Garudasana (Eagle Pose)
What is Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
Garudasana, also known as Eagle Pose, is a yoga pose that involves twisting the arms and legs. This standing stance requires you to balance on one leg at a time.
Eagles are known for their strength and determination. Similarly, balancing your entire body on one leg needs tremendous core strength and mental focus.
As you hold this pose, your ankles, thighs, glutes, knees, core, arms, shoulders, and back will begin to burn.
A collection of Sanskrit words makes up the term Garudasana.
In Hindu mythology, Garuda is the king of all birds, the adversary of snakes, and a human being’s friend.
He is Lord Vishnu’s vehicle or Vaahan. This king of all birds can transport Lord Vishnu into the skies without ever having to land.
In Hindu culture, two well-known scriptures honor Garuda. Garuda Purana is the first, followed by Garudopanishad.
Garudopanishad is a book that teaches mantras and charms for healing from poison. One of the 18 Mahapurans, the Garuda Purana discusses a variety of subjects, including cosmology, karma, soteriology, and yoga theory.
In Buddhist culture, eagles are considered mythological creatures, and Garuda is a popular subject in Buddhist folk art.
In Tibetan Buddhist culture, the Eagle is one of the Four Dignities in animals, representing the Bodhisattva (a monk achieving Nirvana).
Which muscles are used in Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
- Calf Muscles
- Hamstrings
- Quadriceps
- Hip Flexors
- Gluteus
- Core
- deltoids
- rotator cuff
- rhomboid
- trapezius
- pectoralis major and minor
- biceps
- triceps
What Health Advantages Does Eagle Pose (Garudasana) Offer?
Improves Balance: When performing the Garudasana stance, the individual stands on one leg with their center of gravity lower. This encourages the person to work toward keeping the right balance.
For this reason, the Garudasana is a great exercise for anyone trying to regain lost stability or coordination.
Improves Focus: When performing the Garudasana stance, the individual must maintain steady attention to avoid losing their balance.
The desire to create stillness in this pose raises inner awareness and promotes calmness in the body and mind.
Improves Flexibility: The Garudasana is a good shoulder stretch that can relieve shoulder pain caused by sitting at a computer for lengthy periods.
Furthermore, integrating multiple joints and muscles in the body increases flexibility and range of motion.
Relieves Stress: The effectiveness of Garudasana in reducing stress and tension in the body is one of its less well-known advantages.
Working people with sedentary lifestyles frequently complain of muscle tightness. Practicing Garudasana diligently can help alleviate these aches.
Treats Sciatica: Sciatica is discomfort caused by a pinched sciatic nerve, affecting the back, hips, and legs. Prolonged sitting can induce sciatica by compressing the lower back’s spinal nerve root.
The eagle stance in yoga has several benefits, one of which is that it can help treat sciatica pain by toning the muscles in your lower back.
Strengthens Legs: The tibia and fibula, the bones in your lower leg, are impacted by the eagle stance since the body’s weight is balanced on one leg.
So, if you want to strengthen and tone your legs, Garudasana yoga is an excellent workout.
Elongates Arms and Thighs: Strengthening our arms and thighs is crucial because they are used in carrying out daily duties and activities.
You can enhance your posture and balance by regularly doing the Garud asana, which twists your arms and legs.
Your arms and thighs will gradually grow longer as a result of these body components being stretched.
Improves Blood Circulation: When you stretch and twist during yoga, your body’s blood circulation is encouraged. This eases stiffness and cramping in your muscles, making it easier for you to carry out your daily tasks.
Reduces Neck and Shoulder Pain: To do this asana, you should stabilize your shoulders and neck. For this reason, this pose is ideal for easing neck and shoulder pain.
Other Benefits: Apart from the previously mentioned advantages, the Garudasana aids in:
Squeezing your kidneys and internal organs will help your body detox.
Improving the digestive tract and managing bowel movements
The advantages of the Garudasana stated above highlight how crucial it is to the yoga practice. However, one must maintain consistency in their practice to gain from these many advantages.
Which poses are used to prepare for Eagle Pose or Garudasana?
Both arms and legs must be used in a bent position to perform the Garudasana (Eagle Position) practice. Some of these postures concentrate on external rotation to increase the range of motion that may be exercised and to increase the flexibility of the shoulders and hips, which will facilitate the Eagle Position’s internal rotation:
- Tadasana Paschima Namaskarasana (Standing Reverse Prayer Position)
- Baddha Konasana (Bound Angle Position)
- Gomukhasana (Cow Face Position)
- Utkatasana Variation with Eagle Arms (Chair Position Variation)
- Eka Pada Tadasana (One-Legged Mountain Position)
- Sukhasana Deltoids Stretch (Sitting Deltoids Stretch)
- Vakrasana (Twisted Position)
- Virasana (Hero Position)
- Vrksasana (Tree Position)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Position)
- Prasarita Padottanasana (Wide-Legged Standing Forward Bend)
- Utkatasana (Chair Position)
- Supta Virasana (Reclining Hero Position)
- Supta Baddha Konasana (Reclining Bound Angle Position)
- Upavistha Konasana (Wide-Angle Seated Forward Bend)
How to Perform Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
- From the Mountain pose, bend your knees to the Chair pose.
- Focus on your Drishti, the immovable point before you, and place your weight on your left foot.
- Raise your right leg as high as possible and cross it over your left thigh, keeping your arms out to the sides for balance. Put pressure on your thighs.
- Behind your left calf, hook the top of your right foot.
- Take your right arm beneath your left, bend the elbows, and point your fingers at the heavens as you release your breath.
- Raise the palms of your hands toward one another.
- If you can, push the backs of your hands together or grasp your left thumb with your right hand.
- Raise your elbows a little.
- Maintain a relaxed jaw, face, and base of the neck.
- Hold for five breaths.
- Continue on the opposite side.
Garudasana (Eagle Pose) Video:
What are Follow-up poses for Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
The following poses should be performed as part of the relaxation and cooling down process after performing the Eagle Position (Garudasana), which involves an internal rotation of the hips and shoulders:
- Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend Position)
- Urdhva Hastotanasana (Palm Tree Position)
- Malasana (Garland Position)
- Balasana (Child’s Position)
- Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward-Facing Dog Position)
- Utkata Konasana (Goddess Position)
- Setu Bandha Konasana (Bridge Position)
- Before moving on to the eagle position, try the downward-facing dog, reclining bound angle, chair posture, or tree position. Follow up with the location of the chair or tree.
What are the beginner tips in Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
With the arms and legs positioned to consider everything while balancing on one leg, the Eagle posture involves a lot of movement. However, you can practice it separately at first by breaking it down into its parts. For instance,
- Sitting at your desk, learn how to arrange your arms; it’s a terrific way to stretch your upper back while working.
- Lean against a wall for support, or lie on your back to practice wrapping your legs.
- By elevating one foot slightly off the floor and performing the Chair pose, you can increase your confidence in your ability to balance.
Hooking your foot behind your calf in the Eagle posture can be difficult, regardless of your level of experience.
Alternatively, you can just point your foot toward the floor by crossing your leg over, or you can place it on a block or the floor for more balancing support. Keep your thighs squeezed together.
What are Alignment tips for Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
Eagle Position, also known as Garudasana, is a pleasant cleansing pose that can initially be a little demoralizing.
Even the newbie yogi can feel calm when they try it provided they make a few adjustments and use some balancing techniques.
Balance starts in Tadasana: Before you even enter this stance, start it. In Tadasana, also known as Mountain Position, locate your drishti (focal point), take five to seven deep breaths, and look inward. Perform an open-minded meditation. Conduct your consciousness to your left leg when you’re ready. Examine it. Feel the ground beneath you as it supports you as it recovers. Put your weight on your left leg, which is strong, supported, and floored.
Start with your wings: Reach up to the sky above you and spread your arms wide like wings. Make a forceful movement with your right arm beneath your left. Press the backs of your hands together if you’ve never done this pose before.
Cross your thigh high: Sit down in the chair and bend your knees. As high as you can, raise your right leg and cross it over your left thigh. You’ll notice more balance the higher you cross your legs.
Sit down deep but tall: The hips should be squared. Use your leg strength to sit down further while maintaining a wonderful chest and shoulders that are stacked above your hips. We often stoop over our knees and toes and lean forward. Imagine your shoulders and upper back flat against a wall as you glide down it.
Balance radiates from your core: Take Uddiyana Bandha and Mula into custody and restore equilibrium. Finding the right adjustment for your body is the key to balance. Simply lift the corners of your mouth, disentangle your self-intelligence, and try again if you fail.
What are the Variations of Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
With the Eagle Position (Garudasana) as the fundamental position, the following are some popular modifications of the yoga pose.
The Eagle Position (Garudasana) is a variation of the base position.
A particular yoga pose may be easy for one person but difficult for another due to individual differences in ability. In these situations, you can give position variations as a yoga trainer to help someone who is having trouble finding a certain yoga posture or introduce a simpler version of a position for someone who is struggling with the main position.
Therefore, regardless of their initial skill levels, position changes can assist your people to develop and gain more confidence in their yoga activities. At this point, your personality as a yoga instructor becomes crucial. To help you organize your yoga courses as you connect with people of all skill levels, we have gathered a variety of Eagle Position position variations in one location.
This stance can be used in conjunction with other yoga poses like Gomukhasana, Sirsasana, Reclining Eagle Position, and Handstand (with legs interlocked in Garudasana).
- Eagle Position
- Eagle Arms Close-Up
- Eagle Position Variation 1
- Eagle Position Chair
- Eagle arms resting on a chair when seated
- Half Eagle Position
- Supine Eagle Legs Position Flow
- Eagle Position Foot On Block
- Chair Variation in the Eagle Legs Position
- Eagle Position Squat
- Sitting in the Eagle Leg Position and Changing the Flow of the Chair
What are the Modifications in Garudasana (Eagle Pose)?
One could utilize the wall for support in this position because it can be difficult to balance the body. For starters, a nice technique to gently get to the position is to moderate the crossed leg foot on the ground. One can simply perform a Namaste near the chest or interlock under what is comfortable if the arm and elbow interlocking are too difficult.
For Garudasana to be flawless, a few pointers are necessary. They are:
When performed properly, this yoga pose develops strength, grace, and elegance.
Tightly squeeze your arms and thighs together. You will achieve greater equilibrium the more you practice this.
Strive to maintain a straight line between the thighs, hands, and arms.
Start actively sliding the toes down the rear of the calf instead of merely attaching the lifted foot to the standing calf.
Maintaining your depth, stack shoulders over hips and lift the chest away from the thighs.
Sink your tailbone as near to the floor as you can while bending your knees deeply.
Avoid gazing too up or too down and direct your focus to a single point.
What are the warnings and contraindications for Garudasana, or Eagle Pose?
Precautions:
Initially, it would be difficult for beginners to stay balanced; keeping their eyes on a single spot can help. Go slowly through the steps to reach equilibrium. Another way to try the posture is to follow the instructions for the arms first, then the legs. After standing in Tadasana, follow these steps if you choose to: 3, 4, 1, 2, 5, and 6. This approach might make it easier for you to maintain equilibrium. After you’ve mastered balance, do the previously listed exercises. Once you’ve mastered the position, you can close your eyes to improve focus.
If you have recently suffered an injury to your knee, ankle, or shoulder, do not perform Garudasana.
If you have any of the following conditions, you should not attempt the eagle position: asthma, high or low blood pressure, frequent migraines, or obesity.
Women who are pregnant should also refrain from performing the Eagle Position.
The following circumstances should prevent achieving the eagle position:
- Excruciating arthritis
- Varicose veins
- joint and bone injuries.
- It should not be exercised during the third trimester of pregnancy.
- It should also be avoided if you have headaches, inner ear issues, or low blood pressure.
- In Garudasana, it’s crucial to adjust, particularly the hands, arms, and thighs.
- The back should be straight while finishing it because a rounded back appears to be less useful.
- If you have injuries to your knees, elbows, arms, or shoulders, don’t do it.
Contraindication:
If you already have a position, don’t take this one.
- Elbow injury.
- Knee injury.
- Ankle injury.
- Wrist injury.
- veins that are varicose in the rear of the knees,
- severe knee pain, and arthritis.
- Not for women in late-term pregnancy.
In Eagle Pose (Garudasana), what are the dos and don’ts?
Do’s:
- Maintain a straight upper body.
- To keep your equilibrium, concentrate on the fixed object in front of you.
Don’ts:
- Go off balance.
- In any location, raise the right sole above the ground.
What Common Errors Occur in Eagle Pose (Garudasana)?
It’s crucial to adapt. Make sure your thighs, arms, and hands line up. A rounded back is considered less advantageous because the Eagle Position is typically performed with a straight back.
What are the therapeutic applications of Garudasana, or Eagle Pose?
- Sciatica
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Unstable pelvis during pregnancy
FAQs
What is the benefit of Garudasana?
The Eagle position, also known as Garudasana, is a difficult standing balance position in yoga that has you crossing your arms and legs in an eagle-like pattern. It strengthens the arms, legs, and core, improves balance, and increases hip and shoulder flexibility.
What is the Eagle Pose good for?
Arms and legs can be strengthened with this pose, which is a component of Hot Yoga, Power Yoga, and Flow Yoga sequences. Emotion and Balance: The musculoskeletal system of the body is strengthened by the Eagle Pose. This pose promotes mental and emotional clarity and relaxation by increasing awareness and attention.
What are the side effects of Garudasana?
Injury and Surgery: Because Eagle Pose places strain on the grounded foot’s knees, ankles, and toes, students who have already sustained an injury or are currently recuperating from one should stay away from it entirely.
Who should not perform Garudasana?
People with high blood pressure and those with low blood pressure. those who suffer from inner ear issues. those who have COPD or asthma. It is not advised for pregnant women in their third trimester to perform garudasana.
What is the purpose of Garudasana?
Garudasana strengthens the core muscles for stability and improves balance and focus. Its twisting action also helps with cleansing by removing toxins from the kidneys.
References:
- Garudasana (Eagle Pose). (n.d.). MyYogaTeacher. https://myyogateacher.com/yoga-asana/garudasana
- Eagle Pose Yoga (Garudasana) | Yoga Sequences, Benefits, Variations, and Sanskrit Pronunciation | Tummee.com. (2017, November 20). Tummee.com. https://www.tummee.com/yoga-poses/eagle-pose
- Team, T. A. (2023, December 29). Eagle Pose (Garudasana): Steps, Benefits, and Precautions in Advanced Yoga. https://www.tataaig.com/knowledge-center/health-insurance/health-benefits-of-garudasana
- EkhartYoga. (2020b, November 6). How to do Eagle pose Garudasana – Ekhart Yoga. Ekhart Yoga. https://www.ekhartyoga.com/resources/yoga-poses/eagle-pose
- Sorathiya, D. (2024d, October 14). Garudasana (Eagle Pose) – Health Benefits, Steps, Precaution. Mobile Physiotherapy Clinic. https://mobilephysiotherapyclinic.in/garudasana-eagle-yoga-pose/#What_is_Garudasana_Eagle_Pose