How to do an Eka Padasana or one-foot pose and what are its benefits?

The name Eka Padasasa is derived from Sanskrit where "Eka" means "one", "Pada" means "Feet" and "Asana" means "Posture" or "Posture". Eka Padasana is a very useful pose to improve the neuromuscular coordination of the body.

The one-foot posture is a posture of balance and gives a feeling of control of body movements. Eka Padasana is a very simple and easy yogasana or yoga pose, which is very good for beginners to practice and perfect for regular yoga practitioners.

 It goes a long way in reducing belly fat, and therefore helps get rid of that extra bump on your abdomen.

How to do Eka Padasana or the one-foot posture?

To practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose, you must first enter Tadasana.

Steps to practice Tadasana

1. To practice Tadasana in a standing position, stand up straight and keep your legs slightly apart from each other.
2. Raise your hands above your head and look directly while focusing on a point in front of you
3. Interlace the fingers of both hands and rotate them upward so that the palms face the ceiling / sky.
4. Take a deep breath and, while inhaling, stretch your arms, chest and shoulders up.
5. While practicing Tadasana, the gaze can be adjusted to look a little higher as you stretch.
6. Raise your heels so that the entire weight of your body is on your toes.
7. Stay in this position for 20-30 seconds.
8. Hold your breath while stretching.
9. As you breathe out, lower yourself to your original position.
10. This completes a round of Standing Tadasana.
11. You can practice Tadasana for 8-10 rounds.

Steps to practice Eka Padasana or a foot pose

1. To practice Eka Padasana or the one-foot posture, one must first enter Tadasana.
2. Then you must relax the body in a standing position with your feet together to enter the asana.
3. To reach the pose, raise your arms directly above your head and interlace your fingers palms down.
4. Make sure you lean forward slowly from your hips, keeping your trunk, head, and arms in a straight line.
5. You must lift your left leg back to reach Eka Padasana pose.
6. Be sure to keep the leg in a line with the trunk to reach the Eka Padasana pose.
7. The body should pivot from the right hip joint in such a way that the entire body is lifted off the hip joint.
8. In the final position, the left leg, trunk, head and arms are all in a straight, horizontal line. Make sure to keep all the mentioned parts in a straight line. Keep your spine straight while practicing Eka Padasana.
9. The right leg is straight and vertical. Also, be sure not to lie down with your knee while practicing Eka Padasana.
10. Focus your gaze on the hands or you can also close your eyes and focus on the center of the eye while maintaining the final Eka Padasana pose.
11. Hold the end position as long as possible and then slowly return to the starting position, i.e. Tadasana.
12. Get your breath back for a few seconds in Tadasana and start practicing the Eka Padasana pose again.
13. Repeat the movement with the other leg.
14. Beginners should try to stay in this position for 1-2 minutes or until their legs and feet start to feel discomfort.
15. Advanced practitioners should remain in this Eka Padasana pose for 3 to 4 minutes or for as long as they can.
16. Go back to Tadasana to relax a bit and start the practice again.

Breathing pattern to be followed while practicing Eka Padasana or one-foot posture

1. Inhale deeply as you raise your arms above your head while practicing this asana.
2. Exhale deeply as you bend to reach the end position so that your left leg, trunk, head, and arms are in a straight line.
3. While inhaling deeply, return to the center or to the starting position.
4. Hold your breath while holding the pose or you can if you are an advanced professional or if you are a beginner and cannot hold your breath, you can hold a normal deep breath after holding a few breaths.
5. Exhale deeply after releasing the Eka Padasana pose.

Benefits of practicing Eka Padasana or one-foot posture

1. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose strengthens and exercises the shoulders by using and making short, deep neck muscles and shoulder blades kick into action.
2. These muscles do not exercise often and can contain a significant amount of postural and subconscious tension, which is responsible for stiffness and pain.
3. Alternate tension and relaxation ease tension in your muscles and help you get rid of cervical spondylitis.
4. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also help to get rid of writer's cramp and stiffness in the shoulder or arm when practiced regularly.
5. Regular practice of Eka Padasana or one-foot posture relieves or loosens the vertebrae and stimulates the spinal nerves, alleviating back pain, low back pain, rounded back and dropped shoulders.
6. While the neck is fully stretched when practicing Eka Padasana or the one-foot pose, the toning of the organs is done in this region, thus regulating the thyroid gland and thyroid disorders.
7. Regular practice of Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose opens the shoulders and chest.
8. The spine becomes flexible when Eka Padasana or one-foot posture is practiced regularly and posture is also improved.
9. Regular practice of Eka Padasana or one-foot posture also helps relieve pain in the upper back.
10. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also help to get rid of menstrual discomfort. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also help to regularize the menstrual cycle in most women. Eka Padasana or one-foot posture Eka Padasana or one-foot posture also helps release tension in the ovaries.
11. With regular practice, Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose helps to get rid of respiratory diseases like  asthma,  etc.
12. Eka Padasana or one-foot posture aids in emotional healing and balance of the chakras. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also help to get rid of fatigue, anxiety and   mild depression .
13. The breathing pattern is balanced and enhanced with Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose, as it increases the ability of the lungs to retain oxygen.
14. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps reduce fat on the thighs and belly.
15. Eka Padasana or the one-foot posture improves blood circulation in the body and detoxifies the entire body.
16. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose helps and improves the digestion process, eliminates constipation and treats  indigestion  .
17. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose also helps heal pain in the lower abdomen areas and also relieves pain in the larger intestines

Preparatory and follow-up postures :-

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 pose, Shavasana, or the corpse pose, and this asana can also be done between asanas tilt back and forth.

Follow-up postures Eka Padasana: The different follow-up postures 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 Forward Fold Pose, Bitilasana or The Cow Posture, Chakrasana or Posture of the wheel, Sirsana or The head support and the handstand.

Consciousness while practicing Eka Padasana or one-foot posture:-

Physical awareness: Physical awareness while practicing Eka Padasana or one-foot posture must be synchronized with the movement and tension of the arms and the imaginary goal, or in normal breathing if the posture is maintained for a longer time.

Spiritual Awareness: Spiritual  Awareness while practicing Eka Padasana or one-foot posture must be in the Manipura Chakra or The Solar Plexus Chakra, which helps distribute positive energy in the body. The main energetic focus in this asana is on the 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 defend 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. When Manipura or the solar plexus chakra is balanced, the upper chakras are awakened and the energy that is released from the lower chakras finally reaches the seventh chakra, ultimately allowing full enlightenment.

Precautions and contraindications:-

People with severe back problems like Lumbago should not practice this asana without consulting a doctor and should always do so 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 the guidance of an expert

1. People with high or low blood pressure should not practice Eka Padasana or one-foot posture.
2. Those who suffer from insomnia should also not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose
3. People with migraines should not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
4. People with serious back or neck injuries should also not practice Eka Padasana or one-foot posture.
5. People with diarrhea should also not practice Eka Padasana or one-foot posture.
6. People who have hip problems or pain or who have had hip surgery in the recent past should also not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
7. If you have any questions about your condition, consult a doctor 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.
8. Don't try too hard when practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose. Don't push yourself beyond limits. See only what your body allows.
9. People with chronic spinal problems should not practice Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
10. It is most beneficial when you notice stretching in the muscles while maintaining the posture. Therefore, always be vigilant while practicing Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose.
11. People with chronic heart disease should not practice Eka Padasana or the one-foot posture.
12. People with chronic neck pain should also not practice Eka Padasana or one-foot pose.

Tips for practicing Eka Padasana or a posture of the foot:-

1. Do not overstretch while practicing the asana. Don't push your body beyond limits. See only what your body allows.
2. Make sure you are aware of stretching or tension in the neck, abdomen, and spine while breathing normally when practicing Eka Padasana or one-foot posture.
3. Make sure you are aware of stretching or tension in the neck, abdomen, and spine while breathing normally when practicing Eka Padasana or one-foot posture.
4. Eka Padasana or One Foot Pose could get a little complicated and can only be attempted after you have mastered the actual posture and if you are an advanced professional.
5. Support your raised leg by pressing your raised foot against a wall or hooking your front ankle over the top edge of a chair backward.

What’s Next

1. Learn how to do Supta Pawanmuktasana
2. Learn righ way to breathe in Yoga

Final Words

I hope you enjoy this  Eka Padasana or one-foot pose. Every time I do it I feel more aware of my body, I focus on the points of support, I feel the mat and the earth under my hands and feet. Is awesome!

Do you like and enjoy this posture as much as I do? Share your opinions by leaving a comment below. And if you think it could benefit another person close to you, post this article on Facebook, Whatsapp or Twitter. Thank you!