My Journey with Kakasana

kakasana
The Kakasana Pose
What is Kakasana (Crow Pose) ?
In this asana, the arms of the person are positioned to become the legs of the crow,  the hands are positioned in a manner so as to become the crow’s feet and the thighs and legs are finally folded up to become the body of the crow. Here is a picture of someone doing this asana.
 
 
Physical and mental benefits of Kakasana
Kakasana helps to strengthen the shoulders as well as one’s arms and wrists. It also helps us to improve our balance. It increases flexibility and elasticity of the spine. It also helps the individual to focus and improve his or her concentration.
 
Getting into the pose

  1. Squat on the floor and place your hands on the floor in front of the feet with fingers facing forward
  2. Bend your elbows a little as this will help you to bring your knees up into your armpits.
  3. Lean forward at the same time transferring the body weight to the arms and lifting both feet up.
  4. Work to straighten the arms as much as possible while keeping the lower body strong and pulled together.
  5. Hold the position for as long as you are comfortable.
  6. Conclude the asana by slowly bringing your feet down to the floor.

 
My Personal Experience with Kakasana
In my yoga 200 hour weekday class, when Master Trainer Wei Ling showed the class how to do this Asana, I was so scared to do this Asana and was worried that I would end up injuring myself by fracturing my hands or arms while doing this. However when I saw some of my classmates who successfully did the asana, I felt more confident of doing this. However I tried a few times to do this in class but failed. Wei Ling did not let me feel discouraged and told me some techniques to help me do it. One of the important things I remember her telling me is that during this Asana, it is important that I focus mentally and believe in myself.
When I came home I decided to try again to do the asana. I failed yet again. I realized I had a hesitation to lift up my feet. It seemed very hard to get them off the ground. I think back now and realized that this was mianly due to the persistent fear of not trusting myself to be able to support my weight on my hands. One of the reasons for this fear was that my arm strength was not enough. I had never gone to the gym and was not in good physical condition. I didn’t give up and decided to tackle this problem. I took my husband’s weights and spend 30 to 40 minutes every day lifting them. Of course he guided me on how to lift them appropriately to build arm strength. Finally about 5 or 6 days later after daily exercising to build up my arm strength, I finally managed to have the courage to lift up my feet from the ground. My arms were shaking a bit but I focused on keeping it straight. I kept my feet up for about 3 seconds before I came down. I was very glad that I finally managed to do it although I could not remain in that position for long.
 
I am still practising that asana regularly and have now improved to remaining in the position for about 10 seconds. I wish to improve this duration to make it even longer. I am sure with practice I will become better.
Tahsina
200hr Weekday Hatha Ashtanga YTTC (September Intake)