Bakasana

Crane Pose

Asana Bakasana-Crane Pose.  If you are a beginner, place a block under your forehead until you feel safe enough to lift off. This is a powerful pose that lifts the mula bandha roots up as you press hands down into the earth to fly.  Begin in Down Dog. If you are advanced, jump into the pose, placing knees onto upper arms, tucking tailbone down.  If not so advanced, bring feet closer to widely spaced hands, bend knees, tucking them up into the armpits, press feet together, and try lifting them off the floor.  Tuck tailbone down as you lift abdominals into high contraction. You can take Bakasana over into  tripod headstand, lifting back up into Bakasana. You can jump back into Chaturanga.

Other variations on the Bakasana theme are: Eka pada Bakasana, (see below), Eka Pada Sirsa Bakasana, bringing one leg up over the head to rest on the back of the neck; and Parsva Bakasana, taking the Pose to one side, resting the left outer knee against the upper right arm.  Of course changing sides in all of the above.

Health Notes:  All arm balances strengthen arms, abdominals, and legs, building upper body strong bones.  They teach us to move beyond our fears, to commit to showing up ‘failure after failure.’ The difficult Poses are when the Practice becomes the great teacher of patience and true wisdom-strength.  Our willingness to commit to something that at first seems far beyond our capacities, instructs that if we remain focused, committed, willing, there is little we cannot do.Think of the really difficult ones as ‘five year plans.’

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