Bhujapidasana: What You Need To Know | Ashtanga Yoga

Learn the fundamentals & transitions for Bhujapidasana in the Ashtanga Yoga Primary Series with Ethan Ward (Authorized Level II teacher) | Posted: July 2020
Watch Next: Jump Bravely to Bakasana • Jump Bravely to Bakasa...
Alright Yogis! In this video we'll be exploring Bhujapidasana position. This is one of the "gatekeeper" asanas in the Ashtanga Primary Series. Learning the fundamentals is the best place to start, but over your long term practice you will also benefit from smoothing out the transitions. Doing this asana proficiently can be a long term process so put the work in and be patient!
This asana teaches balance and will build a lot of strength in the body. A solid forward bend, open hips and stability in the shoulders and arms will help in mastering the physical forms. In the video we'll look at the vinyasa count, and get clear on which positions belong in this part of the sequence and which ones do not. Bhujapidasana means arm pressure pose and the name gives away the key to controlling the asana. We'll then go on to look at the transitions and how to gradually progress towards having full control of the jump into bhujapidasana, rotation down and back up, the movement into Bakasana position and finally the jump back. In this video I'll touch on just a few of the many many cues that may be useful in your exploration of Bhujapidasana.
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Be brave, yogi!
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Actual Love to all!
Jai
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Bhujapidasana: What You Need To Know | Ashtanga Yoga : (Posted July 2020)

[@alekseipl]

Thanks man! This pose does teach humility.. I used to get stuck in Ashtau, face planted on the floor, feeling pretty helpless and humiliated 🤣

[@charmelleyoga6568]

Your consistency and devotion to the practice have brought you through these experiences Aleksei! ☺️💛

[@gommine]

You make it look so easy! I can cross my feet but I'm not able to lift them yet. Maybe one day...

[@blairbu485]

Thank you Ethan very helpful!

[@ravisankarganesan2641]

Hearty thanks yogi Ethan. Absolutely excellent knowledge / clues with experience sharing . Hari ohm .

[@WildLensbyHYZ]

Another good one

[@ethanashtanga]

Never Give Up Thank you! 🙌!!!

[@LoveLife-mm5wx]

Very very nice!

[@alysonstover3491]

Great instruction + awesome production value 👏🏻😘👏🏻

[@user26912]

Thank you for putting this on! Learned a lot from this tutorial. My teacher stated she was impressed with my progress when she saw me again after she taught me this asana. Progress I could make with confidence thanks to your cues. Knowing this is an asana that teaches humility made me calm with my struggles instead of frustrated. 🙏

[@indianarasilva4546]

Thanks, Ethan!

[@leesports3293]

Thank you for your step by step tutorial of amazing flow🙏, namaste

[@yogito11]

Thank you 🙏🏽great help

[@strefayogi]

Great lesson :) thank u

[@miguelcarrion100]

Gracias! Amazing!

[@richehndrks1903]

Great instruction!!! More videos please 🙏🏼

[@reciprocalhealing]

Incredible

[@martina8736]

Really, really nice and helpful! thanks :)

[@karolina.thomson]

This is awesome! Thank you!

[@jenchapman1842]

Hey Ethan, I cant wait to see more videos'' you are a fabulous teacher. thanks so much for sharing your knowledge. big hugs

[@satyr0909]

Absolutely love your videos! You are full of charm and you are constructive at that. The words spoken without being wasted - count as treasure. Its about you. Thank you Ethan.

[@michellescriffignano6934]

This video is so helpful. Thank you.

[@benevincit8244]

Спасибо за прекрасную практику! 🌷🌷🌷

[@Kira-rt8tq]

This was so helpful, thank you! Please continue to make more asana and vinyasa breakdowns

[@JeNie700]

I'm so happy I found your channel:-) This was a very intuitive instruction to this asana. It felt unreachable but now it seems to be in reach, just need to be a bit stronger in my wrist!

[@ethanashtanga]

Good luck & enjoy the process!

[@anadascola9497]

Ethan you’re amazing! Greetings from Brasil 🇧🇷

[@ethanashtanga]

I’ll be there some day! I have no doubt about that. Much love⚡️

[@avisehmbi7279]

These videos are helping me so much Ethan thank you! 😊

[@yayhachoo]

Thank you so much for your inspiration Video I will keep going try to do it again and again.

[@ethanashtanga]

Perfect! That’s the nature of the practice⚡️

[@alexcurtis8914]

Thankyou

[@emileitelbrecht7546]

I was laughing so hard at 4:12 ;D ;D

[@ethanashtanga]

Emil Eitelbrecht Yes!!! Found him in my garden right behind where I recorded this. Surely the first sea slug ever to appear in a yoga video??? 😅

[@martina8736]

Thanks Ethan! Your videos are great! Can you make one on kurmasana/supta kurmasana, especially how to practise it on one's own? Love from Italy

[@karunayogahu]

Ethan, you make this look so easy. I got my bujapidasana and my chin is now down but the transition from buja to baka is so difficult. Is it Mula bandha I'm not using? because of the lack of the lift my knees don't go on the arms but stay out and then I am jumping back and often become a pancake on the floor 😬 Do you have some tips apart from "just do it" to strengthen? is it strength I'm lacking at all or... ?

[@charmelleyoga6568]

You’re on a good path and following the progression that Ethan explained is a great way to go. For moving back to Bakasana, keep the one leg in front as it was during the asana while you take the first leg back, once your first leg is in place, take the next leg back - and don’t forget to keep your weight forward the whole time!

[@anandayogastudiosplit]

Hi Ethan, your tutorials are very helpful. Do you have any tips or do you know why I can not press the whole palm into the ground once I start lowering the chin down (my inner palm goes off the floor)?

[@lenorahenderson5867]

I struggle to lift both of my feet up in the state of the pose despite my legs being pretty high up on my arms/close to shoulders. Sure they can be higher but they are higher than most that I see who can lift both feet up. I do have a long torso and short arms, but I doubt that's the full picture. I used to say that was why I can't jump back and through until one day I could ;) I also seem to struggle with spinal flexion. So could that be he issue??

[@olufromvinyasapoweryoga5526]

Maybe try it with the legs not being so high up; let them slide down just a little..........that may allow you more space to flex the spine. Then once the feet are lifted, the spine comes out of flexion slightly as you bend the elbows to take the chin down.

[@ethanashtanga]

Baby Dragon It’s not necessarily the case that taking the legs high on the arms will get you to your best Bhujapidasana. It feels really comfortable at Sapta (with the head lifted) but once you go down it can be difficult to fit the feet through. You might have more luck with the legs closer to the elbows. Also many students have more space with the hands slightly closer together than in Downward facing dog. Try to make sure your elbows don’t go out to the sides when you bend them - that tends to drop the body down so the feet touch the floor, where as rotating the body down lifts the feet away from the floor⚡️

[@qizix]

I can get into the posture with my ankles crossed and lifted, and my forehead on the ground, fairly easily. But there are two points in the posture where I tend to faceplant: (i) trying to lift up out of the posture (I'll have to put my feet on the ground as I lift) and (ii) trying to move from forehand on the ground to chin on the ground. Any tips to avoid breaking my nose?

[@dontask4990]

Lift the feet off the floor first by pressing into the floor (Push Ups to to straight arms) . At this point, slowly lower your hips back down and lift the upper body (shift your weight). It's kind of like a ball rolling backwards when you try to lift the entire body away from the floor.