Garudasana (Eagle Pose)

Garudasana is a standing yoga pose or asana. It is combination of two Sanskrit words, where ‘Garuda’ resembles an eagle and ‘asana’ means posture or pose. Hence, Garudasana is also called as Garuda pose or eagle pose. Garudasana is named after a divine creature ‘Garuda’ – a huge, mythical bird with the body of a man, white face, red wings and beak like an eagle. Garuda is the vehicle of Lord Vishnu, the king of the bird community, the enemy of snakes and a friend of humans. This asana involves twisting of forearms and legs with another and improves flexibility, elasticity and strength of the body. Regular practice of Garudasana is known to improve the focus and balance of the practitioner and also provides a sense of bodily awareness. It also helps to strengthen  the muscles of the core, thigh and ankles. Garudasana is an advanced yoga pose which might look complex, but with regular practice one can master this pose.

How to do Garudasana

As mentioned above, Garudasana is a complex and advanced yoga asana. So it is always better to practice it under supervision to perform it correctly and to avoid any injuries. Below are the steps to practice Garudasana.

Step 1: Stand straight and upright. Bending your knees slightly, lift your left leg so that you cross it over your right leg. While doing so, try to maintain the balance of your body.

Step 2: Pointing the toes downwards, slowly lift the left foot and place your left thigh over the right thigh. Make sure that your legs are firmly attached to the floor.

Step 3: Slowly curl the shin of your left leg around the calf of the right leg. While doing do you should not feel any strain in your knee.

Step 4: Draw both the arms in front of you, in a way that they are parallel to the floor and the palms are facing upwards.

Step 5: Slide your right arm over the left arm and bend you elbows, making sure that both your forearms are perpendicular to the floor. The back of your hands should face eachother.

Step 6: Keep your back straight and slowly twist your left arm under the right arms. Palms  of both the hands should face each other.

Step 7: Pressing the palms tightly together, slowly stretch the fingers of both the hands in the upward direction. Both your hands intertwined with each other in front of the chest resembles an eagle’s beak.

Step 8: Try to concentrate on a single point at a distance of 4-5 feet. Stay in this position for around five deep breaths and feel the stretch in your upper back. This is one complete round of performing Garudasana.

Step 9: Return to the original position by gently unwinding the arms and legs and relax. Repeat with the opposite side.

Step 10: Ensure that your breathing is steady while you perform Garudasana. To get the maximum benefits make sure that you are regular, consistent and mindful in your practice.

Eagle Pose variations

Here are some variations of Garudasana or eagle pose.

Eagle pose with a kickstand:

Cross your legs as much as you can, not worrying about the wrapping of your foot. Instead of wrapping, place your foot on the ground or use a yoga block for balance and support. This variation of Garudasana is great for people who find it difficult to perform the original form of Garudasana.

Eagle pose in a chair:

For a better balance, try to perform Garudasana by sitting in a chair. Simply bring the back of both your hands together, while being sitting comfortably in the chair. This variation is great for people who have difficulty in balancing on one leg or have limitations in standing.

Benefits of Garudasana

As stated in a study, regular and consistent practice of Garudasana may help to improve strength and provide self-control. Given below are some of the health benefits of Garudasana.

  1. Helps in improving balance and focus: While practicing Garudasana, an individual has to stand on one leg, concentrate and maintain the right balance. This practice helps to improve co-ordination,  focus and balance.
  1. Helps in detoxification: While performing Garudasana our body is twisted. This makes the internal organs to squeeze and stimulate the kidneys to flush out the toxins, thus helping in detoxification.
  1. Strengthens the legs: Garudasana is helpful in reducing the stiffness in the leg muscles. The practice of eagle pose involves wrapping the legs upon one another, which is known to strengthen the muscles and bones of the leg. It also involves stretching of the thigh muscles, thus improving their flexibility.
  1. Reduces neck and shoulder pain: Shoulders and neck is intensely stretched while performing Garudasana. In the practice of Eagle pose, the shoulders are moved towards the middle of the body, thus allowing the neck, shoulder and arm joints to relax. It is also known to reduce stiffness and pain in the neck and shoulders.
  1. Other benefits: In addition to the above mentioned benefits, Garudasana is also known to be beneficial as below:
  • As per studies, Garudasana may help in increasing blood circulation to the essential organs in the body and this enhance their function and productivity.
  • Helps to improve digestion and bowel movements.
  • Garudasana practice provides a lot of health benefits, but it is not an alternative to medicine and cannot be used to treat any medical condition. It is always recommended that you start practicing any yoga asana after consulting a qualified medical professional.

Risks of exercise

As mentioned earlier, Garudasana is an advanced and intense yoga asana or pose. Hence, it is important to learn and perform it under the supervision of a trained yoga instructor.

A person must avoid performing Garudasana or Eagle pose in the below mentioned situations:

  • Garudasana involves twisting of the arms and legs and hence should be avoided by people suffering from knee, ankle or elbow injury, as it might aggravate the condition.
  • People suffering from varicose veins, should not perform Garudasana as it might put pressure on the veins and complicate the condition.
  • Those who have arthritis should avoid practicing Garudasana as it might worsen the pain.
  • Pregnant women should consult the doctor before performing this asana.

Conclusion

Garudasana is balancing standing posture that offers numerous health benefits to the body and mind, if performed regularly. This yoga asana helps to improve concentration, focus and awareness while improve the strength and flexibility of various muscles. Garudasana involves twisting both the arms and legs simultaneously, helping to stretch the muscles of the neck, shoulders, arms, hips, calves and thighs. But it is recommended that Garudasana or any other yoga asana should be performed and practiced under the supervision of an trained yoga teacher to avoid any discomfort or injuries. Also always pay attention to your body’s limitations and respect it while you practice any yoga asana. So start incorporating Garudasana in your daily routine and experience overall wellbeing.