Eka Pada Koundinyasana I on:
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Koundinyasana ( sa, कौण्डिन्यासन, IAST: ''kauṇḍinyāsana''), or Sage Kaundinya's pose, is a hand-balancing asana in modern
File:Parivritta Eka Pada Koundinyasana.JPG, Eka Pada Koundinyasana I
(lower leg on arm) File:Eka Pada koundinyasana.JPG, Eka Pada Koundinyasana II
(upper leg on arm) File:Mr-yoga-galavasana-one-leg (cropped).jpg, Eka Pada Galavasana (foot hooked over elbow)
Koundinyasana ( sa, कौण्डिन्यासन, IAST: ''kauṇḍinyāsana''), or Sage Kaundinya's pose, is a hand-balancing asana in modern yoga as exercise
Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...
. It may be performed with both legs bent (Dvi Pada Koundinyasana), or with one leg over the supporting arm, the other leg straight (Eka Pada Koundinyasana).
Eka Pada Galavasana (Flying Pigeon Pose) has one leg bent, the foot hooked over the opposite arm under the body.
Etymology and origins
The pose is named afterKaundinya
Kaundinya (Sanskrit कौण्डिन्य), also known as ''Ājñātakauṇḍinya'', Pali: ''Añña Koṇḍañña''),who was one of the first five Buddhist monks ( Pancavaggiya), follower of Gautama Buddha and the first to become an arha ...
( sa, कौण्डिन्य), an Indian sage, and ''āsana'' ( sa, आसन) meaning "posture" or "seat". The variations for one and two legs include the Sanskrit words for one (''ek'') or two (''dvi''), and ''pada'' ( sa, पद) meaning "foot".
The pose is not described in medieval hatha yoga. It appears in the 20th century among the asanas described by B. K. S. Iyengar in his 1966 book '' Light on Yoga'', and those taught by Pattabhi Jois in Mysore in his Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga. Both Iyengar and Jois were pupils of Krishnamacharya.
Description
Koundinyasana is traditionally entered from tripod headstand, a variant ofSirsasana
Shirshasana (Sanskrit: शीर्षासन, IAST: śīrṣāsana) Salamba Shirshasana, or Yoga Headstand is an inverted asana in modern yoga as exercise; it was described as both an asana and a mudra in classical hatha yoga, under differ ...
, but one can also get into the asana from Parsva Bakasana. The knee needs to be far enough up the triceps of the opposite arm before bending the elbows to engage the core muscles and help to prevent the leg from sliding down.
Variations
Eka Pada Koundinyasana has one leg stretched out straight in line with the body. Eka Pada Galavasana (Flying Pigeon Pose) has one leg bent, the foot hooked over the opposite arm under the body. The full pose, Galavasana, has the legs crossed in Padmasana, one knee tucked between the arms.(lower leg on arm) File:Eka Pada koundinyasana.JPG, Eka Pada Koundinyasana II
(upper leg on arm) File:Mr-yoga-galavasana-one-leg (cropped).jpg, Eka Pada Galavasana (foot hooked over elbow)
See also
*Astavakrasana
Astavakrasana ( sa, अष्टावक्रासन; IAST: ''Aṣṭāvakrāsana'') or Eight-Angle Pose is a hand-balancing asana in modern yoga as exercise dedicated to the sage Astavakra, the spiritual guru of King Janaka.
Etymology a ...
, a similar twisting arm-balancing asana
* List of asanas
An asana is a body posture, used in both medieval hatha yoga and modern yoga. The term is derived from the Sanskrit word for 'seat'. While many of the oldest mentioned asanas are indeed seated postures for meditation, asanas may be standing, seat ...
References
Sources
* {{Yoga as exercise Balancing asanas Asymmetric asanas