Eka pada

Posted in ashtanga yoga on 06/12/2009 09:48 am by karen

There are two ways to do eka pada. One, by wriggling the foot and calf as far down and across the back as is possible; and two, by catching the foot just behind the head and bringing the knee out and back.

This is from the Ashtanga Voices blog. Owl just mentioned it. But I’m confused. Which way is the “external rotation method”? Either solution seems to involve significant external rotation.

Anyone want to hazard a guess or an opinion?

 

8 Comments

  1. None of this is my own vocabulary and thus I am guessing at what other people mean, but I would guess that version 2 here (which I too just located on Voices) is the “external rotation” method, versus what would perhaps be called the “spinal wriggle” method (?).

  2. I vote with Patrick on that second description. I bring my way knee back, foot to ear, then land that sucker behind my head (kind of resting on my shoulders, but definitely not far far down them… in my dreams)

  3. Karen, do you ever feel sensitivity on the outside of the quad in single pidgeon? The second way of doing eka pada is still external rotation, but not quite to the single pidgeon level. As G describes in the Voices discussion, the knee points back a little more. For me, it’s a little more hanumanasana than baddha konasana. Still basically the same posture, just a little difference in interpretation. Given that the hip joint goes in every direction, there’s some room for interpretation of FBH.

    In any case, my sense of it is that if there is any neck pain, go sloooow. The body doesn’t have much experience building up neck muscles, you know? The scalenes may also start to engage, as I think you exeprienced in supta k? Very good, but there is the appearance-level hazard of weightlifter-neck. (My neck isn’t exactly swan-like these days! :-) )

  4. Neck strength? Setu bandhasana :)

    I have the same experience as Owl, they both involve external rotation, but method one (the ‘wriggle’ method) more than method two. And lots of room for interpretation. Both methods involved some getting used to in the hamstrings too. Not to mention that the two sides aren’t the same…

  5. Oh, okay. Hanumanasana versus pigeon. I get it. The set up for the more hanumanesque version would be something like akarna dhanurasana. And yes, Owl, pigeon is more difficult for me than hanumanasana.

    I am going super slow on this neck business. I have no ego problem re: using my hands to hold the leg or my head until my neck gets up to speed. Speaking of which, I’m off for a massage — and I’m going to ask her to focus on my neck a good deal. :-)

  6. hi Karen
    i agree with Susan on how the two sides are not the same. my left side is the stubborn one. i do find that doing these LBH poses are very therapeutic. and i notice that when i do them i want to do more Urdvha Danurasanas. maybe because they are a counter to the LBH poses.

    can overly enthusiastic massage therapists cause pain or hurt one? i find yoga has not hurt me in many years. these days because good massages here are affordable, i’m getting one once a week. but invariably i end up with a pain. last week’s pain was in the left knee area. to describe what caused it would be painful. (someone did to my leg what you’re not supposed to do in LBH poses. that is, when setting up, or when you’re in it, you’re not supposed to rotate the leg. with the knee fixed, it could cause damage.) after today’s treatment the right shoulder hurts. yoga typically does not cause those pains. i have started speaking out and saying careful on areas. the language difference is a problem.

    for me pigeon is easier than hanumanasana, although i went further in hanumansana this week than ever before.

    hugs
    Arturo

  7. Akarna dhanurasana’s a brilliant prep! I think we get so caught up in rotation, we forget how far BACK the knee can go.

    Akarna dhanurasana is also very good for the waistline. I love this pose :)

  8. I love AD, too. Always have. Never much loved pigeon, though. So perhaps we can see that some people are more suited for the heavy rotation eka pada entry (version one in the Voices discussion), and others for the more hanumanish entry (version 2). Very interesting!

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