Ardha Kapotasana
(Half Pigeon Pose)

In Sanskrit, kapota means “pigeon,” and asana means “pose.” So when you literally translate the word kapotasana, it means pigeon pose. It seems like a pretty accurate description of the pose, especially when you see kapotasana (pigeon) and eka pada rajakapotasana (one foot king pigeon pose). However, did you know the pose is actually named after the revered sage (yogi) Kapota?

Who Was Kapota?
Stories about Kapota appear in the Mahabharata and the Kalika Purana and detail his great accomplishments as a yogi. According to the Mahabharata, Kapota had no match ​In power, vigor, strength, vitality, and agility, "When he walked, it seemed his soul was several feet ahead of his body—he moved as though not touching the ground." Because of his ability, people called him the son of Garuda. You remember from an earlier post, Garuda is the mighty bird-god and the one the pose garudasana is named after.

Kapota's beauty and virility were well-known. Even Chitrangada, the daughter of a celestial nymph (Urvashi) was not immune and when he commanded her to marry him she could not resist. Plus, it was rumored that even the sons of Shiva--Bhairava and Vetal— sought guidance from Kapota because of his clear and perfect intuitive wisdom. In fact, he is believed to still be living. Legend says he visits the famous cave shrine of Amarnath in Kashmir once a year.

So, who knows, maybe if you practice kapotasana with steadiness and dedication, maybe you will reap some of the same level of accomplishment as the sage Kapota!

Benefits of Garudasana

• Strengthens & stretches ankles and calves
• Stretches thighs, hips, shoulders, and upper back
• Improves concentration
• Improves sense of balance

Theraputic Applications of Garudasana

• Asthma
• Low backache
• Sciatica

This week...We focused on opening up our IT bands, shoulders, chest, and back as well as strengthening our quads in order to work into Garudasana also known as eagle pose,

In particular, the poses we did during the second flow sequence, helped to prepare our bodies for garudasana. ​All of these poses are great because they help test our flexibility, openness and strength, all with the goal to help us move more gracefully into and out of splits.
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So, if you want to work on this sequence at home, I've worked up this cheat sheet for you to bookmark, save or download. Enjoy yogis!
           Namaste.
​                     - Ann