Favorite/Least favorite poses

yoginimary
yoginimary Posts: 6,783 Member
I posted this awhile back, but with all the new faces, I would like to know your favorite and least favorite poses.

My dislikes are navasana (boat) and lolasana (pendant pose). I really enjoy anything stretchy like upavista konasana (wide-legged forward bend) as well as backbends and the other arm balances.


This is totally selfish. I'm working on a class sequence on aversion and desire (two impediments on the path in yogic philosophy). I've been working on poses I dislike so much, I'm not sure I dislike them anymore.
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Replies

  • lcyama
    lcyama Posts: 209 Member
    my favourite poses are ardha chandrasana and supta baddha konasana. something about simultaneously opening up the heart and hips.

    my "challenge" poses are parivrtta trikonasana and any arm balances (besides handstand against a wall). i always feel like i am going to topple over. i have not yet mastered halasana or shoulderstand unless done with a chair -- i tend to get tired and buckle, making it hard to breathe.

    namaste!
  • dan95130
    dan95130 Posts: 78 Member
    I don't like revolved triangle pose. It just feels like I'm on the edge of a serious back injury. Favorite poses change as I learn difficult poses but of basic poses that I've been doing since I started practicing, shoulder stand is my favorite. Inversions are our only way of fighting back against gravity.
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    I love handstands and headstands. The handstands basically require a wall most of the time, but I still love practicing them. Any arm balances really - even if I'm not good at them, I have a great time working on them. I love half moon and dancer. Used to hate pigeon but now I love it. I really don't have many poses that I don't like...

    Except... fish pose. I don't know why but I always feel like I'm just not "getting" it. Sasangasana "rabbit" pose in Bikram class. Ugh - my knees don't like sitting on my heels and I can't breathe in this pose. Plow is the same thing - I don't know if it's just the boobs, but I always feel like I'm suffocating. That's definitely not my favorite sensation!
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 632 Member
    At the moment parivritta parsvakonasana is really challenging me (revolved side angle) and chakrasana just scares me... I really enjoy pigeon and urdhva dhanurasana (upward wheel) as well as padmasana.
  • stephanj
    stephanj Posts: 898 Member
    I love/hate flat back uttanasana? Because my hamstrings are so tight. I need to do that for about 3 days straight lol.
    I adore pigeon, hated when I first tried it but it stretches my hips out in a way nothing else does.
  • yogibella
    yogibella Posts: 321 Member
    My likes & dislikes keep changing but off the top of my head, I'd say that I really like half-moon pose (hated it when I first started but fell in love with it), chaturanga dandasana (thank you Ashtanga!), pigeon (I could stay there all day), krounchasana (heron pose), pincha mayurasana & headstand when it works and I love actually seeing & feeling the changes in my downdog lately. It's subtle I'm sure but it has definitely improved over the years! @mary - I actually quite love boat pose. it's a workout for sure when you're doing repeats but what a great ab workout!

    My dislikes... well not really dislikes until I can learn to actually do them properly or to get stronger in them... then it'll become my favourites I'm sure;) They are handstands, wheel, side crow and other arm balances and hanumanasana (ouch!) They are all definitely challenging for me. Oh and as someone said above, halasana or plow pose. I get suffocated by my boobs too!
  • GiddyupTim
    GiddyupTim Posts: 2,819 Member
    Triangle pose is REALLY difficult for me. I get a sharp pain at the inside of my knee, at the bottom of the adductors. No other pose is like that for me. There are many poses I cannot do, of course. But, no other ones that hurt like a triangle pose does.
    I used to play soccer and i suspect it may have something to do with having done lots of kicking, using the inside of the foot and the adductors. But I don't know.
    I can do the pose. But I have to be very careful and very gentle.
  • Mariposa_Lily
    Mariposa_Lily Posts: 38 Member
    I love triangle, rabbit, shoulder stand, wheel and the full expression of pigeon (even though I'm currently working very hard with some hip issues that make pigeon a little challenging). They just feel so good and stretchy.

    My nemesis is crow. Some of that is because of strength, but it's moistly because I have very sensitive skin. Crow hurts--a lot. And just trying it once or twice leaves me with bruises on my arms.

    That, and I don't like extended side angle--in many ways my hips are too loose, and so for years I just settled right down into the joint, and could have stayed there forever. (I didn't realize I was doing anything wrong.) Finally a teacher saw what I was doing, and now I have instructions to not go so deep to build strength. So, now that darned position burns, AND I look like I'm a total novice. Every time I have a new teacher, he/she tries to "correct me" and get me to go lower/deeper; I've gotten very good at responding, "No, I'm fine. "I'm working therapeutically."
  • guidothecat
    guidothecat Posts: 141 Member
    well I am not advanced as some of you, :smokin: but currently my favorites are cobra and tree. And I am learning to appreciate wheel.

    Cobra is a basic move I know, but it does wonders for the stress in my back/shoulders, working up to the inverted poses, but not going to rush it either (even as a kid I couldn't do a handstand or cartwheel) kind of 'uncoordinated' as they say....and I also like deep lake (I do only hatha yoga for now due to fibromyalgia issues) and normally get too relaxed and take a bit of a nap during deep lake :) figure it is good for the belly stress and if I get relaxed enough for a nod off, it is working?

    And downward dog is a personal favorite, basic, but highly effective and all you can do is breathe and relax, so it gives me a few moments for just me.

    I like tree, keeps me balanced and centered...can't over think it, otherwise I loose the center and wobble, but I can get about a full 5 minutes in tree on either side before I start thinking about life and forget to breathe and then wobble? :flowerforyou:

    I am looking forward to advancing in my practice, but with my medical issues, there will be some poses I will just not be able to do, but I look forward to finding the ones that I can master and that bring me balance.
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    That, and I don't like extended side angle--in many ways my hips are too loose, and so for years I just settled right down into the joint, and could have stayed there forever. (I didn't realize I was doing anything wrong.) Finally a teacher saw what I was doing, and now I have instructions to not go so deep to build strength. So, now that darned position burns, AND I look like I'm a total novice. Every time I have a new teacher, he/she tries to "correct me" and get me to go lower/deeper; I've gotten very good at responding, "No, I'm fine. "I'm working therapeutically."

    That's awesome - and really good for you too. I have a teacher who takes the time to make the extra flexible people get out of sinking into their joints and work on strengthening instead and it's really a good example and reminder that the point isn't to look good/advance/like anything in particular. It's to do whatever the best thing for your body is, so good for you! :)

    We've been working on that same thing in warrior 1, etc - to come up higher and get your hip alignment right instead of worrying about being deep in the pose. It's definitely challenging!
  • yoginimary
    yoginimary Posts: 6,783 Member
    Triangle pose is REALLY difficult for me. I get a sharp pain at the inside of my knee, at the bottom of the adductors. No other pose is like that for me. There are many poses I cannot do, of course. But, no other ones that hurt like a triangle pose does.
    I used to play soccer and i suspect it may have something to do with having done lots of kicking, using the inside of the foot and the adductors. But I don't know.
    I can do the pose. But I have to be very careful and very gentle.

    What about revolved triangle?

    Check out this article:
    http://www.yogajournal.com/practice/2774
  • yogibella
    yogibella Posts: 321 Member
    My nemesis is crow. Some of that is because of strength, but it's moistly because I have very sensitive skin. Crow hurts--a lot. And just trying it once or twice leaves me with bruises on my arms.

    hey Lily:) I used to get big black bruises on the back of my arms too when I started doing crow. They were seriously ugly too lol:P But I don't get them anymore -- I think over time, the arms just toughened up. Also, if you try lifting with your core more -- like imagining tucking up your legs as close to you as possible, rather than balancing all your weight on the back of your arms -- it alleviates some of that knee to arm action and helps with the lifting too. Hopefully that will help. It did for me at least:)

    I think the full expression of the pose is supposed to be straight arms too. Yup, still working on that one:)
  • vgurgel
    vgurgel Posts: 11 Member
    So, i just joined MFP. Anyway... I really love pigeon. It just makes me feel so relaxed. I know it´s kind of crazy, but i find staff pose really hard. That´s the result of having back problems since I was 10. My core just suffers trying to hold my back where it should be.
  • Mariposa_Lily
    Mariposa_Lily Posts: 38 Member
    So, i just joined MFP. Anyway... I really love pigeon. It just makes me feel so relaxed. I know it´s kind of crazy, but i find staff pose really hard. That´s the result of having back problems since I was 10. My core just suffers trying to hold my back where it should be.

    Staff pose is one of those misunderstood and underestimated positions--most of my instructors in the past have rushed through it in their hurry to get into a seated forward fold. But, like mountain (another underestimated position), when done right, it's quite the workout, even though it *looks* like you're not doing anything.

    Do you try putting a folded blanket under your sits bones, to take a little of the pressure off your back?
  • vgurgel
    vgurgel Posts: 11 Member
    I haven´t tried using a blanket. I can actually do the pose but, like you said, it is quite an workout. I might try it out, though.:smile:
  • tavenne323
    tavenne323 Posts: 332 Member
    I don't like Fish pose.. it's awkward and bothers my low back. I am currently enjoying getting better at crow and headstand. I also really like twisting poses and hip openers.
  • lauradoingyoga
    lauradoingyoga Posts: 22 Member
    Used to hate hate hate pigeon, very painful but with practice it's gotten better. Anyforward bend is fun because I have very flexible hamstrings. Also love headstand and the tripod. Agree with getting good instructors to make me back out of poses I sink into and develop strength instead.
  • yogicarl
    yogicarl Posts: 1,260 Member
    I often love the poses I hate most because they are often the ones I see most progress in as time in practise continues.
  • fit4lifeUcan2
    fit4lifeUcan2 Posts: 1,458 Member
    I don't like anything that has me kneeling for any period of time because it kills my knees. I really need to get one of those spongy rubber kneeling mats they use for gardening. My friend uses hers and swear by it for getting some cushioning for her knees.

    Any pose where I have to bend backwards and tilt my head back causes me to lose my balance really bad and I end up falling over. Crescent moon terrifies me lol. I can get into the pose but as soon as my head goes back I'm on the floor. After falling a couple of times last night I decided to do it without arching so far back and keeping my head up straighter.

    I have MS and even tilting my head back while in the shower makes me tip so I always have to reach out and hold the wall. Cant close my eyes period while standing of I drop like a brick. But over all I love yoga. Its really helped with my balance. I wouldn't be able to ride my bike if it wasn't for yoga. Yes I still wobble occasionally on my bike but at least I can ride it again. Yeah for yoga!!
  • agdyl
    agdyl Posts: 246 Member
    I often love the poses I hate most because they are often the ones I see most progress in as time in practise continues.

    So true!