EKA PADA KAPOTASANA
This posture for me was one of my first emotional, not just physical, game changing moments within my practice.
I was around 23 years old and I had been practicing Yoga for around 1 year only by this point.
I was about to go of to Thailand to do my teacher training and before I left I hadn’t have a serious partner for almost two years.
I hadn’t really let anyone into my life, I wasn’t really planning on it - it wasn’t what I was looking for. To add to this, you wouldn’t be finding me with various people just for the fun of it either and my yoga practice was taking up most of my time.
This posture does and always will hold a special place within my heart - metaphorically and literally! ! My heart became more open as I began to realise it was restricted and closed not allowing anyone into my heart. I didn't know this at the time but during the period I was working on this posture I couldn’t quiet get my chest open enough to create enough space in my lower back to be able to do the posture safely.
It was while practicing this pose that a shift took place... allowing off my mat a certain individual within my life and after a short while I obtained the posture!!
Something happened with this new knowledge. The very fact of what you are on your mat directly translated to the way you act off your mat. Its a natural knock on effect within the practice of yoga!
One of the very first things that I developed during yoga is the quality of discipline and this had a tremendous impact on how I lead my day to day life once this quality was heightened within me.
Here it is again - a new lesson - a new subtlety.
It was an incredible show! I couldn’t believe, not only how the impact of having a real yoga practice enhances your real life but also that I was in tune to actually take notice and bare witness to all that was happening around me and how it was impacting my practice and vise versa.
So this posture does and always will hold a special place within my heart - metapholclly and literally!
ALIGNMENT GUIDELINES
- Press the back leg thigh towards the ground
- Try to square your shoulders and chest to the front of your mat
- Take the gaze up and lift the chest creating space in the low back, only then take your foot towards your head.
- When you release the back leg, try to do so with activation in the thigh to slowly release the foot back to the floor - this will keep the knee safe and strong and is good practice to avoid any sudden movements in releasing advanced postures.
- Ensure that once you release you come to at least a neutral spine for a few moments before transitioning into a curved spine, for example Childs pose, for a number of breathes.
BENEFITS
The posture is really good for the pelvic region, as it increases circulation around the area. It benefits the shoulders and the neck and supplies a rich amount of energy to the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands increasing vitality!
Practice Totally, Fully & with all of your Being...
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