Tiger Pose -Vyaghrasana
Tigers are the jungle’s apex predator. They are enormously bulky, heavy, and muscular. Yet they move through the undergrowth in silence. Patience, grace, and control are the essential tools of a tiger. Embodying those qualities, we may find ourselves moving through life with greater ease. But first we must learn to master ourselves as fully as the tiger. Vyaghrasana (pronounced vyAa-gHrAa-suh-nuh) or Tiger Pose can help with that. Our core is the body’s powerhouse, many of our strongest muscles are there. Yet we tend to move from the outside in. Tiger pose helps the curious yogi to learn a new way to move, from the inside out, which gives them more power, more control, and more grace on the mat, and in life.
What To Do
- Set up your foundation with the hands and knees on the floor.
- The hands should be directly under the shoulders, and the hips over the knees.
- Then find a level of engagement in the core muscles that you can maintain while breathing easily.
- Inhale; extend the right leg up behind you and point the toe.
- Exhale; pull the knee forward and hover it between your elbows.
- Pause here and take five to seven full breaths.
- Or you may choose to move dynamically with the breath, inhaling the leg up, exhaling to pull it in.
- When you are ready reestablish your foundation and do the other side.
Modifications
- Placing blocks under the hands can make it easier to move the legs freely.
Benefits
- Build internal heat.
- Informs connection to the core while building strength and flexibility.
- Tonifies the kidneys.
- Stretches the back body.
