How To Do Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose & What are Its Benefits?

The name Eka Padasasa is derived from Sanskrit where “Eka” means “one,” “Pada” means “Feet” and “Asana” means “Pose” or “Posture.” Eka Padasana is a very useful pose to improve neuromuscular coordination of the body. One foot poase is a balancing pose and gives a sense of control of body movements. Eka Padasana is a very simple and easy yogasana or yoga pose, which is very good for the beginners to practice and perfect for regular yoga practitioners. It majorly helps reduce the belly fat thus helping you get rid of that extra bulge on your tummy.

After practicing the backward bending yogasanas which consume a lot of energy, Eka Padasana or the one foot pose can be performed to soothe, align, rebalance and calm the body, mind and soul. It is a counter asana for all the backward bending yogasanas. Eka Padasana or the one foot pose is a resting pose, however, takes practice to feel its benefits. This yoga pose should be done before the inverted asanas and is a very good forward bending asana that stretches both the back and your hamstrings. It is said that Eka Padasana or the one foot pose develops the mind and body and helps in improving concentration. It cools the body and improves the posture.

To practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose, one must get into Tadasana first.

• To practice Tadasana in standing position, stand straight and keep your legs slightly apart from each other.
• Raise your hands above your head and look straight while focusing on one point in front of you.
• Interlock the fingers of both the hands and turn them upwards in such a way that the palms are facing towards the ceiling/sky.
• Take a deep breath and while inhaling, stretch your arms, chest and shoulders upwards.
• While practicing Tadasana, the gaze can be adjusted to look a little above while stretching.
• Raise your heels in such a way that all the weight of your body is on the toes.
• Remain in this position for 20-30 seconds.
• Retain your breath while stretching.
• While exhaling, come down to your original position.
• This completes one round of Standing Tadasana.
• You can practice Tadasana for 8-10 rounds.

• To practice Eka Padasana or one foot pose, one must get into Tadasana first.
• Next, you must relax the body in the standing position with the feet together to get into the asana.
• To get into the pose, raise the arms directly above the head and interlock the fingers with the palms downward.
• Make sure that you bend forward slowly from the hips, keeping the trunk, head and arms in a straight line.
• You must raise the left leg straight back to get into the Eka Padasana pose.
• Make sure that you keep the leg in one line with the trunk to get into the Eka Padasana pose.
• The body should pivot from the right hip joint in such a way that the entire body is raised from the hip joint.
• In the final position the left leg, trunk, head and arms are all in one straight, horizontal line. Make sure you keep all the parts mentioned in a straight line. Keep your spine straight while practicing the Eka Padasana.
• The right leg is straight and vertical. Also, make sure that you do not bed your knee while practicing the Eka Padasana.
• Focus the gaze on the hands or you can also close your eyes and focus on the eye center while maintaining the final Eka Padasana Pose.
• Hold the final position for as long as possible and then slowly return to the starting position i.e. into Tadasana.
• Catch your breath for a few seconds in Tadasana and start practicing the Eka Padasana Pose again.
• Repeat the movement with the other leg.
• Beginners should try to stay in this position for 1-2 minutes or until your legs and feet start feeling discomfort.
• Advanced practitioners should stay in this Eka Padasana Pose for 3-4 minutes or for as long as you can.
• Come back in Tadasana to relax for a few breaths and start the practice again.

• Inhale deeply while raising your arms above your head while practicing this asana.
• Exhale deeply while bending to get into the final position in such way that left leg, trunk, head and arms are all in one straight line.
• While inhaling deeply, come back to the center or in the starting position.
• Maintain your breath while holding the pose or you can hold your breath if you are an advanced practitioner or if you are a beginner and unable to hold your breath, you can maintain a normal deep breath after retaining for a few breaths.
• Exhale deeply after releasing the Eka Padasana pose.

• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose strengthens and exercises the shoulders by using and making the short and deep muscles of the neck and shoulder blades into action.
• These muscles are not often exercised and can hold a significant amount of postural and subconscious tension, which is responsible for stiffness and pain.
• The alternate tensing and relaxing smoothes the tension in the muscles and helps you in getting rid of cervical spondylitis.
• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps in getting rid of writer’s cramp and shoulder or arm stiffness when practiced regularly.
• Regular practice of Eka Padasana or the one foot pose relieves or loosens up the vertebrae and stimulates the spinal nerves, relieving backache, lumbago, rounded back and drooping shoulders.
• While the neck is fully stretched when practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose, toning of the organs is done in this region thus regulating the thyroid gland and thyroid disorders.
• Regular practice of Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose opens up the shoulders and chest.
• The spine becomes flexible when practicing Eka Padasana or the one foot pose regularly and the posture is also improved.
• Regular practice of Eka Padasana or the one foot pose also helps in alleviating pain in upper back.
• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps in getting rid of the menstrual discomfort. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps in regularizing the menstrual cycle in most women. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose Eka Padasana or the one foot pose also help in releasing tension in the ovaries.
• With regular practice, Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose helps in getting rid of respiratory ailments like asthma etc.
• Eka Padasana or the one foot pose helps in emotional healing and balancing the chakras. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps in getting rid of fatigue, anxiety and mild depression.
• The breathing pattern is balanced and improved with Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose, as it increases the capacity of the lungs to retain oxygen.
• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps in reducing fat from thighs and belly.
• Eka Padasana or the one foot pose improves blood circulation in the body and detoxifies the entire body.
• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose helps and betters the process of digestion, clears constipation and treats indigestion.
• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps in healing pain in the lower areas of the abdomen and also relieves pain in the larger intestines

Preparatory Poses for Eka Padasana: The various preparatory poses to be practiced before Eka Padasana or the one foot pose are Tadasana or the Palm Tree pose, Shavasana or The Corpse Pose and this asana can also be done between practicing backward and forward bending asanas as well.

Follow Up Poses Eka Padasana: The various follow up poses to be practiced after Eka Padasana or the one foot pose are Adho Mukha Svanasana or The Downward Facing Dog, Vajrasana or The Diamond pose, Uttanasana or The Standing Forward Bend Pose, Bitilasana or The Cow Pose, Chakrasana or The Wheel pose, Sirsana or The Head Stand and The Handstand.

Physical Awareness: The Physical Awareness while practicing Eka Padasana or the one foot pose should be on the breath synchronized with the movement and the tensing of the arms and the imaginary target, or on the normal breath if holding the pose for a longer duration.

Spiritual Awareness: The Spiritual Awareness while practicing Eka Padasana or the one foot pose should be on Manipura Chakra or The Solar Plexus Chakra, which helps in distributing positive energy in the body. The primary energetic focus in this asana is on Manipura Chakra, or the Solar Plexus Chakra.

This is where our personal power lies. It is also the place, which helps us deal with various emotions and learn to stand up for ourselves without being overly sensitive or aggressive. By keeping a focus on the Manipura or The Solar Plexus Chakra, we can have a healthy life when this chakra is balanced. As Manipura or The Solar Plexus Chakra is balanced, the higher chakras are awakened and the energy that is released from the lower chakras eventually reaches the seventh chakra, which ultimately allows full enlightenment.

People with severe back issues like Lumbago should not practice this asana without consulting a physician and should always be done under the guidance of a yoga expert.
People with enlarged thyroid should also consult before practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose and should perform it under expert guidance.

• Do not tense your back while practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
• People with high or low blood pressure should not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
• Those suffering from insomnia should also not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose should not be practiced by people suffering from Migraine.
• People with serious lower back or neck injuries should also not practice Eka Padasana or the one foot pose.
• People with Diarrhea should also not practice Eka Padasana or the one foot pose.
• People who have any issues or pain in their hips or have had any hip surgeries in the recent past should also not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
• If you have any doubts about your condition, consult a physician before practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose and always practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose under the supervision of a trained yoga expert.
• Do not over-exert yourself while practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose. Do not push yourself beyond the limits. Go only as far as your body allows.
• People suffering from chronic spinal problems should not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
• It is most beneficial when you stay aware of the stretches in the muscles while holding the pose. So, always remain aware while you are practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
• People with chronic heart conditions should not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
• People with chronic neck pain should also not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.

• Do not overstretch yourself while practicing the asana. Do not push your body beyond the limits. Go only as far as your body allows.
• Make sure that you are aware of the stretch or tension in the neck, abdomen, and spine while breathing normally when you are practicing Eka Padasana or the one foot pose.
• Make sure that you are aware of the stretch or tension in the neck, abdomen, and spine while breathing normally when you are practicing Eka Padasana or the one foot pose.
• Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose could get a little complicated and can be attempted only after you have mastered the actual pose and if you are an advanced practitioner.
• Support the lifted leg by pressing the raised foot against a wall or hooking its front ankle over the top edge of a chair back.