Eagle Pose (Garurasana) is the third posture in the Bikram sequence, and it's one of the most important. Eagle also challenges your balance, strengthens your legs, and requires surprising focus. Katie put it best in one of our old newsletters: "If you look after your eagle pose it will look after you." At Darlinghurst, we often spend extra time on Eagle during posture clinics because correct alignment makes such a difference. This guide covers everything you need to know to get the full benefits of this powerful compression posture.

Eagle's job in the sequence

It is an amazing posture for your joints, pelvis, vascular and reproductive systems and overall flexibility. It is the preparation for the next three balancing postures which require a tremendous amount of strength and concentration.

The arms

Cross your arms at your elbows & twist your arms like ropes. Create pressure between the top elbow and the bottom elbow by pressing downwards.

The legs and hips

Sit your hips down and keep them there. Lift your leg over your thigh muscle and point your foot towards the back of the opposite calf muscle. You may not get it fully twisted if you have tight hips or large quads muscles, but that's ok just point it in the direction you want it to go. Keep your stomach sucked in and you will remain balanced.

Patience, not muscle

This is not a posture to muscle into, but to be patient in. The movement needs to come from the hips, not the knee joint.

The compression-release effect

This posture creates compression throughout your body - arms twisted, legs twisted, everything squeezed together. When you release, fresh oxygenated blood floods into all the areas that were compressed. This tourniquet effect is part of what makes Bikram yoga so therapeutic.

Benefits of Eagle Pose

  • Increases blood to the heart, improving function, efficiency and detoxification
  • Releases neck and shoulder tension helping alleviates headaches, carpel tunnel and RSI
  • Increased blood flow to the reproductive system assisting with reproductive and menstrual conditions
  • If done correctly, will realign hip joints and spine
  • Good for adrenal glands and kidneys
  • Compression of the major joints to improve overall blood flow
  • Immune system booster

The short version

  • Cross arms at elbows first, then wrap like ropes for compression
  • Sit hips down low - don't stay standing high
  • Point wrapped foot toward back of standing calf muscle
  • Create pressure between elbows to maximise compression
  • Focus on one point for balance, keep stomach pulled in
  • Benefits include joint mobility and a genuine circulation boost
  • Compression-release mechanism floods tissues with fresh blood
  • Patience is key - tight hips or large quads make wrapping difficult initially

Practise Eagle at 185 Oxford Street, Darlinghurst. Call 0449 228 740 to book.