Why Symmetry is Important for Goddess Pose

Aesthetically, Goddess is one of my favourite poses. 

Physically, I love it because it offers us the opportunity to work on leg strength, hip flexibility, and balance.

Goddess works every muscle in the legs and stretches most of the hip muscles. But what I love most about it is the symmetry. By creating a perfectly symmetrical frame for this pose, we can see and feel imbalances in our hips, shoulders, back, and torso.

One of the main reasons for the Gurugrid is to provide you with this symmetrical framework. By placing your feet in mirror image and using the midpoint to centre your torso, any imbalances in your body become immediately evident. Once you have identified which side is tighter, you can work on evening out these imbalances instead of exacerbating them. Your goal is to increase balance and stability. Performing your poses outside of a symmetrical framework can make imbalances worse over time, resulting in increased instability and problems like sciatica. 

The Gurugrid is also useful when finding the right place for your feet. I played with the placement in these photos.

I noticed that the closer my feet were, the more challenging the pose was. I felt the tight hip much more when my stance was narrower. If you look carefully at the narrow stance, you can also see how my torso shifts. 

Wide Stance

Medium Stance

Narrow Stance

Each asana offers us its own unique gifts. Enjoy your Goddess Pose for its beauty, strength, flexibility, and symmetry. 

H :) xo