Baddha Natarajasana or King Dancer Pose B

Baddha Natarajasana at a Glance

How to Do Baddha Natarajasana?
Follow the Step-by-Step Procedure

Baddha Natarajasana or the king dancer pose, is a glorious heart opener that is a combination of strength, balance, and stability which leads to mental and physical peace.

• Bound lord of dance pose is a balancing pose and a challenging pose, prep your body before you enter into the pose. Do some gentle stretching to open up your hips, shoulders, and quadriceps, which can avoid any injury while doing this pose.
• At first in the standing position, stand straight in the Tadasana pose (mountain pose), keeping your feet, hip-width apart, and hands by the side of your body. Keep yourself grounded through the heel and toes of your feet.
• Inhale deeply bring your balance to the right foot (one leg) and slowly lift your left foot from the ground, bending it from the knee fold it back, and let your left heel touch the buttock.
• Keeping your body straight, bring your left arm (left hand) back and catch hold of the left foot (inner arch of left foot) firmly.
• Raise your left foot away from your body (leg backward) and stretch the left thigh ( at the hip joint) till it is parallel to the ground at the same time, extend your right hand straight in front of you, parallel to the ground and in line with the shoulder.
• Your right leg (standing foot) should be strong and stable foundation.
• This pose is the Natrajasana pose, from here bring your right arm, reach the raised leg, and catch hold of the foot or the toe.
• Both the shoulders will be externally rotated forming a deep backbend and opening up the chest. Your elbows would point upward.
• The left leg (bent leg) is still lifted with an exhale, keeping your chin away from the chest your head slightly lifted and your neck stretched.
• Fix your gaze at a steady point keep breathing and hold the pose for a few breaths within your comfort level.
• When you want to release, inhale and slowly release the arms one by one and the leg and relax with gentle breaths, and shake your legs before you do it on the other side.
• Repeat the same procedure with the right leg, holding with your right arm and balancing on your left leg.
• You can do the relaxing poses, Relaxing Follow-up Poses King Pigeon Pose One Foot Upward Plank Pose.

What are the Benefits of Baddha Natarajasana?

• Once you start doing this pose, you become more fearless, balanced, and confident with your inner self.
• It helps to strengthen and stretch the hamstrings, hips, shoulders, and arms.
• It helps to open your chest increases your lung capacity and strengthens your back muscles.
• It helps to strengthen your knees and improves their flexibility level.
• It also acts as a deep hip opener as the legs are wide apart.
• It creates balance and stability and improves your focus and concentration level.
• Regular practice of this pose can help to reduce the extra weight near your abdominal area and your thighs.
• Bound dancer pose, is good to enhance your physical and mental balance, which helps to relieve stress and give peace of mind.
• It helps to build your confidence and boost your energy level.

Health Conditions that Might Benefit Baddha Natarajasana

• Improve mental health and memory power: People having poor memory, can improve their memory with regular practice of this pose and also reduce stress and anxiety and help to relax.
• Stiff hips and hamstrings: The deep stretch of this pose helps to stretch the hamstrings, quads, and hip flexors, which improves flexibility and can be helpful for people with, stiff hips, hamstrings, and sciatica pain.
• Lower back pain and weak core: People with mild lower back pain can practice this pose, which can help reduce back pain, improve your body posture, and strengthen your core muscles.
• Respiratory issues: This pose can help with individuals having mild respiratory issues, as this pose helps to open up the chest and increases your lung capacity which improves your breathing pattern.
• Constipation: Doing this pose regularly can help people suffering from constipation and bloating.
• Enhances hormonal functions of kidneys, pancreas, and reproductive organs.

Safety and Precautions

• A proper warmup is very important before doing the Baddha Natarajasana pose to avoid any injury or discomfort and prepare your body for this pose with ease.
• Respect your body and stop or come out of the pose if you feel any kind of pain and don’t force yourself into the pose by ignoring the pain.
• On the safer side, use a prop like a yoga strap if needed or modify the pose.
• If you have high blood pressure then avoid holding the pose too long and avoid straining.
• Individuals with any neck or back injury should avoid doing the pose or modify it, if possible, only under the guidance of the yoga teacher.
• Pregnant women should not attempt this pose and also women during their menstrual cycle should avoid doing this pose.
• For any health concerns, consult your health care professional before doing this pose.
• People with low blood pressure should avoid doing this pose.

Common Mistakes

• Avoid rounding your back, which can put a strain on your spine and can end up in injury.
• Avoid straining your standing leg and locking your knee.
• Avoid straining your neck too much, leading to neck pain and headaches.
• Avoid holding your breath, this could create problems in balancing.
• Avoid being in the final pose for a long time.
• Avoid over-stretching of abdominal muscles.
• Avoiding modifications and use of props.
• Avoid looking at other practitioners to compete, it will harm your body and mind.

Tips for Baddha Natarajasana

• While you start this pose, keep your feet hip-width apart.
• When you bend your left leg, let it come to the hip.
• Hold the foot or the ankle, whichever is comfortable.
• Keep the standing leg straight but do not lock the knees (keep your right knee bent slightly).
• Your chest should be lifted upward.
• Keep your core and thigh muscles engaged for better balance and stability.
• Let your shoulders be relaxed and your chin away from the chest.
• Use a yoga strap if you can’t reach your legs.
• Initially, do this pose under the guidance of the yoga teacher
• Keep breathing throughout the pose.
• Always do the preparatory poses and warmups.
• Do the Baddha Natarajasana pose on both sides (with both legs).

Physical Alignment Principles for the Standing Balance, Baddha Natarajasana

• Gound your standing leg through the inner leg of the feet and the toes pointing forward and feet flat and grounded.
• The standing leg should be straight and you can keep a micro bend in your standing knee (left knee) which should be approx. 90degrees.
• The thigh of the raised leg should be parallel to the ground and keep the hamstrings engaged.
• Keep the quadriceps of the standing leg engaged.
• Rotate the left hip point forward and downward.
• Shift the body weight onto your right foot and elongate its bones in every way possible.
• Bent leg calf raised and keeping the toes active and pointing to the sky.
• Your foot pushes into your hand and slightly deepens the backbend
• Let your navel be active, tuck it toward the spine.
• Both arms reaching (external rotation) up over the head to hold the toes of the raised leg,
• lift your heart and chest upward and forward.
• Shoulder blades externally rotated.
• Lengthen your lower back up.
• Both arms holding your lifted leg and your elbows should face upward.
• Chin away from the chest.
• Gaze slightly upward to a steady point.
• Keep your breath coordinating with your physical movement.

Baddha Natarajasana and Breath

Breath is always an important factor while doing yoga and without breath, it would be difficult to perform any yoga pose, so even for the Baddha Natarajasana pose it is equally important.

Take some deep breaths while in the mountain pose, next inhalation, and lift your leg back touching your buttock. Exhale deeply and hold your bent foot with your arm, inhale and lift your chest and elongate your spine. Keep breathing and exhale and bring the other arm and hold the toe of the lifted foot deepen the stretch and let your breath be relaxed and calm.

The breath will help to move the pose comfortably, which helps in better focus, balance, and stability. Be focused on your breath, the sensations, and your inner self, and avoid any distractions.

Baddha Natarajasana and Variations

• The base pose is the Natrajasana pose (Dancer pose) a variation of the king dancer pose.
• Supported bound Dancer pose, with the wall support. This will give you a sense of self-confidence.
• You can do this pose with the support of the chair.
• Bound Dancer pose, with the support of the yoga strap to your ankle.
• Bound dancer poses with hand on foot, instead of holding your foot, bring your hands to touch the toes.

The Bottom Line

The Bound King dancer pose is all about, balance, focus, and muscular strength. This pose helps to strengthen your legs, arms, ankles, glutes, knees and chest. It helps to improve your core strength. Any health concerns consult your health care professional. Take the guidance of a yoga teacher initially. Respect your body and progress gradually.

This pose can be included in the backbend yoga sequences. It gracefully enhances your posture by encouraging your inner peace and mindfulness and building your willpower to fight and sustain against all the stress anxiety, and tensions and focus on your progress of mind and body.

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