semisequitur

Cues to practice:

1. Begin standing in Mountain Pose (Tadasana), with arms by your sides.
2. Bend your knees slightly and shift weight onto your left foot.
3. Cross your right thigh over the left, wrapping the right foot behind the left calf if possible.
4. Extend arms forward at shoulder height. Cross your left arm over your right at the elbows.
5. Bend your elbows and bring the backs of your hands together—or wrap palms to touch.
6. Lift elbows slightly while dropping shoulders away from ears.
7. Draw your belly in and sit lower into the bent standing leg.
8. Gaze softly at a fixed point and hold for 5–10 breaths.
9. Unwind and repeat on the opposite side.

Alignment issues and cues:

The hips need to square forward rather than twisting the pelvis. Many students lean forward and round their spines when they should maintain a lift through the spine. Keep the elbows lifted to shoulder height rather than letting them drop. The standing knee should maintain a slight bend rather than locking. You want to sit deeply enough into the standing leg to truly feel the pose. When losing balance, students often tense the jaw and face—instead, soften and continue breathing.

Props or Modifications:

A nearby wall or chair can provide support. Keeping the bottom foot on the floor rather than hooking it behind the calf offers more stability. For those with balance challenges, practice Eagle arms only while standing in Mountain pose with feet hip-width apart, or sit in a chair to focus solely on the arm bind without the balance component. If wrapping the arms fully isn’t possible due to shoulder tightness or injury, simply cross the arms and hold opposite shoulders (giving yourself a hug), or hold a strap between the hands. For the legs, if hooking the foot isn’t accessible, simply cross one thigh over the other and keep the top foot on the ground. 

Chakras, Metaphors, Insights:

• Ajna (Third Eye) – Single-pointed focus, concentration, finding center amid complexity
• Muladhara (Root) – Grounding down through one leg
• Metaphor: King of the Birds. The eagle’s perspective—wrapping in toward center to find clarity and focus; binding ourselves up to discover freedom within constraint; seeing the bigger picture from above the fray