What is your favorite/least favorite yoga pose?

Yoga Discussion General Yoga
#1

Ever wonder how some people lean towards specific poses that they really enjoy and avoid those that they aren’t comfortable in?

I tend to enjoy forward bends, headstand and camel pose. My least favorite are balancing poses.

When I first started yoga, I wasn’t great at balancing poses. Now I’m much better, and can actually hold tree pose for quite a long time. But it seems that I still don’t enjoy balancing as much as forward bends or camel pose.
I get a rush of energy when I do the poses I like.

I was reading a chakra book that explained a bit about this. Maybe because I sometimes lack energy, I’m leaning more towards chest opener poses.

What do you think? and what are your favorite/least favorite yoga postures, and why do you think so?

#2

I steer students away from this particular pattern.
Attachment (to poses) is raga while aversion to them is dvesha. These are two of the Five Kleshas which inhibit our ability to grow as beings.

Ergo it’s fine when students “like” poses but I don’t teach based on their preference nor do I practice based on mine. Likewise I don’t avoid poses simply because student’s have been conditioned to believe that discomfort equals avoidance.

Generally speaking, students who practice from or for the ego tend to “like” poses in which they are proficient and dislike ones in which they are not. It’s all driven by the inner anxiety of performance.

In the early years of my practice I did favor poses which replicated the feeling I got from competitive sport. Now my paradigm has shifted, as has my age:-) I try to find the Self in any pose I’m doing, be it Parsva Sirsasana or Savasana.

#3

Hi Lexi!

In my earlier years I tended to dislike the poses I was less flexible at and therefore had greater difficulty either at achieving or feeling comfortable in. For example I didn’t like one-legged downdog at first because my lifting leg barely lifted at first. But that didn’t deter me from the practice and doing the poses. I do yoga from video and if the pose was there in the video du jour I still still followed along and tried and as time went on I got more flexible and more comfortable and now I can lift my leg high and enjoy one legged downdog as much as the next pose. Now, though, years later and I have learned from yoga I can’t think of any poses I particularly “dislike” even if I do find difficulty with them or if I am still less flexible in the pose. I am more accepting. I enjoy the process in the meantime whether it’s a pose of ease, a pose of challenge, or a pose I need to sit out.

#4

I like the fish position.

#5

Hi there, I always tend to dislike the poses that I experience fear in such as bhujapidasana. Its been well over a year of practicing that particular pose and I still feel I have a lot of mind stuff going on during it!
I love inversions though as Im good at them :slight_smile:

#6

I do the poses I hate constantly until they become my favorite, then move on!
But I still hate down dog even though its the most over used posture :stuck_out_tongue:

#7

mine favourite is makarasan… I use to sleep in that pose so… :slight_smile:

#8

ok, though I don’t have any dislikes anymore (see above) favourites would be tree pose for its pleasant meditativeness, standing wide legged forward bend cuz it feels good, wheel for its specific challenge to me and “final spinal” twist when my back gives a good releasing crraaack. ;o)

#9

I am grateful for my [I]sweet and steady[/I] experiences while in [U]Samasthiti[/U] and [U]Utthita Trikonasana[/U]. lol, I am also grateful for my [I]sour and unsteady [/I]experiences…
[I]

[/I]

#10

I have lower back problems, so I do a lot of Bhujangasana (cobra). It’s provides relief when my back hurts and I find that I am able to achieve a very relaxed state in between repetitions.

#11

Inner Athlete, I like your thoughts on favouring poses and I laughed out loud open reading them. Only because I am guilty of it, as I think many of us are.

I think deep down we all have ones that we like better. It’s hard to avoid, especially when you feel so good doing them.

Crow, Tree, Pigeon, Headstand. I’m set. I’m balanced for the day.

I really want to work towards practicing the poses that I’m not so comfortable in. It’s hard to do, especially on your own, but so, so important.

I’ve been reading this forum for a while, and I’m happy to be posting now!

Emily.

#12

Thanks for posting Emily:)
You’re right that on your own it’s easy to do the poses that you enjoy, but at least when participating in a yoga class you get to practice the poses that you need to work on more.

#13

Like Chakrasana
Avoid Baka Dhyanasana

#14

Hi

I also enjoy Chakrasana and can’t do Baka Dhyanasana. I seem to have stronger legs than arms.

#15

I am in awe of y’alls knowledge of the proper sanskrit terms for poses I can’t seem to remember them away from the context of practice and even then I’m shaky… thank goodness for google images! :lol:

Discussing Baka Dhyanasana/Crow Pose, I too am less strong in the upperbody but funny, I actually find crow pose [I]not [/I]so much about strength but more about balance.

#16

I think it’s unavoidable that we will have favorite poses… and I think for each person there will be a different reason.

I tend to gravitate toward those that challenge me most, open my body in big ways and allow energy to flow better. I love halfmoon, as well as revolved halfmoon. Revolved Triangle, Bound Half Lord of the Fishes is awesome.

Ah, yoga is so great!

#17

Mountain Man, Looks like Calvin prefers FULL Moon pose!:lol:

#18

Hee hee.

Missi made a funny.

:lol:

Full moon pose is definitely my favorite.

#19

Don’t be in awe, I (and I think some others here as well) can hardly remember the sanskrit names myself, usually refer to books for the proper sanskrit. I was taught to use the english names and stick to that, but follow the general direction here on the Forum to call it by its sanskrit name. :slight_smile:

#20

I always ended up with lower back pain after doing push ups & leg lifts, someone suggested me to warmup with surya namaskar or hindu pushups & it worked like magic for me, I never had a pain again.

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