I love pretty much everything about yoga, especially how it makes my body feel, how it changes the state of my mind, and how my practice is constantly evolving. Something I’ve recently been appreciating more and more about yoga is how the ease & difficulty of different poses is fluid — there is no “most difficult pose” for everyone because so much of yoga is about our unique bodies.
For example, my long limbs, short torso and naturally flexible shoulder joints make back bending a breeze for me. However, my top-heavy figure and weak upper body make arm balances a particular challenge.
The following 10 yoga poses are poses that, at the present moment, I cannot do. Some of them I have never even attempted with any sort of seriousness, and others I am inching closer and closer to every time I practice.
I sometimes catch myself avoiding these difficult poses when I practice on my own and trying only halfheartedly when they come up in my yoga class. I hope this post will serve as a reminder to me (and perhaps you as well) not to shy away from those things that are still challenges, but rather to confront them and work with them.
I may never master every pose on this list, but I can still grow from where I am at this moment.
Just a note: all of the pictures in this post were either taken from Creative Commons or are used with permission. The first three creepy mannequin photos are from Holistic Care and the rest are attributed to their owner. Special thanks to Ashley of Healthy Ashley & Ashley of (never home) maker for being inspirational yoginis and letting me use some pictures from their blogs.
So here are…
Ten Yoga Poses I Cannot Do (yet!)
10. Scorpion Pose – Vrschikasana
This pose is incredibly beautiful to me. It’s like a living, breathing physics lesson — the perfect marriage of strength and balance. That being said, I have honestly never even attempted this pose. Someday I will, but for now I am content to admire it from afar with awe and respect.
9. Firefly Pose – Tittibhasana
I have only ever tried Firefly Pose for the briefest of seconds. I struggled awkwardly with bent legs to even lift one toe off the ground while my teacher’s watchful eyes were on me. What I created could probably have been named Dying Cricket Pose — it was certainly not a firefly.
8. Monkey Pose – Hanumanasana
Presently, I can get into this pose with a the aid of a block under me. So really that means I am just about 4 or 5 inches from being able to do this pose properly. I have faith that with continued practice this is one that I will actually be able to claim as my own.
7. Side Crow Pose – Parsva Bakasana
Picture courtesy of Healthy Ashley…how frickin’ awesome is she?!
I treat Side Crow Pose the way I treated gym class volleyball in High School — I put forth just enough effort to appear to be trying, when in reality I am slacking off. I tend to feel discouraged by how easily this pose comes to some others and wrote it off as “impossible” for me many months ago. In recent weeks, however, even my half-assed attempts at it have been getting stronger. So from now forward I vow to actually give this pose the respect and effort it deserves — and that is MUCH more than gym class volleyball.
6. Crow Pose - Bakasana
Picture courtesy of Ashley from (never home) maker!
While not quite as unfathomable to me as Side Crow, Crow Pose has eluded me for quite some time. I know that my difficulty in this pose is part strength related and also part mental. I don’t trust my upper body to support me, so it doesn’t. Adding to my fear of this pose, I once got a nasty friction burn on my triceps from my knees sliding off them as I fell out of this pose. Like Side Crow, this is one that I just need to work on in baby steps, building up my strength and confidence until I am successful.
5. Standing Head to Knee Pose – Dandayamana Janushirasana
from Ron Sombilon
This classic from the Bikram series has challenged me for years. I have come very close to success in this pose on a few occasions when I have been especially “in the zone”…but 9 times out of 10 I can barely stay balanced with my standing leg straight, let alone straightening the extended leg. Like so many poses, this one depends on a strong foundation. I am focusing my efforts of the standing leg for now — the extension will come some day in the future.
4. Head Stand – Sirshasana
from Healthy Ashley!
I love and value inversions in my yoga practice, but this is one that I have never even gone near. This is actually because of a chronic neck injury (herniated disc) I have — putting any substantial amount of weight on my head is a major no-no. I even get myself into and out of wheel pose all crookedly to avoid placing any weight on my head. However, I feel like I would actually attempt this pose if I felt strong enough for my arms to take most of the weight. I don’t think I am even close to that point yet, and neck injury is not something to be messed around with.
3. Hand Stand – Adho Mukha Vrksasana
from Spewker
While typically thought of as more difficult than headstand, I am actually much further along in my journey towards a successful handstand. I still need some support from a partner at my hips to help with balance and lift, but in the assisted version I feel like I can hang out upside down for hours. (In reality it is more like minutes, but still.) I am needing less and less assistance in this pose as the weeks and months go by. Someday maybe I will rock the unassisted pose like this guy in the photo.
2. Bird of Paradise Pose – Svarga dvijasana
from mariachily
I was first introduced to this pose just a month or two ago when my yoga teacher decided to toss it randomly into the mix of our regular poses. After that very first attempt I became committed to some day getting in to the pose fully. Straightening the extended leg is proving to be quite a challenge, but not one that seems insurmountable.
1. Half moon pose – Ardha Chandrasana (on right leg)
From YoGeek
Half moon pose and I have a bit of a contemptuous relationship. You see, when my left leg is the base I can get into a perfectly lovely version of this pose with relative ease. But for some reason, when I try on the other side I helplessly lose my balance and suffer an unbearably painful cramp in my butt-cheek! (TMI?) Being able to do this pose on my weak side has become the white whale of my yoga practice. I know I should be able to do it, yet my body screams in protest whenever I try. But this post will be mine. Oh yes, it will be mine. (Wayne’s World, anyone?)
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So there you have it. 10 yoga poses that are out of my reach right now. I intend to keep working on every single one of them (some more than others) and will hopefully have some updates for you in the not-too-distant future as I progress with them.
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To all you yogis & yoginis out there: What poses are the most difficult for you?
Isn’t it amazing what one persons body can do with ease and another struggles so much? Half moon is actually my favorite pose because it really gets me in touch with my state of mind. If I am strong and stable, I am typically doing well off of my mat but if I am wobbly and fall over and struggle mentally, the same is happening off the mat as well. I can also do headstand but only with the wall, I am trying without a wall but my ego gets in the way and I always end up moving to the wall just so I can do it. I know there is something more to it than that and I just haven’t faced whatever it is yet.
I can not do arm balances and I am embarrassed to admit that even after 4 and some years, I can’t do chattarunga. It just does not click for me. I have even had private lessons on chattarunga alone and I can not do it. I try and try and try. I also really want to do crow and feel really scared of it.
crow is really scary for me as well — knowing that strength and balance are the only things keeping your face from crashing into the floor is part of my struggle with it. chattarunga is hard for me too. i’d say i do knees-chest-chin in like 90% of my sun salutes and then really put forth the effort and go for chattarunga about 10% of the time. it requires a type of strength i just haven’t built yet.
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I still struggle with just about EVERY pose! I’m not very flexible yet, and my balance is horrid. But I’m getting better bit by bit. My #1 goal hands down though is to do chaturanga really well. If it’s the last thing I do I will master that one. Everything else will come eventually!
p.s. – that is an ultra creepy mannequin!
haha i know, right?! the idea of a yoga pose mannequin is kinda cool…but the reality of it is pretty terrifying!
second attempt:
poses come and go as they please i’ve heard.
but, if you really want to go up eventually, the main thing about headstands is that most of the weight is taken in your arms, not your head. then you start in downdog (against a wall always), and then walk your feet closer in until you can feel the weight shift to over your head. then, start lifting one leg straight up (never ever kick) once that leg is over your shoulders, you literally feel the other leg float up. it’s a very quiet, slow pose, and if you ever want, i can totally aid you in person! but yah, take lots and lots and lots of time getting there.
these tips will have to be shown in person!
10. Vrschikasana – Okay. best tip I’ve ever gotten for this pose… tie a strap around your elbows so they’re locked into being shoulder with apart. this gives you a really solid base to work from. then come up near a wall (you want to be about a foot away from it) and start off in downdog. walk your feet in until you feel your weight shift over your hips… then start kicking up. this girl’s in a really serious form of this- ive never seen that backbend that bendy in real life. it should more be like a gentle C! you can totally do this. it just LOOKS really scary. but totally do it against a wall so your feet have something to stop against once you’re up!
9. Tittibhasana – sigh. i totally can’t do this pose. i have like no good tips at all for it
8. Hanumanasana – you’re dead on about this one. it just comes eventually. i once saw an 85 year old woman whip this out at the BEGINNING of her yoga practice, and she looked totally peaceful. which is how this pose should always be. you’re supposed to just ‘arrive’ in it….lovely pose. keep practicing darlin!
7+6. Side Crow Pose and Crow – wow!!! your friend looks incredible in these!!!!!!!! see those amazing back muscles that are working during that side crow shot? those are her erector spinae group, and holy sheesh are they in lovely shape. you and i uh, don’t have these yet it seems. I actually find side crow much more accessible… i’ve gotten the bruises and burns you mentioned from crow. you know that weird invisible hand of god lift that you feel when you transition from updog to downdog?? THAT’S the lift you need in all arm balances. an inner suction upwards. instead of relying on your upper body, you want to put all that strength into your core, and use that to power the upward motion. the arms are really just there to balance.
5. wow! i’ve never seen this pose before!! i’m going to try it!
4. Sirshasana – you’re dead on about everything you said about this pose as well. this is a pose that comes with time, especially if you have neck/spine problems. it’s actually really not recommended if you’ve ever had injuries
3. Handstand – i’m sure you rock this pose!!! i have an strengthening exercise someone gave me once! start in downdog with heels against the wall. then, practice popping up so that your feet are on the wall and legs are 90degrees. just do it over and over. great core exercise for handstands!
2. Bird of Paradise – I love this pose
1. Ardha Chandrasana – hands down favorite pose of my entire yoga practice. i could live in it! that being said, i have a tip! okay, your leg is supposed to be 90degrees parallelling the ground!!! all bodies have a leg built for strength and a leg built for balance. the reason you’re getting a butt cramp only on one side is because when you’re lifting the leg that’s naturally a balancer (and not a strong leg) into the air, its having a holy cow up there. only lift it 90degrees (this goes on both sides). this frees you up for something awesome. once you stop overdoing that lift in the leg, you can lift your TORSO until it’s 90degrees paralleling the floor also and then TADA the hand comes off the ground!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and THAT my friend is Ardha Chandrasana!
I hope this all helped! this is totally making my day and helping me work on my teaching tips! i love you and think your yoga practice is awesome. these are some really strong poses you’re working with!! you’re amazing
You weren’t joking when you said the mannequin is creepy! I am a yoga newbie and honestly, I don’t know if Jillian Michaels’ Yoga Meltdown is even considered yoga! I suck at chatarunga for sure. I am so much better w/ the warrior. I held warrior 3 for a few seconds yesterday and was super pumped about that! Tree pose is hard for me. I’m shaking all over the place.
I like crow pose because it has elicited some truly exemplary faceplants from me.
haha, that’s fantastic.
Amazing post! I love looking at advanced poses I can’t yet do because it encourages me to keep pushing myself!!
Suggestion on Standing Head to Knee. I’ve also been challenged with it for years, and one teacher said something that really changed my pose and suddenly it was possible.
When you are standing on your one leg, before you kick out, make sure you tuck your bum in a bit – push your hips forward a bit. Not arching your back – but tucking your bum like they tell you to also do in the tree pose. For me, it made all the difference because my support leg then became a very strong foundation and counterbalance as I kicked out .
ooooo exciting!! i want to get back into a serious everyday yoga routine. lets do some tricky poses! yay! i liked this post a whole lot
Crooked limb is also a great arm strengthener, but not many people blog about it. I found Leeann Carey has a great free yoga video that breaks down the pose in a way that’s accessible and shows you that you really can do it. I thought your readers might want to check it out: http://planetyoga.com/yoga-blogs/index.php/crooked-limb-pose/