Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II Step-By-Step
- Start from a standing position at the front of your mat.
- Bring your hands to the mat in front of your feet and step your feet back, keeping your hips lifted, to move into downward-facing dog pose.
- Gaze between your hands.
- Bend your elbows to 90 degrees to lower your chest towards the ground then bring your right knee to rest on your right elbow.
- Come onto your toes on your left foot.
- Keep your core engaged as you turn your gaze to look forwards.
- Bring your forehead closer to the ground as you tip your weight forward and lift your back leg.
- Point the toes of your back leg away.
- Slowly straighten your right leg out to the left.
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II Quick Look
Sanskrit Name: Eka Pada Koundinyanasana II
Pose Type: Arm Balance Yoga Poses
Difficulty Level: Intermediate pose
Targets: Core, shoulders, wrists, glutes, hamstrings, quads
Benefits: This pose strengthens the arms, core, back, and legs while requiring you to deeply connect to your core and sense of balance.
Preparatory Poses: Chaturanga, Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I, noose pose, reclining hand-to-big-toe pose, side crow pose, crow pose
Notes
Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II is an asana that requires a lot of strength in the core, back, wrists, and shoulders.
Practicing this pose can give you a wonderful sense of self-confidence and can be a lot of fun to practice. Make sure that you’ve mastered crow pose and Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I before you practice this pose.
“Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II is significantly more challenging than Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya I,” says Yoga Answered contributor Keira Shepherd. “It will really help you to increase your overall strength and balance.”
Beginner’s Tip
Gaze forward when practicing this pose – if you look down, you’ll fall!
Bring a pillow or block underneath the head to serve as a resting place and help you feel more confident.
If you find that your shoulders are much lower than your elbows, bring a block underneath each shoulder.
Contraindications
- Avoid this pose if you have any injury to the wrists or shoulders.
- If you have any back pain, injuries, or problems, don’t practice this pose.
- Avoid when pregnant.
Variation
From resting your right knee on your right elbow, keep the knee bent instead of straightening it. You could also practice crow pose to work towards Pose Dedicated to the Sage Koundinya II.