FUNKY DRAGONFLY (funky parsva bhuja dandasana)
I think the English name is the better one, don't you? I doubt there is anything traditional about this pose really. The Funky Dragonfly is a modification of the pose Parsva Bhuja Dandasana which is an arm balance, a hip stretch and a deep twist. The funky adaptation makes the pose much more accessible to most as the foot on the floor helps take a lot of the weight off the arm. Make sure you warm up well and do these few poses to prepare the body: seated twist, seated pigeon, and maybe side crow. Here is how:
STEP-BY-STEP
1. Lie on your left, stacking hip over hip and ankle over ankle, with left forearm on the floor. Find your ujjayi breath and begin to breathe out to lift the pelvic floor and the lower belly in and up, and breathe in to the chest and upper back. Keep breathing this way to engage the core and protect the lower back spine.
2. Drop the right foot in front of the left thigh. Make sure that the right ankle is directly below the right knee, and the sole of the foot is firmly rooted into the ground (coffee table). Press the back of the right ankle and the left thigh against each other as you flex the left foot. Imagine the left foot pressing into a wall that is also pressing back into the foot. This will help to activate your deep core line.
3. Breathe out and allow the spine to round forward as you reach your right arm across your right shin toward the left foot. You might need to adjust the upper body (bringing it to nearly 90 degrees to the legs) in order to get your hand to your foot. Keep the pelvic floor and the lower belly drawn in and up to protect the spine.
4. Adjust your left arm so that you get the elbow as close to being directly under the shoulder as you can. Hug the elbow in.
5. Exhale, engage the core by lifting the pelvic floor and the lower belly, press down through your left forearm and your right foot, and press out through your left heel while hugging the left thigh up toward the hip joint, and lift your left leg and hip off the floor. Hold for as long as you want to!
6. Try the other side because one side is usually a little easier!
If you can't lift your leg and hip off the floor the first few times, don't feel bad. Keep practising and it will come! Enjoy.
STEP-BY-STEP
1. Lie on your left, stacking hip over hip and ankle over ankle, with left forearm on the floor. Find your ujjayi breath and begin to breathe out to lift the pelvic floor and the lower belly in and up, and breathe in to the chest and upper back. Keep breathing this way to engage the core and protect the lower back spine.
2. Drop the right foot in front of the left thigh. Make sure that the right ankle is directly below the right knee, and the sole of the foot is firmly rooted into the ground (coffee table). Press the back of the right ankle and the left thigh against each other as you flex the left foot. Imagine the left foot pressing into a wall that is also pressing back into the foot. This will help to activate your deep core line.
3. Breathe out and allow the spine to round forward as you reach your right arm across your right shin toward the left foot. You might need to adjust the upper body (bringing it to nearly 90 degrees to the legs) in order to get your hand to your foot. Keep the pelvic floor and the lower belly drawn in and up to protect the spine.
4. Adjust your left arm so that you get the elbow as close to being directly under the shoulder as you can. Hug the elbow in.
5. Exhale, engage the core by lifting the pelvic floor and the lower belly, press down through your left forearm and your right foot, and press out through your left heel while hugging the left thigh up toward the hip joint, and lift your left leg and hip off the floor. Hold for as long as you want to!
6. Try the other side because one side is usually a little easier!
If you can't lift your leg and hip off the floor the first few times, don't feel bad. Keep practising and it will come! Enjoy.
