FOR STRONGER ARMS
KAKASANA, AN ARM-BALANCING YOGA POSTURE, IS A TEST OF BALANCE IN YOUR MENTAL, EMOTIONAL AND PHYSICAL PLANES
Recently, Suhana Khan’s trainer, Rupal Sidhpura Faria took to Instagram to share a picture of the 21-yearold practising an intense yoga pose — Kakasana or Crow Pose.
“Kakasana steadies your body and breath with a steady gaze, strong arms and core. It then stills the fluctuations of the mind, thereby creating a tranquil state, bringing in lightness and inner peace. Just as crows are light on their feet, ready to take off at any time, so are we, standing on our arms with the palms becoming the ‘feet’,” says Vasundhara Talware, yogini, motivator and life coach.
HOW TO PERFORM THE CROW’S POSE
THIS POSE SHOULD NOT BE PERFORMED BY THOSE SUFFERING FROM HIP INJURY, CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME, MIGRAINE AND ANXIETY ISSUES, AS IT REQUIRES A LOT OF FOCUS AND INNER STRENGTH. IT SHOULD ALSO BE AVOIDED BY PREGNANT WOMEN.
— DR RAJEEV
—VASUNDHARA
STEP 1: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Bend your knees and bend forward, placing your hands on the floor directly beneath the shoulders with the fingers spread. Then bend your elbows to the side and come onto the balls of the feet as you bring the knees onto the upper arms close to the armpits. Squeeze the legs toward the sides of the body. Activate the lower abdomen and squeeze the hips together.
STEP 2: Holding the squeeze, lift the pelvis slightly, pitching the head and torso forward. Press down through the palms. Focus on a point on the floor in front of your hands. Keep the hips and legs squeezed in and the abdomen contracted.
STEP 3: Keeping the lower abdomen very firm, and your weight equally distributed on both hands, shift the torso forward enough to fold the feet toward the buttocks. You may lift one foot at a time to help find the point of balance and avoid pitching onto your nose.
STEP 4: Once you have found your balance, work to straighten the arms as much as possible, lifting the head, torso and legs while keeping the lower body strong and pulled together. Breathe smoothly and hold for four or five breaths. To come out of the pose, bend the elbows and lower the toes to the floor. Sit back in the squat, and release. Rotate the wrists if necessary, to relieve any tension. Now stand up and notice the flow of energy through the body.
Every Yogic asana aims to calm the fluctuations of the mind, and bring you into a tranquil, joyful, loving state so that you can simply close your eyes and meditate for hours without having to worry about joint pain, back pain, neck pain, headache etc. The goal is to achieve the Samadhi state and come back to the world and spread joy in everything you do and to every person you interact with.