The 10th basic pose in Sivananda yoga is the Crow. The Crow is a balancing exercise and promotes physical and mental balance. It is a bit more challenging, but once you get the feel how to shift your weight forward to come into the pose, it’s easy 🙂 Don’t attempt though if you have weak wrists.
Here are the steps:
- Come into a squatting position with feet flat on the ground and the arms between the knees.
- Place the palms flat on the ground, fingers spread out like the feet of the crow.
- Bend the elbows outwards, so that the upper arms can act as supports. Rise onto your toes and rest the knees on the respective upper arms.
- Focus the eyes on a point a little way in front of the body, and inhale deeply. Retain the breath as you gradually shift the weight forwards onto the hands. You will feel the stretch in the forearm and wrist.
- As you shift the balance entirely onto the hands, slowly lift the feet off the ground. If this is difficult, try to lift one foot then the other. Breathe deeply and hold the pose as long as you can. If you can’t lift your feet practice step 4 until the arms and wrists are strong enough.
Some benefits
- Strengthens the arms, wrists and shoulders.
- Brings increased flexibility in the region by stretching
- Expands the chest and increases breathing capacity
- Prepares the arms for any kind of strenuous work
- Demands and develops the powers of concentration
- Encourages the feeling of inner balance
- Prepares the mind for meditation
- Brings new found energy into the shoulders and arms
Enjoy the challenge!
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