Morning Stretch: Garudasana or Eagle Arms

Morning Stretch: Garudasana or Eagle Arms

This is another of my morning stretches– garudasana, or eagle, arms. I teach it with a counterintuitive twist.

Most of the time this pose is taught so you are drawing the shoulder blades off of the back moving the elbows and forearms away from the body.

There is nothing wrong with doing that but I prefer to pull the shoulder blades toward each other.

Pulling the shoulder blades away from each other is a stretch of the rhomboid muscles.

In general, I think most people need to shorten the rhomboids so I take the opposite approach to this stretch.

Encouraging students to draw the shoulder blades onto the back focuses this stretch on the deltoid muscles.

Garudasana classically involves the legs as well but I often teach the arms only.

The deltoid is a large triangular muscle of the shoulder. Muscles that are triangular in shape tend to be involved in movement and the deltoid fits the bill.

It has three parts, all of which move the arm. It spans the:

1. Clavicle, or collar bone.
2. Acromion, the bony tip at the outer edge of the shoulder blade
3. Spine of the shoulder blade

The clavicular part of the deltoid aids in flexion and internal rotation of the arm.

The acromion part abducts the arm after the first 15 degrees of movement away from the body. Rotator cuff muscles are accomplishing the first 15 degrees.

The spine of the scapula part of the deltoid is involved in the extension and external rotation of the arm.

All parts insert into the humerus.

Garudsana: Eagle Arms

• Start with the arms wide apart.
• Cross the arms in front of you and cross the right arm under the left arm.
• Try to bring your right arm back towards your right shoulder.
• If it is possible press the fingers of the right hand into the left palm.
• Attempt to bring the elbows to the height of the shoulders.
• The gaze should be on the seam of the two forearms.
• Try your best to draw the shoulder blades towards each other onto the upper back.

Garudasana arms is one of the poses I do within minutes of waking up each morning. It is a great way to start the day.