Names
Eka Pada Santulan, One Leg Balance
How to perform Eka Pada Santulan
Stand straight in Samastithi. Place your hands on your waist. Look straight and keep normal breathing. Check which of your nostrils is active by placing your hand in front of your nose. If your right nostril is active, lift your right leg up to the front until it is in a 90 degree angle. Find a focus point in front of your eyes and constantly look at this point to keep the balance. Stay in this position for 5 yogic breaths. Bring your right leg down again and repeat the same posture with the left leg.
After doing it to the front rise your right leg to the right side and hold this position for 5 breaths. Repeat it with the left leg to the left side.
Then bring the right leg backwards and after that the left leg. This is how you complete one round of Eka Pada Santulan.
You can repeat this exercise 3 to 5 times.
Benefits of Eka Pada Santulan
Eka Pada Santulan is a good exercise to stimulate and activate the first chakra, the Mooladhar Chakra.
It is a beneficial exercise and as it builds up, strengthens and shapes your whole leg: thighs, calves, ankles, hamstrings, hips and buttocks.
This pose can help against sciatica, lower back pain, thrombosis, slip disc problems or problems with spinal alignment.
Focus Points
The aim of this yoga pose is to bring the leg up to 90 degrees to your standing leg. In the meantime however you need to keep your back straight. Do not lean your body forward, backward or sideward while stretching your leg in the opposite direction.