Pose:Eka Hasta Bhujasana (One-Leg-Over-Arm Balance)*
Step One:
Keep it simple. Double Pigeon.
Our final posture requires a great amount of external mobility to lift the leg up the arm towards the shoulder. The first step, as far from the pose as it may seem, is to properly open up the hips. Each time you unroll your mat spend a good 2-5 minutes in double pigeon with your head resting either on blocks or on the ground in a fold.
If Double Pigeon is too intense on the knees and hips, take
Sukasana
(comfortable seat) and at the fold. Otherwise, layer one shin on top of the other like two stacked logs. Eventually the top foot will remain flexed (to protect the knee) and rest above and slightly to the outside of the bottom knee. Take long, full breaths as you hold envisioning your body in the full pose. See yourself enjoying the process with a sense of ease and strength. Remind yourself that every distant goal grows from a simple seed watered with rich intention.
Step Two:
Time to mount up.
Sitting upright in Dandasana (Staff Pose),
bend the right knee into your chest and either cradle your shin bone by taking your inner elbows to the sole of the foot and outer knee,
or by a forklift–slipping the inner elbows under the shinbone to hold the shin upright. Focus on working the shin parallel to the ground gently pulling the foot closer towards the body as the hip externally rotates. Take a full 8 breaths here.
Next, slip your hands under the calf muscle and lightly push the knee out to the right, then slip the leg higher up the arm. Repeat this process until you find a comfortable edge in your body. Super- glue the inner knee to the outer part of your arm or shoulder if you reached it. Place the hands down onto the mat on either side if your hips. Point both sets of toes feeling the left hamstring, quad and calf engage. Keeping the left leg highly animated, lift the leg up off of the ground keeping the hips on the mat. Hold 5 to 8 breaths and release. Switch sides.
Step 3 (full pose):
We’ll work the same beginning as we did in Step 2.
Sitting upright in Dandasana (Staff Pose), bend the right knee into your chest and either cradle your shin bone by taking your inner elbows to the sole of the foot and outer knee or by a forklift–slipping the inner elbows under the shinbone to hold the shin upright. Focus on working the shin parallel to the ground gently pulling the foot closer towards the body as the hip externally rotates. Take a full 8 breaths here. Next, slip your hands under the calf muscle and lightly push the knee out to the right, then slip the leg higher up the arm. Repeat this process until you find a comfortable edge in your body. Super glue the inner knee to the outer part of your arm or shoulder if you reached it. Place the hands down onto the mat on either side if your hips. Point both sets of toes feeling the left hamstring, quad and calf engage. Lift the left leg off the ground and lean your upper body back. Inhale. On your exhale, use a bit of momentum to lean forward keeping the left leg lifted as you push the ground away with your hands to lift the bottom off the ground. Round the upper back hugging the triceps in as you push into the mat pulling up into the core. Keep the inner right knee in towards the mid-line. Spread the toes. Keep the gaze forward and hold for 1-8 breaths. Release and switch sides.
*(Article by Kathryn Budig for Yoga Journal. I simply inserted my pictures)