Eight-Angle Pose · Astavakrasana

Astavakrasana · 아쉬타바크라사나 · 여덟 굽이 자세

Advanced Series · Sthira Bhaga (Strength & Grace) — From Advanced A (Third Series)

Breath: 5 · Drishti (gaze): nose tip

Hook one leg over the shoulder, cross the ankles around the arm, and tilt sideways, bending the elbows as the legs squeeze and extend. Despite the eight-bend name, the adductors' grip and the core do most of the real work.

Alignment

Hands — shoulder-width, elbows bending straight back to a right angle
Feet — ankles crossed, the legs clamping one arm between them
Knees — squeezing toward each other as the legs straighten
Gaze — the nose tip, the body hovering parallel to the floor

Entering the pose

Leg over the shoulder, ankles crossed
Plant the hands, bend, and tilt
Squeeze the legs and extend sideways

Common mistakes

The ankle lock slipping open
Shoulders swallowing the neck

Modifications & props

Seated first: leg over shoulder, ankles crossed, learning the squeeze — the legs gripping the arm is what floats the body.
If the hips feel heavy, blocks go under the hands, not the feet — raise the fulcrum, not the load.
Bending the arms to lower comes after the float is stable — five breaths on straight arms first.

Benefits

The adductors' squeeze meets arm support
Strengthens the lateral core
Practicing calm inside a complicated shape

Role in the sequence

An asymmetric arm balance named for Ashtavakra, the sage of eight bends. Leg over arm, ankles crossed, body folded sideways into the float — same family as Koundinyasana, but its final stage, elbows bending to lower the torso, summons Chaturanga's control verbatim. A type specimen of the technical arm balance, where placement decides more than power.

Practice notes

Astavakra means eight bends, and it is also the name of a sage said to have been born with the body curved in eight places. Both legs taken to one side, hooked over one arm with the ankles crossed, draw that name. It is also the leg-hooking of Bhujapidasana, moved around to the side.

The crossed ankles are the locking mechanism. Without the cross the legs slide off the arm and no amount of effort will float the body. So the order is: sitting, lift one leg over the shoulder, hook the other over that ankle to lock it, then press the hands into the floor and lift the hips.

Once lifted, straighten both legs sideways while at the same time sending the chest forward. Straighten only the legs and you tip backwards; send only the chest and your face meets the floor. The balance point between those two directions is where the pose lives, and it sits further forward than most people expect.

Two checks: are the elbows bent to ninety degrees and hugged in rather than splayed, and is the breath still flowing once the legs are locked? If the leg will not reach the shoulder, another few months of Bhujapidasana and hip openers is the accurate preparation.

Build the shape seated first — floating comes later.

Written by Choi Seongjin — 20 years of Ashtanga practice, currently teaching three classes a week. Last updated: 2026-09-05.

This guide is for general information and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant, injured, or have a medical condition, consult a qualified teacher or physician before practising. Disclaimer & Legal Notice

Other poses in this sequence

Ashtanga Shala — Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga guide · Blog