Hanumanasana: The monkey god leaping over the ocean pose

Yes!! Finally the the Hanumanasana -- not in its full glory or the way I would like it, but with the hands overhead, the biggest challenge in the pose, cracked at last. What a pose! I finally feel like I am indeed a yoga practitioner. My own belief is that the kind of mindset required -- givingness and an ability to push where u have not been -- can be reached with some poses that define your yoga practice. And those poses include the headstand, the seated forward bend, the scorpion, tortoise and this one, the monkey god leaping over the ocean pose... These are important to cultivate. And do happen with practice!

According to the Bihar school of yoga, this pose invites and defines flexibility, devotion and strength:) I like to think of having touched some of these in this pose, sure:)

To reach it takes a lot of belief and faith. Initially when u start on it, it feels like it will never happen.. I started out very very stiff, remember. So, to get here, feels like sheer heaven. And that bit about leaving the hands, and holding them aloft, calls for great strength from the legs, they hold u up, preventing a sideway's tilt. And that can cause immense pain in the saddle region..

The pose would be perfect if the back leg is more well-placed, and the foot bends sideways instead of remaining on toes (this creates a space that must be squeezed into, to reach deeper into the pose), so working myself towards that!

How to reach the pose?
Squats, and side splits, leg lifts, and anantasana, with intense stretch in the latter. The seated lunge is also a great way to go into this pose and if u work on that, it helps u deal with the pain.

The chakrasa activated in this pose:
Anahata (love, if u hold ur hands at the chest), ajna (intellect and intuition) and the mooladhara (the basic one, animal instincts, and in yoga when u work that chakra it means sublimating those energies for a higher goal:)

Happy sadhana!