Types of Forward Bending Postures.

Meditation and Going Beyond Mindfulness - A Secular Perspective

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Yogic Paths: Exploring the Yogic Path

Directional Spine Movements.

Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana – One Legged Downward Facing Dog Pose.

Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana or the downward facing dog pose stretches and straightens the spine, strengthens the leg muscles, flexes the hamstrings and thigh muscles and improves balance. In Sanskrit, Eka means one, Pada means leg, Adho means down, Mukha means face and Svana means a dog. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana is an intermediate level pose that can be attempted by most practitioners.

How to do Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana

1. Start with the simple Adho Mukha Svanasana For this, start in kneeling position and place your palms on the floor in front of you. Keep the palms spread out on the mat. The knees should be preferably behind the tailbone to get a good stretch in the final downward facing dog pose. Slowly raise your knees and straighten it out. At this point the legs are straight and the weight of the body is supported by the two palms and the feet. Stretch your heels and the thigh muscles while straightening the legs. Tuck your belly in and push the chest slightly towards the floor while straightening the spine. Place your head between the inner-side of the upper arms and look down towards the floor. This is the simple Adho Mukha Svanasanapose. Breathe normally in this position.
2. From here we proceed to the Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasanawhich involves raising one leg upwards.
3. Raise your right leg upwards in the air. Try to align the right leg with the spine. This is the final position. Remain in this position for up to a minute or according to your convenience.
4. To release the pose, bring down the right leg to the floor and come back to the simple downward facing dog pose.
5. Repeat the same with the left leg raised in the air.

 Benefits of Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana

1. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana is an inverted pose. It reverses the flow of blood to the head and upper chest region, nourishing the brain with ample blood supply thereby relieving headaches and migraine. This pose can improve cognition and other brain functions.
2. It gives a good stretch to the spine, the quadriceps and the leg muscles.
3. This asana relieves pain in upper and lower back.
4. It helps to loosen the hamstring muscles and the hip flexor muscles for more flexibility.
5. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana strengthens the arms and the shoulders.
6. It creates a sense of relaxation and well-being and boosts confidence.
7. Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana is a good balancing pose. Staying in this pose for a minute can improve the sense of body balance. 

Contraindications of Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana

1. Being an inverted asana, Eka Pada Adho Mukha Svanasana should not be done by those suffering from high blood pressure.
2. Do this pose with caution if you suffer from vertigo.

Eka Padasana – One Foot Pose.

Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose is a balancing asana. Eka Padasana is useful to improve neuro-muscular coordination of the body. Eka Padasana is a balancing pose and gives a sense of control of bodily movements to the practitioner.

The benefits of Eka Padasana can be understood by knowing how our muscular coordination works, to maintain the sense of balance. Our sense of body balance is controlled by the cerebellum. When we grow up, as a child, we first learn how to walk on two feet. It is a great balancing act by itself, which we learn with a lot of trial and error. Yet, when we grow up, we take it for granted. Even though it looks like a simple act, it involves tremendous neural activity and neuro-muscular coordination to achieve it. This neuro-muscular coordination can become weaker either with age or with specific neurological conditions.

Yoga has many balancing asanas or poses which help to improve the neuro-muscular coordination. Each of the balancing asanas has their own specific benefits. Eka Padasana can improve the sense of balance and strengthen the muscles of the legs and lower back.

How to do Eka Padasana (One Foot Pose)?

1. Stand straight and raise your hands above the head. Inhale while raising your hand, expanding the chest.
2. Interlock the fingers and hold the hands together.
3. Bend forward slowly with arms stretched out in front of you. Exhale while bending forward.
4. Simultaneously, raise the left leg and take it backward.
5. Keep bending forward until your body is parallel to the ground. At the same time, take your left leg back so that it is perpendicular to the right leg.
6. The entire body weight is supported on the left foot alone.
7. In the final pose, the hands, body, trunk, and legs are in a straight line, parallel to the ground. The whole body is perpendicular or at 90 degrees to the right leg looks like a “T”.
8. Maintain this position as per your comfort level. During the final position, you can breathe normally. Concentrate on the sense of balance and try to maintain this position for as long as you can.
9. Repeat the same with the other leg, in which case the entire body weight is supported by the left foot alone. 

Benefits of Eka Padasana (One Foot Pose)

1. Eka Padasana helps to strengthen the leg muscles.
2. It can give a good stretch to the muscles of the lower back.
3. Eka Padasana improves the sense of balance and develops nervous coordination.