My own Mt. Everest - Chaturanga!

 

Every time I would hear about Chaturanga, I used to panic! I know Yoga is supposed to calm you, relax you and it's done to help you slow down in life. But Chaturanga was my personal Mt. Everest in my head. I had seen images, videos and I used to see the professionals perform it with such ease and finesse that the only thought was WHEN WILL I BE ABLE TO DO THIS? I would shriek and scream in my head. Much like the way I behave when I see people posting fancy videos and images of them doing Shirasana and variations of it. Nope, I still am stuck halfway. That I guess is a story for another day. So back to Chaturanga, I have a not very strong core and really weak shoulders. I am not the person who can just see videos, attend workshops, and master this pose in a day. No sir! But the next thing am I about to tell you will amaze you as much as it did to me. One day while watching and practicing to some of the other yoga videos a few weeks back, I could hold this pose for about two breaths. I still can't do 5 breaths, that's something I guess I will take another 3-4 years. If you have been reading or following this blog, by now you would know I am a VERY slow learner. Typically people take a few months, I do in years. So back to Chaturanga, yes I can do it and so can you! I worked my way through Ashtanga Namaskar and Dandasana and now I can do this. I am thrilled! Usually, a regular practice of Vinyasa flow will help you in mastering this. In my yoga practice, I practice Vinyasa 2 days a week and the rest are for Hatha. So if as a beginner you practice the flow for 3 days, you can do this. I am going to leave a video of Adriene's Chaturanga for beginners and would strongly advise you to practice it with caution. And here's wishing you a safe and sound practice. Namaskar!