Eight Angle Yoga Pose - Astavakrasana
Type of Yoga Pose: arm balance.
Benefits: the pose makes your arms and abdominal muscles stronger. It also helps to improve core strength and balance.
Instructions for getting in this yoga pose:
1. You should start with a comfortable, cross-legged position.
2. You need to bend your right knee and place the sole of your right foot on the floor close to your right buttock.
3. Then you should put your right arm under your right knee. Afterwards you to take the sole of your right foot off the floor so that your shin was roughly parallel to the floor.
4. Now you are to try to lift your right knee as high as possible on your right arm. If it is possible you can even put your knee over your right shoulder.
5. Then you have to put both of your palms on the floor and straighten your left leg.
6. Now you should press into your palms in order to lift your body from the floor.
7. When you lifted your left leg, you should bend it and hook your left ankle around the right one.
8. Afterwards you need to get your torso forward towards so that it was parallel to the floor when you shift both legs over to the right side.
9. Now you are to straighten both of your legs.
10. In the end you can lower down and repeat the exercises on the other side.
A note for beginners: you can work up to step 6. You must be able to lift all your body up before you continue.
A note for advanced: you should work on lifting back to chaturanga so that your feet didn’t touch down.
Benefits: the pose makes your arms and abdominal muscles stronger. It also helps to improve core strength and balance.
Instructions for getting in this yoga pose:
1. You should start with a comfortable, cross-legged position.
2. You need to bend your right knee and place the sole of your right foot on the floor close to your right buttock.
3. Then you should put your right arm under your right knee. Afterwards you to take the sole of your right foot off the floor so that your shin was roughly parallel to the floor.
4. Now you are to try to lift your right knee as high as possible on your right arm. If it is possible you can even put your knee over your right shoulder.
5. Then you have to put both of your palms on the floor and straighten your left leg.
6. Now you should press into your palms in order to lift your body from the floor.
7. When you lifted your left leg, you should bend it and hook your left ankle around the right one.
8. Afterwards you need to get your torso forward towards so that it was parallel to the floor when you shift both legs over to the right side.
9. Now you are to straighten both of your legs.
10. In the end you can lower down and repeat the exercises on the other side.
A note for beginners: you can work up to step 6. You must be able to lift all your body up before you continue.
A note for advanced: you should work on lifting back to chaturanga so that your feet didn’t touch down.