Nata means dancer
Raja means lord or king.
Natarajasana, is the name of the pose dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Lord of the Dance. In his Himalayan abode on Mount Kailasa and in his southern home, the temple of Chidambaram, Shiva is said to dance. The god created over a hundred dances, some calm and gentle, others fierce and terrible. The tandava is the fierce, violent dance, signifying the destruction of self-limiting awareness; and lasya is the gentle, lyric dance in which Shiva reveals the beautiful, loving, and tender aspects of existence. Shiva, as Lord of the Dance has inspired some of the finest Indian bronzes and sculptures.
As we prepare for Natarajasana this month we will need both fierceness and playfulness.
Natarajasana is quite an advanced pose. Mr Iyengar rates it a 58/60; one of the most advanced poses in Light on Yoga. To prepare for it we need to open the front body: the shoulders, heart, belly and the fronts of the thighs – quads and psoas. We also need to strengthen the back body: the glutes, hamstrings, middle and upper back. We also need to find strength and stability without rigidity combined with a grounded sense of playfulness and open-heartedness.
There are 2 version of Dancer’s Pose that make this asana more accessible to every student. One is what I would call Baby Dancer where you reach back for the bent leg with your arm behind you as in Bow. The gateway pose for this version is Bow Pose. The full version of Dancer’s Pose is where your arms reach over your head for the bent leg foot. The gateway pose for this version is Dwi Pada Viparita Dandasana (Wheel on your forearms with your legs straight).
Notice how both of the poses I mention as gateway poses are symmetrical postures. That is because it is much easier to do symmetrical poses than it is to do asymmetrical poses. Once these poses are mastered you can begin to play with asymmetrical versions of these poses.
Another important pose for this sequence is Virabhadrasana III, or Warrior III. The ability to balance on one leg gives us the strength and steadiness for Natarajasana.
Let’s approach this posture fiercely and playfully. Come to practice ready to work and play. I’ll see you in class! Karin