Posture of the month: Garudasana (Eagle Pose)
Back to balance, with a twist… or two
This month, our POM is Garudasana, a one-legged balance pose that will require a lot of focus while twisting both your arms and legs into a bit of a pretzel!
In Sanskrit, the ancient language of the yogis, Garudasana means 'Eagle Pose', from Garuda (a legendary Demigod and king of all birds who would carry Lord Vishnu on his travels) and Asana (seat or posture). It requires intense focus and is said to boost energy in your body.
In terms of chakras, Garudasana activates the Third Eye Chakra (Ajna Chakra) as well as the Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana). Read on to find out more…
Health benefits you can expect from practicing Garudasana
Garudasana helps you tune into what’s happening in your body on a microscopic level, as you have to pay attention to all the moving parts at once. In trying to find balance, you will become aware which parts are tight and which ones are easy to stretch and move. This awareness is the first step in evening out imbalances and - quite literally - rebalancing. Over time, practicing Garudasana will…
Stretch and thereby strengthen your shoulders, upper back, hips, thighs, calves and ankles
Help alleviate back and shoulder pain, as it is very effective in opening your shoulders
Help you gain flexibility in your legs and hips
Improve your sense of balance
Alleviate sciatica pains and rheumatism
Enhance your focus as it requires you to concentrate and be fully present in the moment and alert to your body
Open up the back of your lungs and increase your lung capacity, which can provide relief if you suffer from asthma
Garudasana and your Chakra System
Practicing Garudasana can help balance both your Third Eye Chakra (Ajna) and your Sacral Chakra (Svadhisthana). Given that we have shared multiple times about the Sacral Chakra in the past, today we will focus on your Ajna Chakra.
Located between the eyebrows and just above eye level, the Third Eye Chakra is associated with your intuition and higher knowledge - your sixth sense. It represents light and illumination, allows you to see beyond the openly visible and is linked to your imagination and ability to visualise. You are able to perceive more than what’s obvious and have a keen awareness of people, situations and your environment.
When the Third Eye is well-balanced, you intuitively know that you can trust yourself and your inner guidance system, your ‘true north’. You are receptive to good guidance and able to consider different perspectives. This, over time, creates a healthy level of self-awareness (of both your strengths and flaws) and allows for emotional balance, which in return leads to well-balanced decisions.
People with a blocked Ajna Chakra are disconnected from this inner guidance system and are likely to feel anxious and/or depressed. This can present as brain fog and lack of clarity, or as close-mindedness, trying to solely reason their way out of difficult situations and decisions, without relying on intuition and wisdom. You can feel stuck and unable to see the bigger picture, which leads to reactivity rather than decisions that align with your truth or long term goals.
Working on your Ajna Chakra will allow you to see things unbiased, exactly as they are. You will need to become aware of your own projections and close the gap between your ego on one side, and your spirit and higher wisdom on the other. Beyond physical practices like Garudasana, you may find it valuable to explore your own mental and behavioural patterns, look into your values and beliefs, and spend some time on pondering who you truly desire to be, as an expression of your Higher Self.
Curious to try? Then come along to Flex regularly and practice with us! There are over 25 classes/week, and we will practice Garudasana daily during all of August 2023!
Acknowledgment: the most valuable resource for this post was an article by Stephanie Snyder for the Yoga Journal.