carry it is worthwhile to actually really feel in your chest and once more for those who steadiness in Eka Pada Koundinyasana.

Half Chaturanga Leg Extension

From Half Chaturanga, extend one leg straight behind you, taking part the glutes. That is related movement you’ll take collectively along with your once more leg all through Eka Pada Koundinyasana. Work on scapular pushing while you carry your once more knee and put it down. Try to protect your once more leg straight. Repeat a variety of cases, then swap to the other side. This practice practices the coordination of upper-body power and back-leg hip extension.

Learn to come into Eka Pada Koundinyasana (Hurdler’s Pose)

Start in Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Coping with Canine Pose). Inhale as you carry one leg and bend your knee out to the side. Exhale and shift your shoulders forward over your wrists, as in Plank Pose, and convey your bent knee to the same-side triceps. Push your knee or inside thigh into your greater arm. Maintain your once more foot on the underside for assist and really work together and straighten that leg. Start to bend your elbows and draw them in in direction of your sides. Press by way of your once more toes and start to work together the glutes of your once more leg.

Once you’re a beginner, protect your once more foot or knee down and work on taking part your core and holding your knee to the triceps.

Slowly shift your weight forward and press down by way of your fingertips as you carry your once more foot off the underside. As you lean forward, proceed to work together the glutes of your once more leg and push by way of your fingertips. Uncover your steadiness. If it’s accessible to you, straighten your bent knee. Breathe proper right here.

To easily exit the pose, merely lower your once more foot or once more knee to the underside.

For additional of an issue, start in Chaturanga Dandasana and slowly lean forward as you convey your bent knee to the same-side triceps. This makes use of a lot much less momentum and requires additional power.

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Widespread misalignments in Eka Pada Koundinyasana

A pair points that I sometimes see in Eka Pada Koundinyasana:

Your chest and face drop too close to the underside. To counteract this, truly exaggerate pushing the underside away collectively along with your fingers to create some carry in your chest. It helps to use scapular pushes so that you just’re acquainted with lifting the spine considerably bigger than the shoulders. Once you actually really feel your self backbending, work together your stomach muscular tissues.

Your reverse shoulder drops too low to the underside. In Eka Pada Koundinyasana (and any uneven arm steadiness), the shoulder reverse the forward leg will sometimes drop down too low. Try attempting straight down as an alternative of over in direction of your entrance leg, on account of for those who occur to’re attempting off to the side, your chest (and reverse shoulder) will observe.

You may fall out of the pose. And this isn’t a foul issue. It means you’re making an attempt.

Failure is important for achievement. It’s maybe a superb—or wanted—issue to face-plant every sometimes…gracefully!

Hiro Landazuri is the founding father of Physique Good Yoga. He empowers others with the necessary devices to turn into their excellent selves. He repeatedly teaches in-person and on-line workshops and shares educating films on Instagram.