Crow/Bakasana: Obstacle or Opportunity?

The idea of doing an arm balance seems daunting, dangerous and unachievable to my new yogini self.

To others, it might be an opportunity to jump right in, to play, to fall, consequences be damned. I often envy those people. From my vantage point, there is a bravery and a lightness to those who appear to have an eagerness to try, despite a very real possibility of falling on their face.

For those of us who proceed forward with extra care, crow pose symbolizes what’s waiting for us. Every time I come to my mat, crow pose is presented to me. It’s either an obstacle, an opportunity, a taunt, a gift. Some teachers call crow pose three times in a class. Each call asks for a response.

Crow requires you to set up the pose properly. Then it takes being game enough to look foolish, brave enough to chance toppling over, and committed enough to believe that practice will lead to growth. It might take years to lift both feet off the ground at once. It did for me. Sometimes teachers call this flying. And if you shift your weight just so, out of your comfort zone, into a new relationship with balance, it kind of feels exactly like that.