By Sangeetha Saran
Can Yoga poses for courage help? Different Yoga postures (asana) elicit different emotions. Some Yoga poses engender a feeling of courage and expansiveness. Warrior Pose and Bakasana or Crow Pose are poses that give the practitioner a feeling of courage, determination, balance and lightness of being. Perhaps it is the accomplishment of a challenge that reinforces a practitioner’s sense of self-worth.
Warrior II Pose
Warrior II Pose is one of the the ultimate Yoga poses for courage that fosters a sense of exalted and focused bravery. In order to perform Warrior Pose, start standing at the top of your Yoga mat in Tadasana. Step or hop your feet approximately three to four feet apart. Turn your right foot parallel to the sides of your mat and your left foot towards your front foot at a 90-degree angle. Stretch your arms out at shoulder height with your palms facing down. Maintain a steady gaze over the middle finger of your right hand.
In this Yoga asana, you are a warrior with a one-pointed determination to reach your goal! Maintain a steady drishti or gaze. Take one full inhale and on your exhale slowly bend your right knee to a forty-five degree angle. Make sure to not overextend your knee. The correct alignment for your knee is to not go beyond the vertical line of your ankle. Hold the pose for three to five breaths and repeat on the other side.
Bakasana or Crow Pose
Bakasana is another wonderful Yoga pose that promotes a feeling of courage, strength and balance. Start by squatting down on your Yoga mat with your feet 4 to 6 inches apart. If you do not have the flexibility to keep your heels flat on the mat when you squat down, please use a folded blanket to create a firm and comfortable foundation for the pose.
Take a few moments and stretch out your inner groin muscle, your lower back and your upper back muscles. You can do this while you are in a squatting position by gently resting your knees against your upper arms until you feel some resistance. Play with this edge as you prepare your body to balance in Bakasana. When you are ready, inhale and the slowly exhale and tip your weight forward until you are balancing your shins on the back of your arms. Lift one or both feet off the floor as you shift your body weight more firmly onto the back of your arms. Hold for a few breaths and come down and rest in Child’s Pose. Repeat two more times for three to five breaths each.
Yoga poses for courage are a good start toward developing courage. Education, goal setting, and steady training can help with building courage. Everyone has something they are afraid of, but some exceptional individuals manage to successfully perform difficult tasks under extreme circumstances. For those of us who are not natural born heroes, Yoga poses for courage are helpful.
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Warrior II Pose is the quintessential Yoga pose that fosters a sense of exalted, one-pointed courage. Thanks for this informative post.