Dancer's Pose with Yoga Strap
Natarajasana
The Dancer’s Pose, or Natarajasana, with Yoga strap, strengthens the feet, ankles, legs, abdomen, back and arms, Opens the front of the body and the shoulders, and improves balance and focus. Use of a Yoga strap improves access to this pose.
TYPE
Balancing
DIFFICULTY
Beginner
MOOD
Energising
The Dancer's Pose can be done by:
1. Begin by standing in Mountain pose (Tadasana).
2. Press firmly and evenly through your feet. Find a spot to look at on the floor or earth in front of you with a soft gaze.
3. With a soft bend in the left knee, bring your right foot towards the backside.
4. Create a loop with the Yoga strap and use the right hand to loop it over the top of the right foot.
5. Bring the strap over the right shoulder from the back and hold with one or both hands.
6. Make sure the knee and the ankle stay in line with the hip. Draw them in towards the hipline.
7. Straighten the left leg and hug the muscles to the bones in that leg to make it strong.
8. Keep the torso upright and the chest/heart open. Lengthen your tailbone down.
9. Move the hand/s down the strap to deepen the pose. Point the elbows to the ceiling with the forearms coming down the back.
10. To come out of the pose, gently release the strap and bring the leg down.
11. Repeat on the other side.
OPTIONS
• If the stretch of the back or shoulder is too strenuous, lengthen the strap and use the arm next to the body instead of over the shoulder.
• If you feel unbalanced, use one hand and use the other hand to steady yourself using a wall, or a chair.
• If doing this pose without the Yoga strap, bring the left arm next to the ear and take hold of the right foot (from the inside of the foot or the outside).
CAUTIONS
Read the following cautions to stay safe:
• Do not perform the bend of this pose if you have a back injury.
• Never push too far in a pose. Find your edge, but don't move past it. You should feel the pose working in the body, but still be able to breathe deeply and find some ease in the pose.
• This is a strong backbend, make sure you are properly warmed up and prepared before attempting this pose. Try using heart-melting/puppy pose to warm up the shoulders, and a sequence like cow/cat (Bitilasana/Marjaryasana) to warm up the spine, and crescent lunge (Ashta Chandrasana) to warm up the hip flexors, quadriceps and legs.
• Don’t lock the knee on the standing leg. Use a micro-bend to avoid locking the knee.
• If you are concerned about anything with this pose, please consult a physician about whether this practice is good for you.