Australian myths say that Koalas were first earthy clumps of grey clay and slowly crawled from their clay-bound lives in order to bring sacred wisdom to humans. They were also said to teach humans how to climb trees in order to gain a broader view of the grand world in which they live. Koalas only eat eucalyptus leaves. They eat, sleep & live in the eucalyptus tree. Ready to become a Koala hugging a eucalyptus branch? Stand tall. Feet hip width apart. Shift weight slightly to left foot. Wrap right foot and leg around left leg. Hold. Breath slowly and deeply. Slowly squat down. Cross right arm over left. Bring arms and hands together. Lift arms up. Koalas like to sleep a lot. Close your eyes. Repeat on other side. <\/p>\n
You need strength, flexibility, endurance, and concentration for Eagle Pose which makes it a perfect Peak Pose<\/a>.<\/p>\n Don’t be afraid to teach how to pronounce the Sanskrit name, and what it means.<\/p>\n You pronounce Garudhasana gah-rue-DAHS-anna.<\/p>\n Garuda in English means the mythic king of the birds, the vehicle of Vishnu. The word in English is “eagle,” though it also means “devourer,” because Garuda was originally identified with the all-consuming fire of the sun\u2019s rays.<\/p>\n To spice up your next Yoga class, consider having Eagle Pose as your peak pose<\/a>, and weave eagle symbolism into your\u00a0<\/span>yoga lesson plan<\/a>.<\/p>\n Below are seven examples of eagle symbolism (from above), to get you started.\u00a0 Use one of them in your next eagle peak pose yoga lesson plan<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. Communication 2. Efficiency 3. Focused Change 4. Fly Higher 5. Don\u2019t Judge A Book By Its Cover 6. Grounded By Limitation 7. Streamlined Arm Variation I: Hug Yourself<\/strong> Arm Variation I: Strap Big Toe<\/strong> Bow<\/strong> Chair<\/strong> Eagle Arms<\/strong> Elbows I:<\/strong> Hold your elbows high and in line with your shoulders.<\/p>\n Elbows II:\u00a0<\/strong>Draw your elbows down toward the floor.<\/p>\n Hook<\/strong> Foot on Block<\/strong> Palm Together Variation I<\/strong> Palm Together Variation II<\/strong> Standing Pigeon<\/strong> Wall\u00a0<\/strong> Pose variations help your students grow and build further confidence in their yoga practice no matter what their starting ability levels are.<\/p>\n Don’t worry!<\/p>\n Picking pose variations is easy with the Yoga Genie Lesson Planner<\/a> when you use our “pose filtering” feature.<\/p>\n For example, if you are giving your students a deep backbend pose such as Wheel Urdhva Dhanurasana <\/span>Pose<\/a>, you’ll click the backbend filter. With that one click over 100 backbends will be presented to you. All you have to do is single click on a pose to add it to the yoga lesson plan. Easy peasy. You might end up choosing the following gentle backbends: Staff Backbend Pose<\/a>, Upward Facing Dog Urdhva Mukha Svanasana <\/span>Pose<\/a>, Seated Cat Cow Sukhasana Pose<\/a>, and Heart Opener With Partner Pose<\/a>.<\/p>\n Picking pose variations is probably the most important job of a yoga teacher. Instead of making it a hard job, use the Yoga Genie Lesson Planner<\/a> pose filtering feature, to make it easy.<\/p>\n Below are 100+ pose variations of Eagle Pose (balance poses) to give you ideas for your next yoga class.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Seated Balance Poses<\/strong><\/p>\n If using the Eagle pose symbolism<\/a> these “seated balance poses” could be when the eagle is perched in a tree.<\/p>\n Boat Navasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Both Big Toes Ubhaya Padangusthasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Compass Surya Yantrasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Cow Hold Foot Bitilasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Crow Bakasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Double Closed Lotus Padma Pindasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n East Stretch Purvottanasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Half Shoulderstand Ardha Sarvangasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Shoulderstand Sarvangasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Standing Balance Poses<\/strong><\/p>\n If using the Eagle pose symbolism<\/a> these “standing balance poses” could be when the eagle is flying high.<\/p>\n Bird Of Paradise Svarga Dvijasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Chair With Arms Behind Utkatasana Pose\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Figure Four Eka Pada Utkatasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Fig Tree Ashvatthasana Pose<\/a><\/p>\n Foot Shaking I Dru Yoga Pose\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n Foot Shaking II Dru Yoga Pose\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n
\nTeach The Sanskrit<\/h3>\n
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\nPick An Eagle Symbol<\/h3>\n
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\n<\/strong>As rulers of the sky, the eagle is connected with the air element, which symbolizes communication.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Eagles are opportunistic. They\u2019re skilled hunters, but they go about gaining their food in ways that are more efficient than hunting, eating what\u2019s already been killed. The symbolism here could be to work smarter not harder<\/em>, or that less is sometimes more<\/em>.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>The\u00a0eagle teaches us to use our abilities in a laser-like fashion to bring about focused change in our lives.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Give yourself permission to fly higher.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>in spite of its enormous size, the eagle still takes flight seemingly effortlessly.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Don’t allow the illusion of limitation to ground you in your flight.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>An eagle is streamlined, sleek, and chiseled. Yoga helps the body to become streamlined, sleek, and chiseled.<\/p>\n
\nModifications<\/h3>\n
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\nBring your arms together and give yourself a hug. Stack your elbows and press them together as you wiggle your arms in tight to the body. For more sensation of Eagle Pose, lift your elbows.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Take a strap into your right hand. Hold the middle of the strap so you have two tails hanging down. Hold right arm straight out in front of you (knuckles facing the ceiling), and then bend your right elbow to 90 degrees. Reach your left arm out to the side with your palm facing forward. Bring left arm under the right. Move your elbows together until they feel like they are on top of each other. Bend left arm 90 degrees. Reach up. Catch the right tail of the strap. Use the leverage of the strap to move your elbows together so that they\u2019re even more stacked, bringing your hands closer together. Create resistance to activate your upper back and arm muscles by pulling on the strap. For more of an Eagle Pose sensation, lift your elbows.<\/p>\n
\nIf you find it hard to hook the raised-leg foot behind the standing-leg calf, instead of hooking the raised foot and calf, press the big toe of the raised-leg foot against the mat to help maintain your balance.<\/p>\n
\nBow forward and bring your bottom elbow to touch your top knee.<\/p>\n
\nSet up your Eagle Pose next to a chair, to help with balance. Later, when you’ve gained confidence, let go of the chair.<\/p>\n
\nPractice just the arms of the pose (Eagle Arms).<\/p>\n
\nHook the top of the foot behind the lower right calf.<\/p>\n
\nTo help with balance, rather than tucking your top foot behind your calf, rest the ball of the top-leg foot on a yoga block.<\/p>\n
\nInstead of pressing your palms together, hold your left thumb with your right fingers.<\/p>\n
\nInstead of pressing your palms together,\u00a0place the backs of your hands against each other.<\/p>\n
\nShift weight into your right foot and lift your left foot, crossing your left thigh over your right thigh. Bend your left knee and take hold of your left foot with the right hand. Bend your right knee. Sit back into the pose.<\/p>\n
\nPractice against a wall. Stand with your back to the wall, so the wall supports your back torso as you practice the pose. Later, when you’ve gained confidence, move away from the wall.<\/p>\n
\nVariations<\/h3>\n
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