The Stork Pose

One of the most all-encompassing yoga poses is the Stork Pose. The benefits of this particular exercise include increased concentration, muscular coordination, optimal stretch of the shoulder, arms, chest, toes, feet and stomach as well as correcting structural/postural faults.

The basic pose is as follows: Start either with your left or right foot. Stand on this one foot, bending slightly at knee. Place the sole of the opposite foot against inside of thigh. While balanced, place one elbow into the crook of the other. Turn your palms in and clasp fingers together, straightening your arms as high as possible. Breathe deep in through your nose and out through your mouth. Hold for about 30 seconds or a long 10 count. Switch which foot you are standing on and alternate your hand positions.

The most common errors when making the Stork Pose are that yoga practioners lean forward, disrupting their balance. Make sure your knees are not bent too much, but they should not be fully extended. Don't lock the knee the focus should be on using the muscles, not the joints to force the muscles to work harder and therefore become stronger. Be sure the spine is straight. There is a tendency to try to force flexibility by rounding the back. This is incorrect.

One way recommended for beginners is to begin the Stork Pose while seated. This eliminates 50% of your worries and you can focus only on the hands, spine and correct breathing technique. The simplest way to start is to use a comfortable chair, though more and more teachers are using a medicine ball since this forces the student to maintain balance while focusing on beginning technique. If sitting on a swiss ball, try to begin by crossing the right foot over your left knee. If needed, you can hold onto a wall for balance. Put your hands in proper position breath and raise your arms. As you progress, try leaning forward just slightly to deepen the stretch.

Yoga instructors that are very technical will tell practioners to not eat for 3 hours before doing these types of movements so the body is warm, relaxed and not busy digesting food. The pose should not be done after strenuous exercise. Some instructors recommend performing the pose at dawn to align your energies with that of the rising sun.