ANATOMY STUDIES FOR YOGA TEACHERS
  • HOME
  • ONLINE STUDY
  • ABOUT US
  • STUDENT RESOURCES
    • The ASFYT Series >
      • ASFYT-1 >
        • Orientation for Home-Study Students
        • S1 Intro to Kinesiology >
          • S1 Quiz
        • S2 Overview of the Skeletal System >
          • S2 Quiz
        • S3 Classification of Joints >
          • S3 Quiz
        • S4 Leg Ankle Foot >
          • S4 Quiz
        • S5 Hip Thigh Knee >
          • S5 Quiz
        • S6 Pelvis >
          • S6 Quiz
        • S7 Shoulder Girdle and Arm >
          • S7 Quiz
        • S8 Elbow Forearm Wrist Hand >
          • S8 Quiz
        • S9 Axial Skeleton (Bones) >
          • S9 Quiz
        • S10 Axial Skeleton (Joints) >
          • S10 Quiz
        • S11 Bone Lab
        • S12 Massage Moves for Yoga Teachers I (Shiatsu-Based)
        • Final Exam (ASFYT-1)
      • ASFYT-2 >
        • M1 Overview of Muscular System >
          • M1 Quiz
        • M2 Muscles of the Leg >
          • M2 Quiz
        • M3 Muscles of the Thigh >
          • M3 Quiz
        • M4 Muscles of the Pelvis >
          • M4 Quiz
        • M5 Muscles of the Shoulder and Arm (Part 1) >
          • M5 Quiz
        • M6 Muscles of the Shoulder and Arm (Part 2) >
          • M6 Quiz
        • M7 Muscles of the Forearm >
          • M7 Quiz
        • M8 Muscles of the Posterior Trunk and Neck >
          • M8 Quiz
        • M9 Muscles of the Anterior Trunk and Neck >
          • M9 Quiz
        • M10 Roles of Muscles >
          • M10 Quiz
        • M11 Neuromuscular System and PNF Stretching
        • M12 Massage Moves for Yoga Teachers (Myofascial-Based)
        • Final Exam (ASFYT-2)
      • ASFYT-3 >
        • K1 Seated Postures
        • K2 Sun Salutation Postures (Part 1)
        • K3 Sun Salutation Postures (Part 2)
        • K4 Side Facing Standing Poses
        • K5 Forward Facing Standing Poses
        • K6 Balancing Postures
        • K7 Prone Backbends
        • K8 Core Strengthening Postures
        • K9 Inversions
        • K10 Supine Backward Bends
        • K11 Hip Openers
        • K12 Seated Forward Bends
    • Short Course (for RYT200)
    • Printing and Saving Quiz Results

The ASFYT Blog

Yoga anatomy related articles and videos for yoga teachers and movement professionals seeking to learn more about functional anatomy, biomechanics, common injuries and the anatomy of yoga asana.

prepping for eka pada galavasana

9/16/2013

1 Comment

 
PictureSteward Noack, House of Indulgence Photography
Check out this fun little video that I put together awhile ago showing a posture progression that prepares for Eka Pada Galavasana, Flying Crow.  I’ve updated this post to include some bullet points after the video indicating which muscles need to be stretched, and which postures you can stretch them in.

MUSCLES THAT NEED TO BE STRETCHED
The main muscles to stretch as preparation for this posture include:

The Extensors of the Front Hip
The front thigh is deeply flexed in Eka Pada Galavasana, so spending some time stretching the hip extensors (gluteus maximus, posterior fibers of gluteus medius and adductor magnus) first can help you get into it more easily.   A great stretch for the hip extensors is Lizard pose, but these muscles can also be stretched in Balasana (Child’s pose), Malasana (Garland pose) and supine Happy Baby pose.
Lizard Pose
Balasana (Child's pose)
Malasana (Garland pose)
Happy Baby
Photography by Steward Noack, House of Indulgence

The Medial Rotators of the Front Hip
The front thigh needs to be able to laterally rotate quite a bit in order to get into Eka Pada Galavasana, so we should stretch the muscles that are capable of medially rotating the hip, including the piriformis, tensor fascia latae (TFL) and gluteus medius (anterior fibers).   Remember that the piriformis becomes a medial rotator when the thigh is flexed more than 60° (see our piriformis post for more info on that), so if it’s tight it will limit lateral rotation and pretty much make Flying Crow an impossible endeavor.  While the TFL and anterior fibers of gluteus medius are somewhat on the slack due to the deep hip flexion involved in Flying Crow, we should stretch them none-the-less due to the substantial amount of lateral rotation required for this posture. 

To stretch all of the above muscles you could practice Sukhasana, Thread-the-Needle, the Z-Sit, Ankle-to-Knee,  Supine Ankle-to-Knee, Pigeon and variations,  Gomukhasana and the prep position for Flying Crow.   I’m a big fan of the Z-Sit as it provides a safe, effective way to stretch the piriformis and is a great alternative for those who have knee pain in Pigeon. 
Sukhasana
Thread-the-Needle
The Z-Sit
Ankle-to-Knee
Supine Ankle-to-Knee
Pigeon
Gomukhasana
Flying Crow Prep
Photography by Steward Noack, House of Indulgence

Hip Flexors (Back Hip)
While the hip flexors (e.g., iliopsoas, TFL, and sartorius) of the back hip aren’t really stretching in Eka Pada Galavasana, if you spend some time stretching them before going into the posture it may make it easier to extend the back thigh at the hip when the time comes.  Some of the postures that stretch the hip flexors include Warrior I, Low Lunge, King Dancer and Bow pose.
Warrior 1
Low Lunge
Dhanurasana (Bow pose)
Natarajasana (King Dancer)
Photography by Steward Noack, House of Indulgence
If you practice the sequence in the video let me know how it goes, and feel free to leave any questions or comments below.

Picture
This post brought to you by: Jason Ray Brown


10 Responses to Prepping for Eka Pada Galavasana (Flying Crow)
The following responses were copied over from the original blog post:

Anna September 18, 2013 at 1:28 pm
Hi Jason - What a great resource and tool. I have been hoping to take your course over the years, but need to plan for it in my schedule.  Maybe next year. Thanks for such a great outline and sequencing tips.

    Jason Ray Brown
September 19, 2013 at 11:19 am
    Thanks Anna! Hope that you can join us for class sometime, when you’re ready.

clavel September 18, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Great work and inspiring! Thank you for the support to the practice

    Jason Ray Brown
September 19, 2013 at 11:19 am
    You’re super welcome, Clavel.

Gwadsicat September 19, 2013 at 12:07 am
Amazing! Many thanks!  This will be the week’s focus!   Namaste

    Jason Ray Brown
September 19, 2013 at 11:21 am
     That’s great, Gwads. Have fun!

Gwadsicat September 20, 2013 at 12:54 am
Hi Jason, I am Guadalyn Sicat of the Philippines. I would like to share my path to yoga sometime.  I am a physical therapist by profession and also have a yoga studio nearby the clinic.   I would love to take some of your courses.

Alyssa Byrd September 22, 2013 at 6:39 pm

Jason, What an informative site–thanks so much for sharing what you know! Recently I have come into greater awareness of the piriformis, and dysfunctions commonly associated with it. I just finished a yoga internship with a new modality “balanced yoga motions” (BYM) blending traditional yoga and intense small muscle movement for short repeated intervals. On the first day of class we learned that many people walk with piriformis as a primary mover along with gluteus medius, instead of gluteus maximus, which is ideal to power walking as they actually provide an ideal ratio of power and conservation of energy. Your site provides many more valuable perspectives to view the piriformis from. 

many thanks~ alyssa

Sue September 23, 2013 at 2:34 pm
Great fun video. won’t get as far as flying but will do the prep. thanks
1 Comment
Rebecca link
6/19/2015 01:04:28 am

Hey hey Jason! So much fun seeing you I can hear you teaching in my head- LOL! Thank you for the inspiration...cheers to Frances, hugs, R

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Anatomical Terms
    Anatomy For Yoga
    Anatomy Of Asana
    Audio
    Bony Compression
    Coupled Movements
    Cross Training
    Cross-training
    Dhanurasana
    Downward Facing Dog
    Forearm Stand
    Group Discussion
    Hands On Assists
    Hands-On Assists
    Hip Opening
    Injuries
    Injury Prevention
    Interviews
    Knee Safety
    MUSCLES
    Quadriceps
    Revolved Chair
    Revolved Triangle
    Scapulocostal Joint
    Scapulohumeral Rhythm
    Shoulder Impingement Syndrome
    Shoulder Joint
    Triangle Pose
    Trikonasana
    Twisting
    Twists
    Upward Facing Dog
    Video
    Virasana
    Warrior 1
    Warrior 2

    Archives

    August 2017
    July 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    January 2016
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    August 2014
    April 2014
    February 2014
    September 2013
    August 2013
    August 2010


NAVIGATION

About Us
Blog
Student Resources
Picture

Contact Us


REFUND POLICY
TERMS OF SERVICE
PRIVACY POLICY
  • HOME
  • ONLINE STUDY
  • ABOUT US
  • STUDENT RESOURCES
    • The ASFYT Series >
      • ASFYT-1 >
        • Orientation for Home-Study Students
        • S1 Intro to Kinesiology >
          • S1 Quiz
        • S2 Overview of the Skeletal System >
          • S2 Quiz
        • S3 Classification of Joints >
          • S3 Quiz
        • S4 Leg Ankle Foot >
          • S4 Quiz
        • S5 Hip Thigh Knee >
          • S5 Quiz
        • S6 Pelvis >
          • S6 Quiz
        • S7 Shoulder Girdle and Arm >
          • S7 Quiz
        • S8 Elbow Forearm Wrist Hand >
          • S8 Quiz
        • S9 Axial Skeleton (Bones) >
          • S9 Quiz
        • S10 Axial Skeleton (Joints) >
          • S10 Quiz
        • S11 Bone Lab
        • S12 Massage Moves for Yoga Teachers I (Shiatsu-Based)
        • Final Exam (ASFYT-1)
      • ASFYT-2 >
        • M1 Overview of Muscular System >
          • M1 Quiz
        • M2 Muscles of the Leg >
          • M2 Quiz
        • M3 Muscles of the Thigh >
          • M3 Quiz
        • M4 Muscles of the Pelvis >
          • M4 Quiz
        • M5 Muscles of the Shoulder and Arm (Part 1) >
          • M5 Quiz
        • M6 Muscles of the Shoulder and Arm (Part 2) >
          • M6 Quiz
        • M7 Muscles of the Forearm >
          • M7 Quiz
        • M8 Muscles of the Posterior Trunk and Neck >
          • M8 Quiz
        • M9 Muscles of the Anterior Trunk and Neck >
          • M9 Quiz
        • M10 Roles of Muscles >
          • M10 Quiz
        • M11 Neuromuscular System and PNF Stretching
        • M12 Massage Moves for Yoga Teachers (Myofascial-Based)
        • Final Exam (ASFYT-2)
      • ASFYT-3 >
        • K1 Seated Postures
        • K2 Sun Salutation Postures (Part 1)
        • K3 Sun Salutation Postures (Part 2)
        • K4 Side Facing Standing Poses
        • K5 Forward Facing Standing Poses
        • K6 Balancing Postures
        • K7 Prone Backbends
        • K8 Core Strengthening Postures
        • K9 Inversions
        • K10 Supine Backward Bends
        • K11 Hip Openers
        • K12 Seated Forward Bends
    • Short Course (for RYT200)
    • Printing and Saving Quiz Results
Live Chat Support ×

Connecting

You: ::content::
::agent_name:: ::content::
::content::
::content::