Safalfa Advisors
Garbha Pindasana
Embryo in the Womb Pose
- Sanskrit
- Garbha Pindasana
- English
- Embryo in the Womb Pose
- Sequence
- Seated · step 91 of 124
- Held for
- 5 breaths
- Drishti
- Nasagrai, tip of nose
Getting into Garbha Pindasana
Sit in full lotus (or as close to it as is available to you). Working one arm at a time, thread each arm through the gap between your calf and thigh up to the elbow, then bring your hands to your face, cradling your cheeks in your palms like an embryo curled inward. Stay for five breaths, then roll: inhale as you rock back onto your upper back, and exhale, fully and quickly, as you rock forward again, each time turning a little so that nine rolls carry you clockwise all the way around in a full circle back to where you started. Keep your hands touching your head throughout and stay in control, rather than relying on momentum. On the final roll forward, keep the shape and press up into Kukkutasana.
What a teacher would tell you
- Thread the arms past the elbows.
- Hold the ears or face.
- Curl in tight, like a ball.
These are the corrections My Ashtanga speaks aloud while you hold the posture.
The whole series, counted aloud in Sanskrit or English: My Ashtanga on the App Store · the full sequence · printable chart