Yoga offers many levels of difficulty and yogis of any skill can find poses within these levels challenging. Any pose can present mental and physical challenges. One of the hardest things that we learn as humans is how to adapt to the environment around us. Change is never easy, and with change comes internal struggles. However, as we push through these initial struggles, we start to overcome these challenges and poses become easier to perform. As we progress up the yogi ladder, we start looking for new challenges and limits to push our minds and bodies to the next level. If you are at this point, congratulations!
The following article showcases 5 of the most difficult poses for advanced yogis. These poses will challenge your mind and body and get you to the next level of yoga bliss.
See the article below and be sure to pass these along to anyone looking to take their yoga game to the next level.
A commonly challenging pose is the Scorpion Pose, otherwise known as Vrschikasana B in Sanskrit. This is a back-bend handstand with your legs angled behind you towards the crown of your head. A student will not master this without having patience and perseverance — both qualities required in yoga. In addition, one must overcome the fear of falling and letting go, which are huge parts of the yoga practice .
Tortoise
image source: yogabyjulia.com
Another difficult pose is the Tortoise, otherwise known as Kurmasana. This pose is seated in a forward, bending position with both legs behind your head and your hands interlaced behind your back. The difficulty stems from a level of surrender and flexibility that only the mind and the body working together can provide safely.
Mountain
image source: http://mom.girlstalkinsmack.com
The Mountain pose, known as Tadasana in Sanskrit, may look easy, because you are just standing, but in fact this is the base of all the yoga poses, including the more “difficult” ones above. The difficulty in this pose first comes from being conscious and aware that we need to make the change, which is not always easy to accept. Then the pose is challenging because to make the proper changes takes a level of focus and dedication to constantly remind your muscles to contract in the most optimal way.
Full Lotus
image source: yogaflavoredlife
Also known as Padmasana, Full Lotus is the most important of all the poses. The reason for this is that the intention behind all of the yoga poses is to become flexible and strong enough to be able to sit in a cross-legged position for an extended period of time. This is also the hardest position because we have so many distractions and “vrittis” (mental modifications in Sanskrit) that pull us away from our focus.
Asana: Any pose that you resist. In the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, it states “Sthira Sukham Asanam,” which means that one must achieve any pose that is comfortable and steady. In reality, how many poses are we really comfortable with? What’s comfortable for one person is challenging for another. Anything that feels limiting on any level will give the student the challenge they need in order to learn how to become limitless. Thus, any challenging pose must be approached with a strong, focused and flexible mind along with a strong, centered and flexible body. An open heart and a stable sense of core are always helpful as well.
