Our lives are full of things we can objectively accomplish, and sometimes we make yoga one of those things. We might see a posture like Astavakrasana (the eight corners posture) and instead of asking “How can this asana help build strength?” or “How can I explore a subjective physical challenge without getting closer to an end goal?” we’re more likely to ask “How can I achieve this cool form?”
The result is a posture that, upon closer inspection, roughly represents the asana but does not truly embody it.
Preparing for the Eight-Angle Posture
Let’s break down the “eight-angle posture” into its essential elements. Most of the body’s weight rests on the arms, and the external rotation muscles are engaged and go no further than a chaturanga. If you find a stable chaturanga difficult, it is obvious that it is even more difficult to perform a chaturanga with more weight, for a longer period of time, and in a complex balance posture!
Also, the Eight Angle Pose is a very important twist where the pelvis and chest are almost at a 90-degree angle to each other. You’ll need more than a little abdominal strength to lift your butt off the ground – exactly how much you need depends on your personal proportions and weight distribution.
This means that your short- and long-term preparations for the figure eight position need to take these factors into account. However, these factors are relatively obvious, and instead, I’d like to address some less obvious actions that are often forgotten and overlooked.
Use Your Legs
Pay particular attention to the use of your inside legs. When the opportunity presents itself, many yogis turn their legs outward at every opportunity to create a bit of height or drama; think of a dog being turned downward in two parts, with lots of drama, ballet points, and twists! There’s nothing wrong with that per se, but the force in the other direction is often overlooked. We want the adductors, which pull the legs to the center of the mat, to be activated.
In the eight-angle yoga pose, I encourage the legs to put active pressure on the arm; this is not very difficult for the top leg, but the bottom leg wants to swing freely. By crossing the angles and putting the bottom leg up, you have a little more weight to create the juicy pressure that makes you feel strong in this pose.
Stretch the Upper Back
The second, less noticeable effect of this arm balance (and many others) is to create a sense of stretch in the upper back as the arms bend to form a strong, stable chaturanga. If you don’t remember to lengthen the front of your torso and tighten the back of your torso, your shoulders will likely sink toward the floor, which is not a good action, especially if you’re doing a weight-bearing arm balance. Before attempting to teach or perform this action in a challenging posture, it is advisable to become familiar with it in more accessible postures such as Plank, Chaturanga, Virabhadrasana III (Warrior III Posture) or even Tadasana (Mountain Posture). If it helps you learn, you can also imagine a circle of energy moving down the front of your torso and back.
How to Correctly Perform the Eight-Angle Yoga Position
When practicing this arm balance, think about the intention behind the exercise, not the form you are trying to achieve.
To recap: Here are the most important elements to keep in mind when attempting the Eight Angle Pose:
- Find a stable Chaturanga base that you can hold without your chest dropping below elbow height.
- Create length and lift in the front of your body and a sense of stretch in your upper back.
- Cultivate a wide, even rotation of the spine.
- Develop strong core muscles so you can lift yourself.
- Tighten your adductors by using an ankle brace for leverage.
