This Bikram posture works into twelve major joints of the body and leaves the body warmed up and ready to continue into the next three balancing postures. Remain strong in your Eagle posture and you’ll be ready for “Party Time”.

Eagle Pose or Garudasana was named after Garuda. In Hindu mythology, Garuda is a bird creature, half eagle and half human. He is known as “King of the Birds.” He represents birth and heaven and is associated with sun and fire.

During this posture, along with strength, flexibility, and balance you also sharpen the third eye chakra from the concentration of focusing on one point in the mirror to help hold the pose. The name Eagle relates to the keen and observant eye of an eagle who can see 4-8 times stronger than the average human. This pose helps to enhance intuition and clarity. 

In this posture, first you swing your right arm under left, crossing at the elbows and wrists. Palms face each other and fingers are below the nose. Pull the elbows down, this helps to open up the shoulders.

Then, sit down low and twist your legs by lifting the right leg high across the left wrapping the foot behind the lower calf so all five toes are visible in the front mirror.

In the second set, you switch sides, the left arm swings under the right, and the left leg wraps over the right. 

Benefits of Eagle Pose

• Good for the central nervous system
• Facilitates lymphatic functions
• Improves the immune system
• Improves mobility of hip joint and balance
• Strengthens the legs and calves
• Strengthens the deltoid and trapezius muscles
• Flushes out the kidneys
• Brings blood to the sexual organs
• Improves sexual vitality Eagle Pose also supplies fresh blood to the reproductive system and sex organs, plus the kidneys, which increases sexual vitality and helps clear up reproductive problems.
• This Bikram posture works into twelve major joints of the body and leaves the body warmed up and ready to continue into the next three balancing postures. Remain strong in your Eagle posture and you’ll be ready for “Party Time”.
• Improves balance
• Reduces varicose veins
• Awakens the 14 major joints in the skeletal system:
  • Ankles
  • Shoulder blades
  • Shoulders
  • Wrists
  • Elbows
  • Hips
  • Knees

TIPS

• Breath!
• Keep your stomach in and off of the thighs
• Fingers should go below the nose
• Keep your palms together
• Sit down low with your spine straight
• Make sure to squeeze your knees and thighs together everywhere that you feel contact between the two to increase the tourniquet effect of the posture
• Keep your weight on the heel of the standing foot and work toward having no gap