Names
Makarasana, Chaturanga Dandasana , Four-Limbed Staff Pose, Crocodile Pose
How to perform Makarasana
Lie flat on your belly. Place your hands next to your chest. With inhalation lift your body from the ground so that only your toes and your hands are touching the floor and balancing your body weight.
Take care that your body is in a flat line. No body part should be higher than another part. Come down to the floor with exhalation.
Advanced Variations
To make this posture more advanced you can lift one leg up while being in the posture and repeat the same with the other leg after that.
To be even more advanced you can also lift one hand off the floor during the posture. But always take the arm of the opposite side. If you lift your right leg, you should lift your left arm.
Another advanced alternative is to crawl like a crocodile on your hands and toes through the room.
Benefits of Makarasana
This balancing pose is very good for the arms, abdominal muscles and legs as you need a lot of strength and body tension.
The pressure to the lungs strengthens the chest muscles and gives them more room.
It also increases the blood circulation which reduces the cholesterol in the blood which is then good for your heart.
As it increases the blood circulation in the face, your cheeks will look alive, your skin on the scalp gets enough oxygen and your hair growth can even improve.
Additionally it helps your eyes, ears and nose in their work.
Focus Points
Coordinate this posture with the breath.
Try to keep the body in one line, not pushing your buttocks up and thus making it too easy for you.
Tips and Help
If it is hard for you to go in this posture from lying flat on the ground, you can go into this posture from Chaturangasana, the plank position.
Then you bring your body slowly down. It can be easier, as you don´t have to lift your body up, but it still requires strength in the arms.