Here is Neil taking you through Eagle Pose step-by-step…

1 – Remembering this is a balancing posture focus forward on a single point.

2 – Lift your arms above your head and bring your palms together.

3 – Bring your right/left arm under your left/right are, twist in order to bring your palms together. Thumbs in front of your face and little finger facing the mirror. If your unable to bring the palms together that fine, interlock your fingers or hold your opposing thumb to begin with. Gently pull your elbows down towards the floor.

4 – Sit your hips down, just like you would in chair pose and feel weight in your heels. Suck your stomach in and lift your chest up but remember to keep the hips low.

5 – Lift your right/left leg up and over the left/right leg as high as possible. Still sitting low try to tuck your foot under the standing leg calf muscle one day seeing all 5 toes visible in the front mirror. If this is too much don’t fear just aim the toes in that direction and one day it could happen!

6 – Sit down more, still sucking your stomach in lift the upper body back more. Start to square your hips, looking forwards check your ankles knees elbows and hands are all in one line in the mirror. Never forcing but class by class moving in the right direction. It is common the we lean a little forward in this posture so think about the gap between the bottom elbow and top thigh. Lifting the upper body back more should create more room but still thinking about keeping the tops of the fingers inline with the nose.

You are now helping to open the deltoids, scapula, elbows, wrists, hips, knees and ankles. At the same time stimulating internal organs with the gentle compression around the kidneys and reproductive organs.

Not everyones favourite posture but incredibly rewarding for our bodies.