Garudasana, or Eagle Pose, is a standing balance. This is such a great pose to work on for beginners and experienced practitioners alike because it requires concentration and coordination to maintain balance which further enhances the physical benefits of strength and flexibility in the pose. The intertwining of the arms removes stiffness in the upper back and shoulders. The intertwining of the legs tones the feet, ankles, calves, and thighs.
Teaching standing poses is a great way to work on foundational alignment principles and movements that will carry over to more complex poses later on in class. In fact, B.K.S. Iyengar has a famous quote that says, “You need to learn to stand on your feet before standing on your head.” This reinforces the importance of practicing standing poses in the overall arc of a student’s yoga journey.
Typically, we start with more open and spacious standing poses, like Warrior 2 or Triangle pose, before working our way to more compact and complex poses like Garudasana (Eagle Pose). Since Garudasana has intertwined legs and arms we work our way through many bent arm and leg poses that have similar actions to Eagle Pose. In addition, the rounding of the upper back with the shoulder blades moving away from the spine is also an important action of the pose that needs to be integrated throughout the sequence. Remember that even though the upper back is rounded, the rib-cage is still lifting up away from the pelvis and not sinking down.
Poses like Parvatasana, Gomukhasana Arms, and Garudasana Arms are great poses to weave into this sequence because they work on scapula mobility. Many of the bent leg poses like Virasana, Child’s Pose, and Extended Side Angle teach the action of the legs. Lastly, poses like Warrior 1 and Utkatasana were incorporated into this sequence because they have bent legs and lift the rib-cage away from the pelvis simultaneously. The wind down section of class takes the torso in the opposite of Garudasana bringing balance and harmony to the overall practice before Savasana. If you’d like to learn to craft yoga classes in this format, be sure to check out our Vinyasa Sequencing Online Course, where you can study at your own pace from anywhere!
Happy practicing…
Garudasana (Eagle Pose) Sequence
Puttering/Warm-Up:
- Virasana w/ Parvatasana
- Virasana w/ Gomukhasana Arms
- Virasana w/ Eagle Arms
- Cat/Cow
- Child’s Pose
- Downward Dog
Sun Salutations:
- 3-4 Rounds
Standing Poses:
- Warrior 2
- Extended Side Angle
- Warrior 1
- Utkatasana
Twist Pose:
- Revolved Extended Side Angle Pose
Peak Pose:
Garudasana (Eagle Pose)
Seated Poses:
- Gomukhasana
- Bharadvajasana
Wind Down Poses:
- Supported Fish Pose
- Bridge
- Reclined Spinal Twist
Savasana
Give it a try and let us know how it goes! To catch a few video clips of this sequence in action follow @patrickfrancojr and @yogarenewteachertraining on Instagram, and if you want more in-depth vinyasa sequences like this along with teaching notes and tips on how to cue them, enter your email below to grab our FREE guide:
