Photo:@alexrorison
Benefits
As I get older, dad-asana (postures which allow me to get down and play with my two-year-old) are increasingly becoming key poses for my daily practice. Eka Pada Utkatasana is a peak pose for actively opening the hips, a gluteal stretch that improves core strength, proprioception and balance, strengthens the legs, ankles and feet, preventing falls, plus gives us heightened focus and concentration (dharana). It’s a great preparatory pose for arm-balancing postures such as Eka-Pada Galavasana (which I cannot do without this one first and at l east 3 0 minutes warm-up). For me, this is a much more beneficial pose than the often more popular one-legged pigeon on the floor as it is an active stretch where you control the pressure, rather than a passive stretch on the floor at the mer cy of gr avity and bone structure.