"Imagine that you are a boa constrictor, wrapping around yourself. Feel the pulsation of your energy contracting and expanding. Draw your breath and energy toward the center and midline of your body."
Deep teaching support for Garudasana (Eagle Pose).
Contents
Personal Background
Pose Introduction
Benefits / Effects
Contraindications & Cautions
Variations
Verbal Cues
Mythology
Sequencing
See Also
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Personal Background
I published the first “Asana Digests” on Yoga Teacher Central in 2012, to meet my own need as a yoga teacher. There was a lot of yoga content online (even back then), but it was quite superficial and nowhere near the scope and detail required for teaching. When I needed more information on the energetic effects of a pose, details about a more unusual variation, or an inspirational reading I recalled reading, I had to go through my books and workshop notes. Eventually — as my library grew ever more voluminous — it became too tedious to remember which book or notebook contained the information I was looking for, find it, search through the contents, flip through the pages, skim the text for what I need, and then read through sometimes superfluous information to get to how to apply the appropriate point to meet my real-world need.
Since then, many more sources have come online, offering an explosion of information. But I’ve not seen anything as comprehensive as ours, in part because we use knowledge from many books as well as articles and web sites. We’re up to 256 poses and exercises, digging super deep on them all. But beyond the comprehensiveness, the reason it’s easier for me to consult our material than someone else’s is because of the organization and focus on efficient application. Every pose and every page is structured so I can jump right to the aspect I need. Once there, I don’t have to skim paragraphs of extraneous information; I can get summaries, bullet points, and actionable content, plus immediately applicable reading and deeper study if desired. (For an example, see below for how the verbal cues are organized and summarized.)
I recently updated the digest on Garudasana (Eagle Pose) with expanded mythology and sequencing, so while I was there, I copy/pasted some excerpts for you:
Pose Introduction
Although Garudasana is translated as Eagle Pose, “Garuda” is in fact the mythological name of the “king of birds” who transports Lord Vishnu.
Heart of the Pose
Standing Balance
Hip & Shoulder Stretching
Joint Actions
The following are from Leslie Kaminoff’s book, Yoga Anatomy.
Mild spinal flexion
Scapula abduction, upward & lateral rotation, elevation
Elbow flexion
Pelvis anterior tilt, counternutation
Hip flexion, internal rotation, adduction
Knee flexion, internal rotation
Ankle dorsiflexion
Foot – lifted in eversion, standing in slight supination
See also: Joint Movements & ROM
Benefits / Effects
Musculoskeletal
Musculoskeletal effects may include the following.
Cultivates balance.
Strengthens glutes, hips, inner thighs and quads.
Strengthens core.
Strengthens ankles.
Strengthens chest.
Stretches upper back and between shoulder blades.
Stretches shoulders, arms and wrists.
Stretches outer hips, IT band, and ankles.
“It broadens the sacrum, an area where many people typically hold a lot of tension, and softens the groins, which allows a free flow of energy in the lower body.” [Cyndi Lee]
Strengthens Standing Leg While Demanding Presence
By standing on one leg, as you do in Eagle pose, you isometrically chisel and tone every muscle in the standing leg and buttock cheek… This pose demands your presence and cultivates balance, strength, and serenity. – Baron Baptiste, Journey Into Power 2002
Balance, Strength & Stretching
This pose is a combination of balance, strength, and stretching. Garudasana (Eagle pose) is great for unlocking tension in the shoulders and developing strength in the ankles. Garudasana can feel like you are tying yourself in a knot, but once you get used to it, you’ll feel its instant benefits. It builds balance, brings calmness, sharpens your focus, and helps with concentration. Learning to open the back torso is beneficial for advanced inverted poses, such as Handstand and Headstand. –YogiTimes
Energy, Mood, Emotion
Effects to energy, mood or emotion may include the following.
Draws energy inward.
Improves focus and concentration.
Relieves stress.
May inspire a feeling of serenity, poise, steadiness.
Cultivates confidence.
Heating.
Inner Body
Inner body effects may include the following.
Increases circulation to joints.
Improves digestion and elimination.
“Massages abdominal and pelvic organs, especially ovaries & testes.” [Joseph LePage]
Contraindications & Cautions
See here.
Variations
Review 20 variations here, organized by:
Leg Variations & Alternatives
Arm Variations & Alternatives
More Variations
See 10 variation images here.
Verbal Cues
It’s typically advised that teachers provide no more than three instructions per pose so that students have time to work with the teaching. Here you’ll find many options from which to choose. Some cues make the same point in different ways, and occasionally some can be contradictory... so please try them out for yourself. When cues are unusual or uniquely described, we have noted the source.
Basic Form
See here for images and instructions broken out by:
Set Up
Moving into Pose
To Emphasize
Feet, Legs, Hips
Bend standing leg.
Keep grounded foot stable with heel and toes down.
Keep knee of grounded leg pointing straight ahead.
Squeeze inner thighs together.
Release sacrum down to lengthen the low back.
Keep pelvis and torso as upright as possible.
“It’s likely that the hip of your lifted leg will automatically pull forward after crossing your legs. Draw that hip back in line with the other so they evenly face… the front of the mat, as if you were in Mountain Pose or Chair Pose.” [Abbie Mood]
Shoulders, Arms & Hands
Stack shoulders over hips.
Stack forearms over elbows.
Keep elbows lifting to shoulder height or slowly move arms up and down, noticing changes.
Draw shoulders down away from ears.
Squeeze elbows together.
“Press outer borders of shoulders away from each other.” [Joseph LePage]
Press hands flat against each other, fingers long. [Yoga Journal]
Point fingers straight up.
Stretch hands and fingers up.
“Slowly bring your forearms away from yourself, as if reaching your wrists toward the wall in front of you. Move toward a right angle between your upper and lower arms… to the extent that your upper back and shoulders allow.” [Abbie Mood]
Upper Body
Reach torso upward.
Soften face.
Gaze softly straight ahead.
Draw navel toward low back to find neutral pelvis
More Verbal Cues
Point knees and elbows straight forward.
Inhale, expand upper back, shoulder blades and collarbones. Exhale, squeeze arms and legs together. (Stephanie Pappas)
Lift torso up and bend down into standing leg.
Release struggle.
See here for curation of six brief teaching videos.
Refining: Noticing Thumbs
Look at the tips of your thumbs once you’re in the full pose. Typically the thumb tips point a little bit off to the side of the upper arm. Press the mound of the upper thumb into the bottom hand and turn the thumb tips so they point directly at the tip of your nose. – Yoga Journal, Eagle Pose link
Three Actions at Work
There are three actions at work in Eagle Pose: centering your hips and shoulders, opening your chest, and creating spinal length and space. To square your hips, imagine holding a bowl of water on your pelvic floor. Try not to let a single drop spill out over the front edge of your pelvis. Scoop your tailbone in and slightly under and pull the front of your pelvis up toward your abdomen. Draw the pit of the belly in and up. You also want to align your hips horizontally; concentrate on keeping both hip bones level and pointing straight ahead. – Baron Baptiste, Journey Into Power 2002
Squeezing Legs & Elbows
Consider Garudasana to be a balancing version of the fetal position, with the hips adducted and internally rotated and the arms crossed over one another… Squeezing the legs together connects the pelvis with the feet and helps to maintain balance. Squeezing the elbows together augments the contractile force of the leg muscles and the pelvic diaphragm, thereby synthesizing balance and mula bandha. – Dr. Ray Long MD, Anatomy for Vinyasa Flow and Standing Poses 2010
Breath & Energy
Imagine that you are a boa constrictor, wrapping around yourself. Feel the pulsation of your energy contracting and expanding. Draw your breath and energy toward the center and midline of your body. – Stephanie Pappas, Yoga at Your Wall 2009
Feeling Energy Move Up
Feel energy move up through the spiral formed by the body, from the feet to the crown of the head, replicating the form of the DNA in your own body. Feel all the cells of your being coming into alignment as they resonate with this life force. Notice that this spiral of energy begins deep in the earth and continues up to the heavens, forming an energetic link between earth and sky with the body supported in the center. Feel this spiral of energy rise up into the third eye, instilling your being with the centered strength of the eagle as you gaze forward proudly like Garuda, the winged vehicle of the Gods. – Joseph LePage, Yoga Teachers’ Toolbox 2005
“A Balancing Version of Fetal Position”
Consider Garudasana to be a balancing version of fetal position, says Ray Long, MD, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and yoga instructor. – Yoga Journal, Eagle Pose
Mythology
See here.
Sequencing
Sequencing Considerations
“Garudasana is usually sequenced near the end of the standing pose series.” [source]
Warm up beforehand, including less challenging poses that prepare for the shoulder and hip actions. “At the very least, take several rounds of Sun Salutation A.” [source]
See many more sequencing considerations:
Preparation Poses
Considerations to prepare for Garudasana include the following.
Bridge Flows — To warm up shoulders
Shoulder Stretches — To stretch shoulders
Thread the Needle / Reach Under the Bed — To stretch shoulders
Anahatasana (Extended Puppy) — To stretch shoulders [source]
Ardha Garudasana (One Arm at a Time) — To stretch shoulders
Virasana (Hero Pose) — To stretch hips [source]
Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclined Bound Angle Pose) — To stretch hips [source]
Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Facing Dog) — To stretch shoulders and back body [source and source]
Utkatasana (Chair Pose) — To prepare hips and legs [source and source]
Virabhadrasana II (Warrior 2) — To stretch hips and shoulders [source]
Utthita Parsvakonasana (Extended Side Angle) — To stretch hips and shoulders [source]
Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide Legged Standing Forward Bend) — To stretch hips [source]
Crooked Monkey (Low Lunge Twist) — To stretch hips [source]
Gomukhasana (Cow Face) — To stretch hips and shoulders [source and source]
Supta Virasana (Reclined Hero’s Pose) — To stretch hips and legs [source]
Upavistha Konasana (Wide Angle Seated Forward Bend) [source]
Vrksasana (Tree Pose) — To stretch hips and practice balance [source and source]
Continue here for Neutralizing & Countering and for Sample Sequences.
See Also
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