Eka Pada Pranamasana (One-Legged Prayer Pose) – Benefits, Adjustment & Cautions
Eka Pada Pranamasana aims to develop nervous balance and strengthens the leg, ankle and foot muscles. You might know this posture as Vrikshasana or Tree Pose. In traditional Hatha Yoga, Eka Pada Pranamasana is usually performed after the Surya Namaskar as Standing Balancing Pose. Not only does it help you to achieve physical balance, it also creates a better connection between the left and right brain halves. Spiritually it is said to balance the feminine and masculine energies as well. Do you want to know how to perform Eka Pada Pranamasana? Here are the Step-by-Step Instructions for you:
Instructions:
- Stand up with the feet together and the arms at the sides
- Focus the gaze on a fixed point in front of the body
- Bend the right leg, grasp the ankle and place the sole of the foot on the inside of the left thigh
- The heel should be close to the perineum and the right knee should point out to the side
- When the body is balanced, place the hands into prayer position or pranam mudra in front of your chest
Benefits:
- Increases physical and mental balance
- Balances the nervous system
- Strengthens the legs
- Strengthens the ankles and foot muscles
- Brings calmness and steadiness
Contra-indications:
There are no cautions for this asana.
Important Notes:
When you practise yoga, you should always keep in mind that it’s unhealthy to practise with a full stomach. Ideally, there should be a 3-4 hour gap between the last meal so that you don’t put extra pressure on your stomach and digestive system. Alos, it is recommended to practise yoga with comfortable and loose clothes. Why? Because too tight clothes distrub your energy flow. Many yogis, monks and practitioners practise yoga in loose cotton trousers and shirts so that they avoid physical pressure on their body. You should try it out!
Yoga Asana Practise at Gyan Yog Breath
Our Gyan Yog Breath Team publishes weekly asana tutorials for you to help you get into the right practice and understand about various benefits and contra-indications of postures.
Sometimes, reading about a practise can awaken questions and the desire to learn yoga on a much deeper level. Therefore, we have established three Yoga Alliance registered Yoga Teacher Training Programs that aim to guide you into advanced and higher levels of yoga.
While it’s great that yoga has beome very digital and spread on Youtube, you should not forget that learning with a real teacher who can correct you and adjust you is very important. A home practice is awesome in the fact that you can do it at any time and anyone has access, but if you’re interested to get the yoga practice really right and diver deeper into it, you should consider studying at a yoga school or training program with a professional and experienced teacher. Why? This can increase the benefits of yoga and help you to avoid serious long-term injuries.
