Preparing for Astavakrasana
Here is a sequence you can work on to prepare for Astavakrasana:Start by doing a few of your favorite Sun Salutes to warm up. Then try these poses in the following order:
Side Angle Pose. Work to get your bottom hand to the floor.
Lizard Lunge. Work to get your forearms to the floor with your shoulders lower than your knee. Notice the back of my head is not lower than my upper back!
Revolved Side Angle Pose. Work on getting your armpit outside of the opposite knee with your hand on the floor. This may take some time to achieve.
Boat Pose to build core strength for the arm balance.
"Revolved Boat" or Seated Astavakrasana. This gives you something to work on if you cannot do the arm balance. Understanding how your arm fits through your crossed legs and how you straighten your legs against your arm will help for the final pose.
Seated Baby Cradle to loosen the hip.
One Arm Leg Pressure pose. Work to get your knee up as high towards your shoulder as you can. With your knee clamped down against your arm, you press into your hands, draw your navel to your spine and lift yourself off of the floor. Once you are lifted, you cross your straight leg ankle over your bent leg ankle to squeeze your legs onto your arm. Then bend your elbows and tip forward like you are doing Caturanga and while pressing your top leg onto the back of your tricep as you squeeze your legs together and Voila, You are in the final posture! Or not. This may take some time.
Astavakrasana
Be patient with yourself as you work on these poses. Understand the stage of each pose that you are in and work on your practice over time. Progress can be imperceptible from one day to the next, but over time, the results can be pretty impressive. Don't give up!