By Allison Ray Jeraci
Photo by Andrea Killam
Yoga International
Dancer pose (natarajasana) fuses into one statuesque form the qualities of strength, stability, and suppleness. But those qualities may not already feel particularly fused in the practitioner, in which case practicing natarajasana can leave us feeling frustrated.
I’ve learned that when standing on one foot leaves me feeling wobbly, it is more helpful to support stability by propping myself than to hop about until I do or don’t regain my balance. Before I began exploring the natarajasana variations below, I could never seem to progress in the asana because I was focusing on lifting up my back leg before I’d established a solid foundation. That ultimately inspired me to experiment with these propped versions of the pose.
These variations provide the support that will allow you to work on the specific actions that increase the strength, stability, and mobility required by the pose without the constant frustration of losing your balance!