Eka Padasana – One Foot Pose

Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose is a balancing asana. Eka Padasana is useful to improve neuro-muscular coordination of the body. Eka Padasana is a balancing pose and gives a sense of control of bodily movements to the practitioner.

The benefits of Eka Padasana can be understood by knowing how our muscular coordination works, to maintain the sense of balance. Our sense of body balance is controlled by the cerebellum. When we grow up, as a child, we first learn how to walk on two feet. It is a great balancing act by itself, which we learn with lot of trial and error. Yet, when we grow up, we take it for granted. Even though it looks like a simple act, it involves tremendous neural activity and neuro-muscular coordination to achieve it. This neuro-muscular coordination can become weaker either with age or with specific neurological conditions.

Yoga has many balancing asanas or poses which help to improve the neuro-muscular coordination. Each of the balancing asana have their own specific benefits. Eka Padasana can improve the sense of balance and strengthen the muscles of the legs and lower back.

How to do Eka Padasana (One Foot Pose)?

1. Stand straight and raise your hands above the head. Inhale while raising your hand, expanding the chest.
2. Interlock the fingers and hold the hands together.
3. Bend forward slowly with arms stretched out in front of you. Exhale while bending forward.
4. Simultaneously, raise the left leg and take it backwards.
5. Keep bending forward till your body is parallel to the ground. At the same time, take your left leg backwards so that it is perpendicular to the right leg.
6. The entire body weight is supported on the left foot alone.
7. In the final pose, the hands, body, trunk and legs are in a straight line, parallel to the ground. The whole body is perpendicular or at 90 degrees to the right leg looking like a “T”.
8. Maintain this position as per your comfort level. During the final position you can breathe normally. Concentrate on the sense of balance and try to maintain this position for as long as you can.
9. Repeat the same with the other leg, in which case the entire body weight is supported by the left foot alone.

 

Benefits of Eka Padasana (One Foot Pose)

1. Eka Padasana helps to strengthen the leg muscles.
2. It can give a good stretch to the muscles of the lower back.
3. Eka Padasana improves the sense of balance and develops nervous coordination.