Tulasana


Tulasana, Balance pose, Dolasana, Tolasana, or Utthita Padmasana is a hand-balancing asana in modern yoga as exercise.

Etymology and origins

The name comes from the Sanskrit words tula meaning "balance", and asana meaning "posture" or "seat".
The pose is not described in the medieval hatha yoga texts. It appears in the 20th century in Swami Yogesvarananda's 1970 First Steps to Higher Yoga, and in B. K. S. Iyengar's 1966 Light on Yoga.

Description

From Padmasana, the practitioner with the palms placed on the floor either side of the hips raises the entire torso and crossed legs using the arms and shoulders.

Benefits

The asana strengthens the back, shoulders, and hips.