Hanumanasana

Hanumanasana
This posture is dedicated to the Monkey God Hanuman, who is an epitome of strength of surrender. Physically this posture is an intense stretch of the thigh area.

Step-by-step

Kneel on the floor. Extend your right leg forward and bend your torso with an exhale so that both your hands are on the floor.
Slowly start sliding your right foot forward. As the front leg straightens, resume pressing the left knee back, and carefully descend the front of the left thigh and the back of the right leg (and the base of the pelvis) to the floor. Make sure the center of the right knee points directly up toward the ceiling.
Please make sure that the back leg does not extend to the side back. Extend the front leg by keeping it active and engaged.
If the hip doesn’t reach the floor then hold your body weight on your hands. If it reaches the floor join the hands together in prayer position.
Hold the position for 30 seconds to one minute depending on your comfort level. To come out, press your hands to the floor, turn the front leg out slightly, and slowly return the front heel and the back knee to their starting positions. Then reverse the legs and repeat for the same length of time.

Sadhana – The practice and the process

A few months back I faced a very peculiar and common question from a student. She mentioned that her “practice” was not improving. She has been a yoga enthusiast and a teacher for more than 10 years and when I asked her what was it that she meant by practice, she said “her head stand was not stable enough”.

The famous yoga guru, Shri. Pattabhi Jois, once said “practice, practice and everything is coming”. This one small sentence has probably launched a thousand yoga studios across the world. But, my thought is, are we reading the word “practice” in the right spirit? Do we all need to widen our definition of “practice” in the context of Yoga.

Probably the word “practice” has been literally translated from the Sanskrit word “Sadhana”. Read more…

Upcoming Workshops in 2011 – 2012

Workshops and retreats have been planned across Europe and North America for 2012. The Yogaprasad Europe Tour is scheduled for May – June 2012 and the Yogaprasad Canada Tour has been scheduled for November 2012. Details will be available soon. Stay tuned!