By: Virginia Iversen, M.Ed
Garudasana, or Eagle Pose, is a wonderful Yoga posture to practice as you solidify your sankalpa. This balancing, standing asana will help to focus your purpose and direction for the coming year with the strong, laser beam fashion of an eagle’s gaze. In order to practice this Yoga asana properly, you must maintain a grounded sense of balance, focus and concentration. These are all qualities that will sustain the fruition of your sankalpa in the coming months.
Additionally, the nuance of balancing well in this Yoga posture by pulling your external focus and muscular energy into your core, will also help you to viscerally feel what it is to be aligned and grounded in the center of your own being. As you practice this Yoga posture, fine tuning your physical balance and centering your mental awareness will help you to strengthen your capacity to manifest your sankalpa, or divine purpose, in the coming months.
* Eagle Pose or Garudasana
To practice Eagle Pose, stand at the front of your Yoga mat in Mountain Pose. Take a moment to take a few deep, complete breaths. As you inhale, feel the influx of fresh oxygen. As you exhale, visualize that you are releasing all negativity and limiting thoughts as you expel the air fully from your lungs. With your next inhale, raise your arms over your head and press your palms together in direct alignment with the center of your spine.
Exhale, and then inhale fully and raise your left leg up to hip height, wind it over and around your right thigh and hook your left toes behind your right lower leg, just below your right knee or ankle. As you do this, bring your arms down to shoulder height and wrap your right arm underneath your upper left arm and bring your palms together in Prayer Position directly in front of your Third Eye. Hold this posture for 5 to 10 complete breaths, and then release it and come back to Mountain Pose at the front of your Yoga mat.
As you practice this Yoga posture, focus your attention on an unwavering point in front of you on the horizon. Feel the strength of your legs and the solidity of the core of your body as you balance and hold this position for 5 to 10 breaths. If your mind wanders, or your balance becomes unstable, remember to pull your mental and physical energy back to the central core line of your body. Imagine that you are an eagle soaring with exquisite ease, strength and dignity through any turbulence or obstacles that may arise in the year to come.
© Copyright 2014 – Aura Wellness Center – Publications Division
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