Eagle Pose
The last posture in the warm up series! As you probably will discover, this is not the most natural position of the class. We are basically asking every muscle and bone to reverse itself. As with all postures, the Eagle pose is one that some people will be able to do right away, while others struggle for a long time. As always, the set up of the posture can make a big difference as to how well you can get into it! To start off, when you squat down into the awkward position, you really need to sit down as low as you can go. Many people don't sit low enough which makes it more difficult to get the leg around. Also, you don't have to have both hips facing forward to start. I always encourage students to turn their hips to the front left corner of the room (when swinging the right leg over) in order to try to hook the foot. Once you reach that milestone of hooking the foot, then you can start to work your hips back towards the mirror. Now if you are someone who really struggles getting the foot around the calf, don't worry, you will still get the many benefits.
Now the arms: It is a particularly difficult posture for men for several reasons, one being that men, in general, have bigger biceps making it more difficult to bring their hand in prayer position. Often times, it is difficult for some to even grab their fingertips. In this instance, I suggest holding a hand towel with your hands to create the stretching of the deltoids (back of shoulders). Each day you will be able to work the hands closer together eventually dropping the towel completely and hooking the fingers. Then, even if your hands are not quite perfect, it is important to pull the elbows down as much as you can until the arms touch the chest. One of the many benefits of this pose is the increase in flexibility and strength in the shoulders, also releasing extra tension in the neck and shoulders which can cause stiff necks and tension headaches.
Most importantly, once you are deep into the chair and the upper body is back (with a curve in the lower spine) you need to squeeze, squeeze, and squeeze with normal breathing. We are creating the tourniquet effect, in which we cut off blood supply to the major joints - ankles, knees, hips, elbows and wrists - so that when we release a flow of fresh oxygenated blood rushes back into those areas and lubricates the joints.
OTHER BENEFITS - Eagle pose supplies fresh blood to the sexual organs and kidneys as well and firms the calves, thighs, hips, abdomen and upper arms. It also improves the flexibility of the hip, knee and ankle joints.
CORPORATE YOGIS - You can practice your arms and leg twisting at your desk!