I think it’s time to get back to business. I know many of us have kicked our yoga practices up a notch or started ones as an outlet during the last month or so. And as such, it’s always great to remember that most of the yoga poses can be easily modified for beginners. Today I’m going to show you how to modify Eagle Pose.
As always before we start, the Melissa Disclaimer… Please go at your own pace when practicing any of these poses or modifications. Understand that on some days your body may ask you for a modification and on others it may tell you one isn’t needed; listen to its cues. If you have any major injuries or limitations, please seek the advice of a fitness professional before continuing.
Eagle Pose, upon first glance, doesn’t exactly look like the most challenging of asanas. I mean, sure your arms and legs are twisted around each other and you are on one foot, but your center of mass is still over your base of support. However, Eagle is a balancing asana. It is meant to challenge your stability control centers, something that a lot of us struggle with. Especially as we get older. In addition, the fact that your limbs are wrapped up actually makes balance trickier.
Balancing asanas are very active postures. These types of postures call on our neuromuscular system to communicate very efficiently and deal with problems (i.e. feelings of instability) quickly. The postures are essentially training our nervous system as much as any muscle. Because Eagle posture is performed on one leg, your lower body musculature also gets a pretty thorough workout, too.
To enter Eagle Pose, start in Mountain with a tall, lifted spine. Inhale and cross your right leg over your left, reaching your right foot as far around the outside of your left calf as possible. At the same time, bring your arms up and in front of your body, tucking the right on top of the left and rotating your palms to face each other. Exhale and keeping the spine straight, lower your left leg into a partial squat. Hold this position for several deep breaths concentrating on maintaining balance. Release the pose by inhaling, standing up, and unwinding your arms and legs.
You’ll notice that in my picture, I am not in perfect position. First, my legs are just not long enough to wrap my foot securely around the outside of my calf. Again, the point is that you are reaching as far as is comfortable for your body. Secondly, my palms don’t come perfectly together. I was holding the shutter release for my camera. The trials of taking all my own pics…
These are usually common problems in Eagle, though. Many of us simply lack either the limb length or the flexibility to get into perfect position. As always with yoga, practice makes progress. And there are ways to combat this as still receive the balancing benefits from Eagle.
If your legs are short or you lack hip or knee flexibility you can modify your lower body position. In strength training, we would call this a figure four squat. I’m not sure it has a strict name in yoga, but nevertheless, it works. Instead of forcing your foot all the way around to the outside of the opposite calf, simply cross your foot so your ankle rests on top of your knee. This is actually a great mod if you lack hip flexibility because this position is a mild hip opening stretch. By practicing in this way over time, you’ll be find yourself able to more closely mimic the standard position.
If you have balance concerns or are unable to maintain your balance for as long as you’d like, you can, again, modify your lower body position slightly. In fact, it’s just a matter of taking a more shallow squat position. Instead of trying to lower as far as possible, just bend your support knee slightly. This will allow you to work on active balance while maintaining a safe position. You can always increase the squat as you become stronger and more confident. This is also a great mod if you have hip or knee pain as it puts far less pressure on those joints.
This isn’t as commonly practiced a modification, but I really like it. The change in upper body position combats balance issues as well, but in a different way. I encourage everyone as they are practicing Eagle to pay attention to where they feel instability. In this pose, instability can occur in the lower body or upper. If you feel the need to fling your arms out to the sides to keep balance, this mod is for you. You enter the pose the same as you would in the standard directions, but instead of wrapping your arms around each other, you cross them lightly in front of your chest. This extends your elbows out to the side and helps create a sense of stability in the body.
Another great mod for Eagle is to practice against a wall. Again, this is especially helpful if balance is the problem. But another common problem with Eagle is a misalignment of the spine. A lot of us tend to round forward. Practicing against a wall is a constant reminder to keep the back straight and shoulders in line over hips.
Now go, wellness warriors, and fly like eagles!
