Nata/ Naya = Dance, Raja= King, Asana = Pose or Posture or Posture

Natarajasana is called king dancer pose. Nata means “Dancer”  and Raja means  “Lord or King”. Dancer Pose is also attributed to Lord Shiva who is called Lord of the Dance. Lord Shiva is also the fountain and source of Yoga. 

Stage 1

1. Come to the standing stithi pose and take a deep breath 2 times.
2. Fix your gaze on something that doesn’t move so that you don’t lose balance.
3. Shift your weight onto the right foot and bend your left knee to lift your left foot off the floor. Grab the top of your left foot with your left hand. You should not grab the ankle.
4. Lift your right arm from the front straight up to the ceiling,  hands closer to your ear and palm facing forward, your left heel should be touching your hip. Hold this pose for 3-5 deep breaths.
5. Slowly, exhale and relax your leg down to the ground and relax the hands down from the front,  not on the sideways like this.
6. Relax your body in tadasana for a few seconds. Practice the same thing on the other leg. Practice 2 to 3 times on both legs and gradually increase the holding time up to 10 breaths.

Stage 2

1. Come to the standing stithi pose and take a deep breath 2 times.
2. Find a place or object in the room to focus your attention. Shift your weight onto the right foot and bend your left knee to lift your left foot off the floor. Grab the top of your left foot with your left hand and Inhale, lift your right arm straight up to the ceiling.
3. Exhale, lift your left leg behind you and bring your upper body slightly forward, lift your knee and thigh up, pull your toe towards head. Your right arm will also move forward along with your body. Fix your gaze on something that doesn’t move so that you don’t lose your balance or look at your thumb. Hold on this pose for 5 to 10 breaths.
4. Inhale and slowly come back to the original pose and exhale, relax the leg and hands. Practice the same thing on the other leg
5. If you are holding the pose for at least  6 to 8 deep breaths on each side,  it is good enough to practice once on each side, otherwise repeat this pose for 1-2 more times on each leg.

Tips

If you are not able to balance yourself, here is the tip

1. Before starting the practice,  go close to a wall and face towards it. Place your right arm on the wall. For the 1st stage, hold your left leg with your left arm, and slowly bend the knee. Once you feel that you have gained some balance, you may remove your hand from the wall. Try to practice the same thing on the other leg.
2. For the 2nd stage, hold your left leg with your left arm, and slowly bend the knee and lift your knees up as high as possible and hold for a few seconds. It will help you to improve the flexibility on your hip, thighs and knees. Once you feel that you have gained some balance, you may remove your hand from the wall. Try to practice the same thing on the other leg.

Benefits of Natarajasana (King Dancer Pose)

1. This asana is a strengthening and stretching pose. 
2. It promotes focus, stability, and balance in the mind and body.
3. It ia a good asana for students to improve their concentration
4. Stretches the shoulders, chest, hips, thighs, hamstrings, ankles, and abdominal muscles
5. Promotes better posture.
6. Improves concentration and focus.
7. Can help building up confidence and empowerment
8. It strengthens your glutes and back of the thigh (hamstrings). Stretches the front of your hip (hip flexors), front on your thigh (quadriceps) and ankle.