Kat Saks Yoga

Ganda Bherundasana (Formidable Face Pose) registers as 56* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty in Light on Yoga.

Ganda Bherundasana is one of the most challenging poses I’ve attempted. In the full version of the pose, only your chin, neck and upper ribs are touching the blanket under you. This pose is incredibly intense – on your throat, your neck, your back and your arms. If you’re interested in working on this pose, I’d highly recommend that you do so under the guidance of a very experienced teacher who can also assist you as need be.

Today, I’m not comfortable working on Ganda Bherundasana by myself. So I focus on the preparations for the pose: breathing comfortably with my chin and neck pressed against the floor, lifting one leg at a time to explore the idea of balancing.This is already plenty of work!

Often, preparing for a very advanced pose is a challenge in and of itself. The physical and mental preparation for Ganda Bherundasana is intense and rewarding in its own right – regardless of whether or not you ever take the full pose.

Related posts:

1. How to Approach the Formidable Challenge of Bhairavasana (Fierce Shiva Pose)
2. Sirsa Padasana (Head to Foot Pose)
3. Rajakapotasana (King Pigeon Pose)
4. Bhujangasana II (Cobra Pose II)
5. Padangustha Dhanurasana (Intensified Bow Pose)

Tags: backbending yoga poses, backbends, BKS Iyengar, Ganda Bherundasana, Light on Yoga, yoga backbends

This entry was posted on Friday, May 20th, 2011 at 2:18 pm and is filed under Ganda Bherundasana. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.