Krauñcāsana ( Sanskrit: क्रौञ्चासन) or Heron pose, also written Krounchasana, is a sitting

asana An asana is a body posture, originally and still a general term for a sitting meditation pose,Verse 46, chapter II, "Patanjali Yoga sutras" by Swami Prabhavananda, published by the Sri Ramakrishna Math p. 111 and later extended in hatha yoga ...

in modern yoga as exercise.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words ''Kraunch'' (क्रौञ्च) meaning "

heron The herons are long-legged, long-necked, freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae, with 72 recognised species, some of which are referred to as egrets or bitterns rather than herons. Members of the genera ''Botaurus'' and ''Ixobrychus ...

", and the name of a mountain; and ''Asana'' (आसन, āsana) meaning "posture" or "seat". ''Kraunch'' can also mean the

demoiselle crane The demoiselle crane (''Grus virgo'') is a species of crane found in central Eurosiberia, ranging from the Black Sea to Mongolia and North Eastern China. There is also a small breeding population in Turkey. These cranes are migratory birds. Bir ...

or the curlew; both like the heron are long-legged waterbirds. The 19th century '' Sritattvanidhi'' uses the name for a different pose, squatting, supported by a rope held with the teeth. The modern pose is described in 20th century manuals such as

B. K. S. Iyengar Bellur Krishnamachar Sundararaja Iyengar (14 December 1918 – 20 August 2014) was an Indian teacher of yoga and author. He is founder of the style of yoga as exercise, known as " Iyengar Yoga", and was considered one of the foremost yoga guru ...

's ''

Light on Yoga ''Light on Yoga: Yoga Dipika'' (Sanskrit: योग दीपिका, "Yoga Dīpikā") is a 1966 book on the Iyengar Yoga style of modern yoga as exercise by B. K. S. Iyengar, first published in English. It describes more than 200 yoga postur ...

''. Swami Yogesvarananda names the modern pose "Ekapadotthitahastapadaprasaranasana" in his 1970 ''First Steps to Higher yoga'', reserving the name Kraunchasana for a preparatory phase of another pose named for a waterbird,

Bakasana Bakasana (Crane pose) (Sanskrit: बकासन, IAST: bakāsana), and the similar Kakasana (Crow pose) (Sanskrit: काकासन, IAST: kākasana) are balancing asanas in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. In all variations, these are ...

(the Crane).

Pattabhi Jois K. Pattabhi Jois (26 July 1915 – 18 May 2009) was an Indian yoga guru who developed and popularized the flowing style of yoga as exercise known as Ashtanga vinyasa yoga. In 1948, Jois established the Ashtanga Yoga Research Institute in Mys ...

uses the name for the same pose as Iyengar, implying, according to the yoga scholar Norman Sjoman, that they both learnt the pose from their teacher

Krishnamacharya Tirumalai Krishnamacharya (18 November 1888 – 28 February 1989) was an Indian yoga teacher, ayurvedic healer and scholar. He is seen as one of the most important gurus of modern yoga, and is often called "the father of modern yoga" for h ...

Description

The pose is accomplished by sitting with one knee forwards on the ground and the foot beside the hip, as in Virasana. The other leg is straight and raised to touch the nose and chin; the foot is grasped by both hands. This provides a stronger forward bend than

Paschimottanasana Pashchimottanasana ( sa, पश्चिमोत्तानासन, translit=paścimottānāsana), Seated Forward Bend, or Intense Dorsal Stretch is a seated forward-bending asana in hatha yoga and modern yoga as exercise. Janusirsasana is a v ...

. The posture is stated to be unsuitable during menstruation.

Variations

A strap may be held in the hands and looped behind the sole of the foot of the extended leg, to allow the chest to continue lifting while the leg is straightened.

References

{{Hatha yoga Sitting asanas Medieval Hatha Yoga asanas Forward bend asanas Asymmetric asanas