This is not a very complicated pose and one can easily master it with regular practice and patience. The following steps need to be performed to do this pose
Start this pose by Tadasana which entails bending your knees slightly and then lifting your left foot up and balancing it on your right foot. Now cross your left thigh over the right and point your left toes toward the floor and press the foot back. Then hook the top of the foot behind the lower right calf and balance on the right foot.
Next stretch your arms straight forward keeping it parallel to the floor and then spread your scapulas wide across the back of your torso. Then cross the arms in front of your torso so that the right arm is above the left and then bend your elbows. Snug the right elbow into the crook of the left and raise the forearms perpendicular to the floor. While doing this the back of your hands should be facing each other.
Now press the right hand to the right and the left hand to the left so that the palms are now facing each other. The thumb of the right hand should pass in front of the little finger of the left. Now as much as possible press the palms together and lift your elbows up, and stretch the finger toward the ceiling.
You can stay in this pose for atleast 30 seconds and then unwind the legs and arms and stand in tadasana again. Repeat the same pose in reverse side.
The main anatomical focus of this pose is on maintaining balance while focusing on a fixed point.
Some of the therapeutic applications of this pose include sciatica, rheumatism, asthma, low backache and hydrocele.
There are several benefits of this pose. Some of them are as follows -
It helps to strengthen the ankles and calves and also stretches it.
It helps to stretch the thighs, hips, shoulders and upper back.
It is beneficial in improving concentration and helps to relax your body and mind.
It is also helpful in improving the sense of balance and coordination.
Even though it is a very useful and beneficial pose one needs to be careful with it as there are certain contraindications and cautions associated with it. It is best to avoid this pose if anyone has knee injuries or atleast avoid the full version of foot behind calf only across one leg over the other. It is also not very good for women with late term pregnancy or people with obesity as it causes issues with balancing. It should also be avoided by those who have a headache, medical conditions that affect balance and low blood pressure. More than this before trying out any pose of yoga it is always advisable to consult a trained yoga professional to understand the pros and cons of any pose for the individual.
One of the most common problems or difficulty the beginners face while doing this pose is to wrap the arms around until the palms touch. To overcome this stretch your arms straight forward, parallel to the floor while holding onto the ends of a strap. Another difficulty they face is to hook the raised leg foot behind the standing leg calf and then balance on the standing foot. To overcome this cross the legs and instead of hooking the raised foot and calf, press the big toe of the raised leg foot against the floor to help maintain your balance.
Originally this pose is supposed to be performed with a straight spine so that it represents the mythical bird Garuda, however some people make the spine round, which could either be a variation or a mistake. A challenging variation to this pose could be, once you are in the final position exhale and lean your torso into a forward bend, pressing the forearms against the top leg thigh. Hold for a few breaths, then come up with an inhalation and repeat it on the other side.
Simple modifications can make this pose more easy and interesting for those who are having issues with it. The wall can be used to place one hand for easier balance. To ensure that there is less hip stretch, avoid wrapping your toes around your calf and instead press the right big toe on the ground as the legs cross.
Some of the easy preparatory poses for this pose are as follows - Adho Mukha Svanasana, Gomukhasana, Prasarita Padottanasana, Supta Virasana. Supta Baddha Konasana, Upavistha Konasana, Virasana and Vrksasana.
Some of the easy follow up poses for this asana are the Gomukhasana, Utkatasana, Adho Mukho Vrksasana and Sirsasana. The arm position of this pose is useful in teaching how to widen the back torso in inverted poses, most of which are mentioned above.
To deepen the pose slowly bend forward resting your right elbow on the right knee. Also once you are in full pose look at the tips of your thumbs. Typically you will see that the thumb tips point a little bit off to the side of the upper arm. Press the mound of the upper thumb into the bottom hand and turn the tip of the thumb so that they point directly at the tip of your nose.