Yoga Pose
Flying Pigeon Pose / Eka Pada Galavasana
Eka means one. Pada means a leg. Galava is the name of a sage.
Technique
1. Perform Salamba Sirsasana II.
2. Exhale, place the right foot at the root of the left thigh in half Padmasana and bend the trunk till the legs are parallel to the floor.
3. Then bend the left leg at the knee. Take a few deep breaths. Exhale and rest the right foot on the back of the upper left arm. While placing the foot, turn it so that the toes point in the same direction as the fingers. Rest the right knee on the back of the upper right arm.
4. Secure the position of the right leg and take a few breaths. Stretch the left leg straight and keep it parallel to the floor.
5. Exhale and lift the body up by raising the head off the floor. The left leg remains straight and parallel to the floor. The elbows remain bent, the upper arms stay parallel to the floor and the forearms from the wrists to the elbows remain perpendicular to it.
6. Extend the neck and keep the head as high as possible. Stay in this position for a few seconds. Since the diaphragm is being pressed, breathing will be fast and laboured.
7. Bend the left leg at the knee, rest the head on the floor and again go up to Salamba Sirsasana II.
8. Take a few deep breaths and repeat the asana, this time bending the left leg to half Padmasana, placing the left foot on the back portion of the upper right arm and the left knee on the back portion of the left upper arm and raise the head off the floor. Stay for the same length of time on both sides. Return to Sirsasana again.
9. One can finish the pose by either lowering the legs to the floor or by moving into Urdhva Dhanurasana and then standing up in Tadasana. When one has mastered Viparita Chakrasana, this exercise is exhilarating after practising Urdhva Dhanurasana.
Effects
This pose strengthens the wrists. The abdominal organs are massaged
by the pressure of the foot against the abdomen.
Source : Light on Yoga by BKS. Iyengar.