The scope of Yoga is all serene and comfortable for us amateur practitioners. However, there are some even more exotic and difficult poses that require those extra dollops of devotion. So, without further ado, let us check out some of the craftiest postures one needs to master to become a true Yoga aficionado.
Crane Pose
Bakasana or the Crane Pose tests out the true strength and endurance level of your arms. So, squatting on all four, your arms lift up the mass of your body, as you need let go off your feet at least a few inches from the ground. The ultimate posture will look like one is sitting with his palms on the ground (much like the fore limbs of the crane), and feet in the air. At that stage only balance and stamina are your true friends.
Warrior III Pose
Also known as Virabhadrasana, this standing pose is somewhat reminiscent of the ‘Catch Me If You Can’ poster. Almost like sprinting captured in a slow motion frame, in this case both our arms are stretched forward along with our head. One of our legs is reversely lunged backwards, thus forming a linear pattern with the whole body. The other leg is used as a singular support on the ground, which in turn forms a perpendicular ‘pillar’ to the whole body mass.
The Wheel Pose
Also known as Urdhva Danurasana or the Bow, this inverse U position may look a tad bit unnatural to the ‘weak hearted’. Delving into technicalities, the first important step is to find a proper balanced position. And from there on the actual difficulty starts when we have to move our hands behind our heads and then place them on the ground (our fingers should point at our feet). Similarly our heels should also cling on to the floor, as we finally lift up our middle part of the torso in the air.
The King Pigeon Pose
A fascinating twist to the aforementioned Wheel pose, the King Pigeon or Kapotasana is even more difficult to master. In this case, our inherent body flexibility is tested to the core as we support the length of our forearms (instead of our palms) on the ground. On the other end, we also use our whole knees as the lower support (instead of our heels), while the middle body portion is lifted up.
The Scorpion Pose
Easily one of the craftiest poses to master, the posture entails the nigh perfect frame of a scorpion. This means you have lay on your forearms as the support on the ground, with your head in a forward position. The legs are to be taken off from the ground (towards the ceiling) much like in the headstand position. However, this time your balance becomes even more pertinent, as the feet have to be carefully adjusted so that they could touch the very tip of your head, much like the inverted tail of a scorpion.
