An illustration of
this posture, Natarajasana II or
Shiva's Dance, can be found in Asana
• Pranayama • Mudra • Bandha
by Swami Satyananda Saraswati. The book
is published by the Bihar School of Yoga
in Munger, Bihar, India. They publish a
lot of great books. I don't know if they
are available anywhere in the US or Canada.
We purchased quite a few at the Aurobindo
Ashram in Pondicherry, India.
This standing, balancing
spinal twisting posture is fun to lead in
a yoga class! It certainly requires a lot
of practice beforehand — especially
if you mirror postures as you are leading
them. The hand mudra is called the
Jnana Mudra (in some sources it is
referred to as the Chin Mudra).
Krishnasana
Krishna's Pose
This posture, Krishnasana
or Krishna's Pose is found in the same book
mentioned above. (They call it Natavara
asana).
It is a great
balancing postures for beginners. Everyone
can do a version of the posture!! I encourage
folks to keep the toe of the crossed over
foot on the floor if they require a little
extra support. The mudra is called the Apana
Mudra. Of course, an important detail
of the posture is the smile... Krishna is
a happy, playful fellow!!
Dhanuskasana
Archer
This posture was
taught to Kripalu residents during a training
in Kayavarohan, the site of a temple built
by Swami Kripalvanandji to honor his teacher
Swami Pranavanandji (Lord Lakulish).
The Archer posture
is a favorite of ours, and of our students.
It is very powerful! It is another
standing, balancing, spinal twist that everyone
can do. Beginners can separate their feet
a little wider for better balance. The mudra
for this posture is the Merudanda Mudra.
We encourage our students to maintain the
drishti (eye gaze on the mudra) during
the entire holding of the posture.
Check back again! We plan
to add a couple of postures to this page
whenever we have a few free minutes.
