Crow Pose is not the easiest of poses but the benefits include building endurance, focus, and concentration, as well as creating calm. Photography – Fred Padilla.
By Karen Watson Reeves
Perhaps you took a glance at the photo and thought, “Nope, not happening.” As my manfriend Fred would say, “Not with that attitude.” As with any challenging thing in life, a strong desire and dedication can prove to have positive results. When students tell me “I could never do that,” my answer is, “Not yet.”
Arm balances like Crow Pose do look a little scary, because no one wants to do a face plant! To achieve lift off, the practitioner’s legs have to fold, the abdomen has to engage, the arms have to activate, and the upper back and hips have to open.
Then there is that issue of all the body weight on the hands and wrists. It is not a pose that is likely to happen in your first yoga class. But in a class where Crow Pose is a goal, the postures before will help prepare the student to get the feet off the ground. And the benefits are many! Here are some:
Tones and strengthens the abdominal wall. Those core muscles face the challenge of lifting and maintaining the posture.
Arms and wrists are strengthened. It might take holding some planks to build up enough strength to hold the body weight.
Stretches the back, buttocks, and the palm side of the wrist (thus counteracting the effects of too much typing).
Opens the groin, counteracting a lot of sitting and standing.
Builds endurance, focus, concentration, creating calm. It takes a lot of concentration to life the feet off the ground!
There is a tremendous amount of freedom in achieving a long sought-after goal. Erin Hanson, a poet from Australia, said it best, “There is freedom waiting for you, on the breezes of the sky. And you ask, ‘What if I fall?’ Oh, but my darling, ‘What if you fly?’”
So, practice. Build strength. Lift one foot at a time. And then don’t be afraid to soar!
Karen Watson Reeves has called Hot Springs home since 2006. She became a registered yoga teacher and a registered children’s yoga teacher in 2011. She has taught children and family yoga in many settings and would welcome an opportunity to help your family stay physically active during this time of quarantine. She owns The Yoga Place, is on the Hot Springs YMCA teaching staff, is an adjunct instructor at National Park College, as well as teaching in several other fabulous venues. www.TheYogaPlaceHS.com.
