Eka Pada Rajakapotasana

Translation: "Eka" means one in Sanskrit. "Pada" means foot or leg. "Raja" means a king. "Kapota" means a pigeon or dove. Asana means yoga pose or posture. In English, we call it "One-Legged King Pigeon Pose"

Critical Elements of this ASANA

Half Pigeon Pose - Warm Up

Here is a video I found describing how to get into Half Pigeon pose, which is a stepping stone to Eka Pada Rajapotasana. In this video, the woman starts in Down Dog. I used the pose in this video (Half Pigeon pose) as a warm up stretch, leading into my full posture. Although this video isn't of Eka Pada Rajapotasana, the alignment described in this video applies to Eka Pada Rajapotasana.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGKzSnvahAI

Eka Pada Rajapotasana - One-Legged King Pigeon Pose

1. Begin in Hero's pose, a kneeling position where you are resting on your heels

2. Extend your left leg back, so you are in a half-split. The left knee should face the floor.

3. Place your hands on either side of your right knee, rooting down and pressing with your fingers, palms

4. While inhaling, tilt your head upwards, into a back bend position. (DO NOT BEND FURTHER THAN YOUR BODY ALLOWS!)

5. Move your right foot forward, try to get it parallel to the front of the mat (your right leg should be perpendicular to your left leg). Flex the right foot. Make sure to keep the hips square to the front of your mat.

6. Hinging at the knee, raise your left foot up- taking into both of your hands and pulling it toward your head for an increased back bend. There are many different ways to hold your arms in this pose: Some people hook the left foot into their right elbow and twist, others reach their arms over their heads, elbows pointed at the ceiling. I chose the second way.

7. Hold this pose for five breaths, focusing on releasing your hips into the earth, and lifting your chest and bringing the shoulder blades together. Breathe...

8. To get out of Eka Pada Rajapotasana, swing your left leg to the front, extending both legs forward into seated staff pose. You can stand from there.

Here is a video of the full posture:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KD9it0T2y94

Benefits

This pose both stretches and strengthens. It is especially beneficial to stretching, strengthening and toning the spinal column. It helps to open up the chest and ribs, while also loosening/strengthening the muscles in the pelvic region, specifically the hip joints. It stimulates spinal nerves, which can help boost your metabolism and stimulate the glandular system. The focus point is on the cervical and sacral vertebrae.

I like this picture because it highlights the muscles that get a stretch in this pose:

http://www.stockmedicalart.com/medicalartstudio/prints/images/Eka-Pada-Rajakapotasana.jpg

Awareness

While in the posture, I feel physically challenged, but i also feel like I am opening up. Because the focus is skyward, I feel I am ascending. Even though the posture is inspired by pigeons, I feel more like a swan. There's a gracefulness and a beauty to it, and I need to work on relaxing into it and breathing because it is very physically demanding for me-- specifically my thighs and back.

References

Yoga.com : Articles: "Eka Pada Rajapotasana"

http://www.yoga.com/ydc/enlighten/enlighten_document.asp?ID=334&section=9&cat=0

I used this site for the Benefits and Technique portions of my blog post