Yoga Practice

Baby Crow, or Baby Bakasana, is a cross between Crow Pose (Bakasana) and Duck Pose (Karandavasana). ● Benefits of Baby Crow Pose

Baby Crow strengthens the shoulders and arms, creates a stretch through the upper back, and helps to tone the core. The pose can also help to improve balance and concentration, and serves as a great reminder to be playful with your practice and experiment with new variations of old classics. ● Step-By-Step

1.Set up as you would for Crow Pose, coming into a low squat (Malasana), with your knees bent. Come up onto the balls of your feet, bring your big toes together and separate your knees wide apart.
2. Plant your hands on the mat in front of you, just wider than shoulder distance apart, then bend your elbows and place your forearms down on the mat. Ensure your forearms are parallel to one another and that your elbows aren’t splaying out to the sides.

3. Lift your hips up slightly and begin to hug your knees around your upper outer arms. Find the action of squeezing your legs in toward the midline of your body.

4. Shift your weight forward and keep your gaze just ahead of your fingertips. Leading with the heart, begin to round through your upper back and come up onto the tips of your toes.

5. Experiment with your balance here, picking up one foot and then the other. If it feels appropriate for you, keep squeezing your knees into your upper arms, reach your chest forward, and lift both feet off the ground, drawing your heels toward your buttocks.

6.Remain in your expression of the pose for up to five full breaths, then gently lower your feet to the ground on an exhale.

Astavakrasana (Eight angle pose)

How to do :
1. Begin in a comfortable seated position.

2. Bend your right knee and bring the sole of your right foot to the floor close to your right buttock.

3. Lift the your right foot off the floor, bringing your shin roughly parallel to the floor.

4. Thread your right arm under your right knee.

5. Try to get your right knee as high as possible on the right arm, maybe even bringing the knee over the right shoulder. It may take several adjustments to get the knee to its highest position.

6. Plant both palms on the floor on higher side of your hips and straighten your left leg.

7. Press into your palms to lift your body, including your left leg and foot, off the floor. This is eka hasta bhujasana. Your left leg needs to be engaged with the foot flexed for this to be possible. You right leg needs to be actively hugging your right arm.

8. Once you have the left leg lifted, bend that leg and bring the foot toward your body to hook your left ankle around your right ankle.

9. Bend your arms to 90 degrees to shift the weight of your torso forward, towards parallel to the floor. At the same time, move both legs over to the right, parallel to the front of your mat.. 10. Straighten both legs as much as possible, squeezing your right arm. Lift your head but don't crank your neck.

11. Straighten your arms and shift your weight back to lower to your butt with control. Repeat the pose on the other side.

Type of Pose: Arm Balance

Benefits: Strengthens the arms and abdominal muscles, improves core strength and balance, stretches the legs.