A Beginner’s Guide to Natrajasana

Balance and calmness are keys to a happy and peaceful life. Natrajasana is a perfect yoga pose that embodies both qualities. It is also known as the Dancer pose or Lord of the Dance pose. In Hindu mythology, Lord Shiva is the king of dance and known as Nataraja. Practicing Natrajasana has a positive impact on your overall body.

However, beginners might find it a little hard to execute the Natrajasana. Therefore, we have prepared a brief guide about Natrajasana. So, in this article, you will be reading about basic steps to practice Natrajasana and its variations. Furthermore, we have mentioned the major benefits of practicing this pose. Make sure you read till the very end.

How to Practice Natrajasana?

The Natrajasana consists of three vital movements. All other movements in this pose are categorized into these three major movements.

The first step is to stand in the Mountain pose.
Your pelvic floor should be in alignment with your shoulders, spine, and lower body.
Engage every little muscle in your body while standing tall on the yoga mat.
Balance your weight on your right leg and bend your left leg towards your back.
Lift the heel of your left high enough that your hand can grab onto your ankle.
Get a stronghold of your ankle and stand in this pose for a few seconds.
Make sure you breathe naturally while holding your ankle.
Slowly raise your right arm such that it reaches right in front of your right shoulder.
Bend from your hips and let your upper body bend forward.
Raise your left leg as high as possible without losing your balance.
Once your leg reaches the highest point, stay there before coming back to the neutral position.
Release the grip around your ankle and get hold of the other leg with the other hand.
Repeat the same process for a similar time frame on the right leg.

As you can see, Natrajasana is fairly easy to practice. However, the calmness, balance, and right breathing sequence required to practice this pose might be hard for some.

In that case, you can check out the following variation of the Natrajasana as a beginner. Read on

Variation of Natrajasana

To execute an easier variation of Natarasana, you need a chair. You can use any other object similar to a chair that comes up until your waist or thighs. The basic idea is to get hold of it while bending forward.

So, once you get the hold of your one leg with the same side arm, instead of freely bending forward, use a chair. Put the chair in front of you and use your free hand to hold it.

Use this prop to bend as far as possible without being afraid of tossing over. It is one of the best variations of Natrajasana you can practice if the other variation seems a little tough.

Benefits of Practicing Natrajasana

Beginners have plenty of questions and doubts in their heads about the significance of any yoga asana. Therefore, we assume a similar aura for Natrajasana. Therefore, to quench your search for why you should practice Natrajasana, make sure you check the following points.

Strong Leg Muscles

The Natrajasana is a standing yoga pose. Therefore, your leg muscles will be used every second you practice this pose. Hence, you get stronger leg muscles. Your legs get accustomed to bearing additional weight on a single leg.

Flexible Hamstrings

The moment you bend forward while holding your leg puts extra stress on your hamstring muscles. Therefore, it stretches the hamstrings and the surrounding muscles. Flexible muscles ensure you stay away from any sort of injuries.

Better Range of Motion of Shoulders

In Natrajasana, you bring your arm to your back by rotating your shoulder joint. It increases the range of motion of your shoulder joints.

Strong Lower Back

Bending forward from your hips puts minimum stress on your lower back. The repetitive action helps strengthen your lower back.