Ashtavakrasana is a really fun and accessible armbalance. It looks very intimidating, but it can be surprisingly easy to achieve, and I will show you how.
My purple hair gives me power to lift up
Its very hooks and crooks press and snuggle into each other to facilitate lift and balance. It strengthens the arms, wrists, and abdomen. It is named after the sage Ashtavakra, whose body was bent (vakra) in eight (ashta) places when born.
What? You want to hear the story behind the pose? Well, if you insist!
When Ashtavakra was a baby in his mother’s belly, he overheard his father mispronouncing a sacred prayer. At every mistake, the baby would squirm and giggle. This enraged his father, who cursed the baby to be born crippled, with eight crooks along his body.
Ashtavakra was very intelligent and one day decided that he wanted to go to King Janaka’s court, because that’s where all the most knowledgeable and philosophical men met to discuss important things, and he wanted to listen and learn.
It took a long time for him to get to the King’s place, because it was so difficult for him to walk, even with a walking stick. And when he arrived, everyone started laughing at him, because of his body.
Astavakra told the king how disappointed he was, saying he had expected to find wise men who were enlightened but instead all he saw were shoe makers. When the King asked him what he meant by shoe makers he said:
“They see only skin. They do not see the atma (the soul). They have no realization of the soul. They merely see the surface and base their judgments solely on this. This is the occupation of a cobbler, who is always saying: “This skin is good; that skin is not good. This one is smooth; that one is rough.” Coming here has been a waste of time.”
King Janaka bowed down to Astavakra, and asked to be his student instead.
Ashtavakra exemplifies the truth that just because things look rough from the outside, doesn’t mean there isn’t value, intelligence, and even sweetness on the inside.
Yoga teaches us that the body is the temple of the soul and we must take care of it. But if you become too concerned with the physical aspect you can cross that line and become obsessed with your body and with others’ bodies. And what we should never do is judge the soul by what the body can do, or how it looks. It’s a fine balance.
Ok ok enough stories, how do you get into this pose you ask…
Warm up with a few sun salutations. Hip opening, twists, and core strength all help to access this pose.
1.Start sitting with the left leg extended and plant your right foot in front of your hip.
This cat is a pro at step 1, your leg doesn't have to be thaaat far back tho
2.Lean to the left so that you can hook your right leg around your right arm, as high as possible, but at least above the elbow.
3.Plant your hands a little ahead of your sitbones, so that you are leaning forward. Your bum is going to need to lift up and back behind you. Then hook your left ankle over top of your right one, feet flexed.
4.Squeeze your inner thighs around your arm (a LOT), then lean forward, lifting through the core, and begin to straighten your hooked up legs as you lower your chest forward and down like you would for Chaturanga.
My friend Amy, casually doing Ashtavakrasana on a rail
And be patient! even if you can’t get any lift the first time(s) your body is building muscle memory and when you least expect it you’ll try again and boom, level unlocked!
Remember that our flexibility isn't measured by the length of our muscles, but by our willingness to step up to our challenges.
