Posts Tagged ‘Urdhva Dhanurasana’

Tiriang Mukhottanasana (Intense Upside-Down Face Pose)

Sunday, May 22nd, 2011

Tiriang Mukhottanasana (Intense Upside-Down Face Pose) registers as 60* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty in Light on Yoga.

Finally, near the very end of Light on Yoga, we get to see what BKS Iyengar means by 60* out of 60* difficulty! Holy smokes, this really is the ultimate challenge!

Urdhva Dhanurasana is the first step towards preparing for Tiriang Mukhottanasa. Once you’re comfortable in Urdhva Dhanurasana, you turn your toes slightly out, then walk your hands towards your feet until, maybe someday, your hands and feet touch. Then, you take it one step further and walk your hands onto your shins. Wowza.

I am nowhere near ready for this pose right now! So, instead I work on a narrow Urdhva Dhanurasana – walking my hands towards my feet as much as I comfortably can. With time and practice, my hands will crawl closer to my feet, but I don’t push myself any farther than my body enjoys. Tiriang Mukhottanasana highlights the importance of exploring a pose only to your personal edge – and not focusing too much on the end goal. The ultimate goal on your mat is to be fully present to the unique experience of your embodiment, and to celebrate and savor every second of it.

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Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two-Legged Inverted Staff Pose)

Monday, April 25th, 2011

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Two-Legged Inverted Staff Pose) registers as 24* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty.

BKS Iyengar offers this beautiful translation of the pose’s meaning: “Dwi Pada means both feet. Viparita means reverse or inverted. Danda means staff or rod, a symbol, authority or punishment as well as the body and its prostration. The Hindu devotee prostrates before the Lord lying flat upon the floor, face downwards with hands outstretched. The Yogi on the other hand prostrates himself in the graceful inverted arch described [here].”

Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana is definitely a prostration – an offering of the heart. In Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana, your chest is fully expanded, and your heart bursts forward. Working towards this asana requires a great deal of backbending preparation beforehand. Once you’re well into your practice and you’ve moved through Urdhva Dhanurasana a few times, begin exploring Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana. Offer your heart forward as a yogi(ni) prostrating him/herself to the Divine.

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Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (One-Legged Upward Bow Pose, or One-Legged Wheel Pose)

Monday, April 18th, 2011

Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana (One-Legged Upward Bow Pose, or One-Legged Wheel Pose) registers as 12* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* scale of difficulty.

Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana requires more balance and strength than Urdhva Dhanurasana. In Iyengar’s version of Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana, the practitioner lifts her right leg up to the sky and places her right hand on the right hip, so the pose involves balancing completely on your left side. This requires more balance and strength than I yet have in my practice, so I’m working on two more common variations.

In the first variation, bring one leg up to the sky, and keeping both hands on the ground. This is a great first step towards the more advanced version of Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana.

In the second variation, keep both feet on the ground, then bring your right hand to your right hip.

In the third variation, bring your right leg up to the sky and taking your left hand onto your left hip. I find that, while this is still tremendously challenging, it provides a more even distribution of weight than in full Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana, and offers you the opportunity to hone in on your balance before attempting the pose balancing only on your left hand and foot.

What are your tips on Eka Pada Urdhva Dhanurasana? Do you do the pose as Iyengar suggests? Do you do one of the variations above? Or something else?

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Viparita Chakrasana in Urdhva Dhanurasana (Reversed Wheel Pose, aka Reverse Somersault)

Tuesday, April 12th, 2011

Viparita Chakrasana in Urdhva Dhanurasana registers as 26* on BKS Iyengar’s 60* of difficulty.

In this playful variation on Urdhva Dhanurasana, you begin in a forward fold, then flip your legs over your head into Wheel Pose, then flip your legs back over your head into handstand and end back in a forward fold. Say what?!

BKS Iyengar points out that this Wheel Pose variation is for advanced practitioners and that most people “can only learn to do it with the aid of a competent teacher.” No doubt! I’ve only explored this once, with the guidance of both my teacher, Amy Ippoliti, and the assistance of two yoginis who spotted me in my handstands and helped facilitate the initial flip from one pose into the next. The experience was awesome and was such a great example of how the support of friends can inspire amazing moments of laughter and discovery on your mat. At the end of the practice that day, we were all giggling and glowing with pride in our ability to hold each other and ourselves up!

The support of an experienced teacher and encouraging friends cannot be underestimated in a yoga practice. It’s all too easy sometimes for us to feel alone on our mats – especially if your home practice comprises most of your mat time. But it’s important to recognize that, even when we’re practicing alone, we’re connected. We’re connected to hundreds of thousands of other yogi(ni)s pursuing this path with passion and curiosity. We’re connected by the way our practice impacts those around us and the world at large. We’re connected by a growing mindfulness that arises from consistent practice. No matter where we are on our mats, we’re never alone.

How has being a part of a yoga community (offline or online!) changed your practice and your perspective?

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