Bharadvajasana I (Pose Dedicated to Bharadvaja, I) registers as 1* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty as outlined in Light on Yoga. Bharadvajasana II registers as 2*.
Bharadvajasana I and II are very similar. The only difference between these two yoga poses is the placement of one hand. In these twisting asanas, you wrap an arm behind you to either grab your opposite upper arm (Bharadvajasana I) or the foot resting in the crease of your hip (Bharadvajasana II).
I consider this to be one of the most elegant, luxurious yoga poses on record. As Iyengar explains in Light on Yoga, Bharadvajasana is named after the father of Drona, a military predecessor to the Kauravas and Pandavas, the two groups who fight an epic war in the Mahabharata. I’ve always thought this yoga pose would be well named as Sri Devyasana. Sri means radiant, luminous, beautiful; devi means goddess. For me, the posture of this asana always calls to mind a beautiful goddess, seated in her splendor.
Many of us have our own name’s for poses. I’m sure plenty of us have a stream of interesting nicknames for Utkatasana, for example! What’s your favorite yoga pose nickname?
Iyengar in Bharadvajasana I (left) and II (right)
Me in Bharadvajasana II
Tags: asana, Bharadvajasana I, Bharadvajasana II, BKS Iyengar, Light on Yoga, nicknames, twists, yoga poses
