Tittibhasana (Sanskrit: टिट्टिभासन ''Ṭiṭṭibhāsana'') or Firefly pose is an arm-balancing

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 ...

with the legs stretched out forwards in

hatha yoga Haṭha yoga is a branch of yoga which uses physical techniques to try to preserve and channel the vital force or energy. The Sanskrit word हठ ''haṭha'' literally means "force", alluding to a system of physical techniques. Some haṭha ...

and modern

yoga as exercise Yoga as exercise is a physical activity consisting mainly of postures, often connected by flowing sequences, sometimes accompanied by breathing exercises, and frequently ending with relaxation lying down or meditation. Yoga in this form has ...

. Variants include Bhujapidasana, with the legs crossed at the ankle, and Eka Hasta Bhujasana, with one leg stretched out forwards.

Etymology and origins

The name Tittibhasana comes from Sanskrit: ''Ṭiṭṭibha'', "small insect, firefly", and ''āsana'', "posture" or "seat". Indian folklore tells the story of a pair of Tittibha birds that nested by the sea; the ocean swept away their eggs, and the birds complained to

Vishnu Vishnu ( ; , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism. Vishnu is known as "The Preserver" within t ...

, asking for the eggs to be returned. The god gave the order, and the sea gave the eggs back. The effectiveness of the small weak birds is said to be used as a symbol of

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-consciou ...

, able to overcome the power of illusion in the world. The name Bhujapidasana ( sa, भुजपीडासन;

IAST The International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration (IAST) is a transliteration scheme that allows the lossless romanisation of Indic scripts as employed by Sanskrit and related Indic languages. It is based on a scheme that emerged during ...

: ''Bhujapīḍāsana'') comes from ''Bhuja'' ( sa, भुज) meaning "arm" or "shoulder", and ''Pīḍa'' ( sa, पीडा) meaning "pressure". The pose is described and illustrated in the 19th century ''

Sritattvanidhi The ''Sritattvanidhi'' (, "The Illustrious Treasure of Realities") is a treatise written in the 19th century in Karnataka on the iconography and iconometry of divine figures in South India. One of its sections includes instructions for, and ill ...

'' as Mālāsana, garland pose; that name is given to a different asana in ''

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 ...

''. The pose is described in the 20th century in

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 ...

's 1935 ''Yoga Makaranda'', and it was taken up by his pupils

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 ...

in his Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga and

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 ...

in his ''

''.

Description

Tittibhasana is described in ''Light on Yoga'' as being entered from

Dvi Pada Sirsasana Yoganidrasana, ( sa, योगनिद्रासन) or Yogic Sleep Pose is a reclining forward-bending asana in modern yoga as exercise. It is sometimes called Supta Garbhasana (Reclining Embryo Pose). The name Dvi Pada Sirsasana is given to ...

, a difficult sitting pose with the legs crossed behind the head, that in Iyengar's words "requires practice", by uncrossing the ankles, stretching the legs straight up, and pushing down on the hands to balance. It is an intermediate level asana in Ashtanga vinyasa yoga.

Variations

Bhujapidasana, Shoulder Pressing Pose, is similar, with the thighs resting on the upper arms, but the legs are crossed at the ankle in front of the body. Eka Hasta Bhujasana, Elephant's Trunk Pose or One Leg Over Arm Balance, has one leg stretched out straight forwards between the supporting arms.

References

Sources

* * {{Hatha yoga Balancing asanas

Etymology and origins

Description

Variations

See also

References

Sources