Asana Column: Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose)

Find the interplay between effort and ease in this challenging arm balance.

By Beryl Bender Birch

Many years ago, when I first began studying the Yoga Sutras, I found it hard to believe that Patanjali, the sage who set down the core teachings of yoga, had so little to say about asana practice. Only two of the 195 verses in his classic text even mention asana, and only one hints at what asana is supposed to be. Sthira sukham asanam, Patanjali said: "A yoga pose is a steady, comfortable position." I didn't want to be disrespectful of the esteemed Patanjali, but I couldn't help thinking, That's it? Here's this great scholar, and that's all he's going to say? How could something so big, like the practice of asana, be contained in something so small?

For months, this one verse was like a mantra in my mind. Round and round it turned. Sthira and sukha, sthira and sukha; steady and comfortable, steady and comfortable. Then one day while practicing Parsva Bakasana (Side Crane Pose), I experienced one of those "aha!" moments. After months of struggling with the pose, building strength, opening my hips, working with the breath and the bandhas (internal energy locks), I hit the pose exactly. For a couple of seconds, I was balanced perfectly between sthira and sukha, between the energetic opposites of standing firm and letting go. In that moment, it dawned on me that this simple directive held the key not just to asana but to everything we do in life.

In asana practice, we begin to understand this delicate balance in the physical realm through our efforts on the mat. In difficult postures like Parsva Bakasana, which puts us literally off-center, we are pushed to explore our limits and move into unfamiliar territory yet maintain a balance between steady, laserlike attention and soft surrender. (Sometimes the yielding is wicked difficult and the standing firm is easy; sometimes it is the other way around.) This training in asana takes us into the deeper limbs of yoga, like dharana (concentration), in which we begin to see just where and when we need more sthira and more sukha.

Gradually, the effects of this splendid training spill over into all areas of our lives. We begin to develop a sense of how we can find balance in life off the mat; we begin to know when to take action and when not to take action, when to stand our ground and when to yield.

To help us explore this balance, I've picked out four postures that can assist us in our journey toward Parsva Bakasana: Marichyasana I (Pose Dedicated to the Sage Marichi I), Bhujapidasana (Shoulder-Pressing Pose), a modified version of Pasasana (Noose Pose), and a movement that serves as a transition from the Pasasana variation to Parsva Bakasana.

In the Ashtanga Yoga system that I practice and teach, we precede the first of these postures, Marichyasana I, with Sun Salutations, standing postures, and a variety of forward bends. No matter which style of yoga you prefer, I recommend that you do some Sun Salutations and at least 30 minutes of uninterrupted practice prior to attempting this Parsva Bakasana practice. Beginning in this way will give your body time to loosen up and will get your prana (vital energy) flowing.

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