The eagle has landed
This yoga move is perfect for perching in the comfort of your living room
Are you a newcomer to yoga? Try this fledgling version of a challenging standing balance called Eagle Pose (or Garudasana in the language of yoga). You’ll learn how to build your pose from the ground up by perching on a couch and focusing on the subtle actions of the arms, shoulders and upper back.
We’re calling this one “The Eagle Has Landed.” It’s a great way to spread your wings and get your yoga practice off the ground without leaving the comfort of your living room.
The Eagle Has Landed
In Eagle Pose, we gaze softly beyond the tip of the nose, to an unmoving point on the horizon, to find composure and aid balance
1. Begin seated on the edge of your couch with a long spine and feet placed side-by-side below and slightly behind the knees. 2. To create your eagle legs, pick up the right leg and aim to double-wrap it around the left by crossing right thigh over and hooking the top of that foot behind your lower left calf. If the hook of the foot proves to be elusive, choose to simply cross the right thigh over left and nestle the foot beside the lower left calf with toes pointing down. Hug the legs together snugly regardless of the leg variation you choose. 3. Now, create eagle arms by placing your right elbow below the left elbow and twining the arms together until the right-side fingers meet the left palm. If the hands do not meet easily, just reach each hand towards its opposite shoulder blade for a compact self-hug. 4. To make the upper-body actions more dynamic, thrust the elbows towards the wall directly in front of you; lift your arms as a unit; move the hands away from the face (if they are touching); and ease the shoulders away from your earlobes. Imagine you are using the breath to pry the shoulder blades apart and unfold a pair of eagle wings. Breathe here for five breaths. 5. Finish by unwinding the arms and legs and taking a moment to feel the impact of the pose on your nervous system before repeating the process on the second side.
Eagle eyes
The phrase “eagle eyes” describes the ability to see or observe keenly. In yoga circles, the practice of consciously placing the gaze on a specific focal point while meditating or moving through yoga postures is called drishti. It is said that where the eyes go, the mind follows, and so the practice of focusing the gaze is a technique for refining the mind’s ability to concentrate. In Eagle Pose, we gaze softly beyond the tip of the nose, to an unmoving point on the horizon, to find composure and aid balance.