The tenth in a series of columns offering yoga postures for men, women, and children to practice at home, school, on the road or in the office. With special thanks to Ross Pottinger of Wink Photo Design in Brisbane, Australia for the photos and the support in this project. And many thanks to Louisa Dick for taking part in the project. Do check with your health care practitioner before beginning a yoga practice. Many postures are not suitable for pregnant women, people with joint replacements, those with hypertension or other medical conditions. If you have a posture that you would like to see in this column, I welcome your suggestions. Namaste, H!

Garudasana-Eagle Pose

To Begin: Stand with feet together and parallel. With your arms in front of the body with elbows bent and palms facing you, wrap the right arm under the left arm, and wind your arms around each other to bring palms together. Lift your elbows high as you draw your shoulders down and back.

The Pose: Bend your knees at a 45 degree angle and bring your right thigh over the left thigh, tucking your right toes behind left calf. Breath deeply and naturally in this pose, squaring hips and shoulders to the front, and maintaining bend in the left leg.

To Intensify: For advanced students, follow the photo to the right, and lift elbows, slowly bend at the waist, and bring elbows to the front of the knees. Be careful not to compromise the posture by straightening legs or struggling too hard.

Breathing: Breath deeply and naturally throughout the pose. This pose challenges your balance and your breath, combine the two to focus your mind and relax any struggle in the body. Breath in strength, breath out tension.

To Modify: If you cannot tuck the toes behind the calf, simply draw the lower legs towards each other and touch your toes to the ground.

Focus: Keep hips and shoulders square to the front, and use the abdominal muscles to support the spine by lifting up and drawing the belly in. Think about the tailbone stretching down to the ground, and the crown of your head reaching upwards.

Cautions: Do not try to force your toes behind the calf, your hips and knees may need time and practice to be able to complete the pose. Struggling and overstretching lead to injuries, and that is the opposite of our goal!

Benefits: Tones and strengthens muscles and circulatory system of the legs. Opens hips and chest, and balances the right and left sides of the body (sun and moon). This pose helps to gently squeeze tensions and toxins out of the legs, and is ideal for those with varicose veins.

Philosophy: Use the alertness and focus of the eagle to bring your eyes, your mind, and your energy into focus on your direction in life, rather than letting your energy be dissipated by petty distractions.