I have just talked about how I started practicing yoga this year and how it has affected me physically and mentally. Spending time on the mat for a short time daily has brought such tremendous change within myself–I feel good physically, I gain mental clarity, and this spills over the decisions I make on a daily basis at work, at home, and even with how I eat and take care of myself.
Now, six months into the practice, I am pleasantly surprised to have unlocked a more complex pose called the kakasana or crow pose:
As you can see, still a little shaky and low but I feel so strong and proud of myself for being able to lift both my feet up! I thought I’d need a couple of years at least before I can do any of the more complex-looking poses. When I first tried kakasana some months ago (saw it while following one of Yoga with Tim’s videos) I all but gave up and decided I’ll try it again maybe in a year or two after, you know, I’ve had “enough yoga in me.”
I stuck to my practice, doing 30 minutes at least 5 days a week. After a few more months, I started to feel I can hold poses longer (vasisthasana or side planks used to make me feel like I wanted to die but now they’re more manageable), I learned to make adjustments to some poses according to my limits, and I still can’t hold my knees straight in either down-dog or forward-fold but I always try to watch my breath and alignment. Mostly, I’m just very happy to be blessed with the strength and opportunity to engage in this wonderful practice and let it enrich my life.
Then one day as I was browsing Reddit, I found a sub where someone was asking for tips on how to do the crow pose. One Redditor commented that kakasana is less about physical strength as it is about mental strength, and that anyone who can hold a plank for more than half a minute can unlock the pose.
I tried following his instructions and I got it after only about a couple of tries. I was so thrilled that I could do it! If you have also been struggling with kakasana, this is the link to this comment. I found the instructions on elbow placement and leaning forward really helpful. Gripping the floor as if your hands were claws was also a gamechanger. Let me know in the comments if it worked for you, too. 🙂
