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

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Yoga coach Hiro Landazuri has devoted years to creating a technique of yoga that enhances the experience by way of a nuanced understanding of anatomy. We requested him to share his approachable methodology to instructing poses, which builds as a lot as an issue by incorporating prep exercise routines that can allow you to actually really feel quite a few components 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 are in your observe.

Whilst you observe yoga, the exact pose you’re making an attempt, equal to an arm stability like Eka Pada Koundinyasana, doesn’t matter. It’s observe for all instances. Tough poses allow you to try one factor that’s exterior of what’s cosy. They can help you be taught to step into fear. They can help you observe strategies to be further assured. The concern of trying one factor is on a regular basis going to be there until you actually strive that issue.

The asymmetrical aspect of Eka Pada Koundinyasana is attention-grabbing because of it brings a part of coordination to the arm stability. In yoga, a lot of individuals misjudge whether or not or not they’ll do one factor, or not, primarily based totally on their perceived power and suppleness. It’s actually about their coordination. I choose to technique the pose by breaking it into specific particular person areas of the physique, which boosts an understanding of which muscle tissues you would possibly wish to interact and the way in which.

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

7 options for coaching Eka Pada Koundinyasana

Arms

As a substitute of trying to create a 90-degree angle in your arms, you want to emphasize pushing the underside away as loads as potential. This engages the pectoralis muscle tissues, anterior deltoids, and the serratus anterior, which is your “punching muscle.” These muscle tissues are integral to providing stability and power so that you probably can keep your self up throughout the posture. Moreover they allow you to in getting in and out of the posture safely.

Chest and Shoulders

Consider pushing or lifting the spine elevated than your shoulder blades or trying to raise 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 likewise hip abduction. Doing exercise routines that emphasize trying to faucet your knee to your elbow is vital as a result of it mimics what happens throughout the pose. You’ll actually really feel how loads hip flexion you need and likewise actually really feel how loads is important to open your leg out to the aspect. If touching your knee to your elbow is tough, observe completely different hip-extension stretches, equal to Utthan Pristhasana (Lizard Pose), to assemble further hip mobility.

Once more

A typical misalignment on this pose is coming proper right into a slight backbend. Tight hips are sometimes the availability of this draw back, which suggests in its place 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 widespread issue that happens is you modify into so concerned with the knee that’s balancing in your arm, you overlook about your once more leg. It’s advisable squeeze the lateral (outer) glutes of your once more leg so that leg stays straight behind you and doesn’t swing out to the aspect.

Abs

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

Steadiness

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

About our contributor

Hiro Landazuri is the founding father of Physique Good Yoga. He empowers others with the necessary devices to become their preferrred selves. He repeatedly teaches in-person and on-line workshops and shares instructing motion pictures on Instagram at @actionhiro.

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The Prep Exercises

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

Fire Hydrant

Start on palms and knees in Tabletop with shoulders over wrists. Carry your correct knee to the aspect and hold proper right here for quite a lot of breaths. Repeat on the alternative aspect.

For further sensation in Fire 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 lengthen your legs behind you. Ship your elbows barely in entrance of your shoulders and can be found onto your forearms, similar to Sphinx Pose. Bend your correct knee and slide it out to the aspect any amount. Press your knee into the underside. Repeat on the alternative aspect. This mimics the engagement you may actually really feel in your knee in Eka Pada Koundinyasana.

Wrist Flexor Curls

From kneeling or sitting, convey your arms in entrance of you alongside together with your elbows bent and your forearms going by way of each other. Clench your fists and curl your palms down in the direction of your inside wrists, then launch and produce your palms upright. Repeat quite a lot of events. This trains your thoughts to interact solely the wrist flexors, which are underused in regularly 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 further deeply into the doorway knee. Repeat on the alternative aspect. 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 the direction of your sides, as when you occur to have been in Chaturanga. Carry one knee out to the aspect and try to contact the same-side elbow and keep. Repeat on the alternative aspect. This mimics the sensation of Eka Pada Koundinyasana nonetheless with out the load in your shoulders.

Steer clear of bending your aspect to convey your elbow to your knee, a typical misalignment as a consequence of tight hip flexors. As a substitute, keep your physique straight as you elevate your knee until you are feeling a stretch in your hip.

For further stability in Standing Hip to Knee, stand alongside together with your palms in opposition to a wall for stability. Try and 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. Protect your elbows over your wrists and drawn in in the direction of your sides. Try and elevate your spine above your shoulder blades in a scapular push. This replicates the elevate you would possibly wish to actually really feel in your chest and once more when you stability in Eka Pada Koundinyasana.

Half Chaturanga Leg Extension

From Half Chaturanga, lengthen one leg straight behind you, taking part the glutes. That is comparable movement you’ll take alongside together with your once more leg all through Eka Pada Koundinyasana. Work on scapular pushing while you elevate your once more knee and put it down. Try to take care of your once more leg straight. Repeat quite a lot of events, then change to the alternative aspect. This prepare practices the coordination of upper-body power and back-leg hip extension.

How one can come into Eka Pada Koundinyasana (Hurdler’s Pose)

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

In case you’re a beginner, keep 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 elevate your once more foot off the underside. As you lean forward, proceed to interact the glutes of your once more leg and push by way of your fingertips. Uncover your stability. 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 further 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 further power.

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Frequent misalignments in Eka Pada Koundinyasana

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

Your chest and face drop too close to the underside. To counteract this, truly exaggerate pushing the underside away alongside together with your palms to create some elevate in your chest. It helps to watch scapular pushes so that you just’re accustomed to lifting the spine barely elevated than the shoulders. In case you actually really feel your self backbending, interact your abdomen muscle tissues.

Your reverse shoulder drops too low to the underside. In Eka Pada Koundinyasana (and any uneven arm stability), the shoulder reverse the forward leg will usually drop down too low. Try making an attempt straight down in its place of over in the direction of your entrance leg, because of when you occur to’re making an attempt off to the aspect, your chest (and reverse shoulder) will adjust to.

You will fall out of the pose. And this isn’t a foul issue. It means you’re trying.

Failure is important for achievement. It could be an excellent—or important—issue to face-plant every often…gracefully!

Hiro Landazuri is the founding father of Physique Good Yoga. He empowers others with the necessary devices to become their preferrred selves. He repeatedly teaches in-person and on-line workshops and shares instructing motion pictures on Instagram.