Do you have a yoga asana (pose) that you dream of doing? Maybe it’s adho mukha vrksasana (the elusive handstand) or a challenging arm balancing asana like bakasana (crow or sometimes called crane) or astavakrasana (eight-angle) pose.

It’s the time of year where I do a lot of dreaming and goal setting, so I thought it was a good idea to start putting some dreams out into the universe for the poses that I want to master in the coming year.

In a Kathryn Budig Aim True workshop I recently attended, she referred to dream poses as challenge poses. She talked about the fact that we often set goals to accomplish many poses at one time, when in actuality we should pick only one or two poses per year to really apply ourselves to; we should dedicate the time needed to build up the strength and flexibility to achieve one goal, one asana at a time.

Good thinking, Kathryn! I’m a habitual overachiever, so I took Kathryn’s advice to heart when I selected my top two DREAM POSES for 2012. (I prefer the word “dream” over “challenge.”)

2012 Dream Poses

My #1 dream asana is crow. I can do it now…but just barely. I don’t have the confidence that I should have; I wobble and hold it for about 5 seconds tops. By the end of 2012, I want to ROCK crow pose. I want to be able to jump into it from downward dog and hold it steady for at least a minute. I may even post some videos on The DDD next year to track my progress and the celebration when I finally get there!

My #2 dream asana will be to take crow pose one step further and move into parsava bakha (side crow pose).

The long-term plan is to eventually – someday or some year – move into mayurasana (peacock pose). I figure if Bette Calman can do this pose at age 83, I need to get there sometime before I hit 70. And, can I just say that it is going to take a ton of core and arm strengthening to get me where I want to go in each one of these asanas.

I have to add one more pose that I’m going to work really hard on this coming year (like I said – overachiever). Savasana is one of the easiest poses to get into, but in actuality, it is probably one of the most unbelievably challenging poses I know. I think every yogi should set a goal to master savasana in 2012, to strive during each yoga practice to fully relax, let go, and receive the full benefits.

So what’s your dream pose for 2012? Have some fun with me and set a goal for yourself. Leave me a comment, and I’ll check in throughout the year to follow everyone’s progress. I hope you will keep me in check and motivated as well!

You don’t have to pick something super challenging; it could be an asana that you’ve struggled with getting into proper alignment, or you could set a goal to simply move your foot higher up your leg in tree pose. Make it something that is attainable based on your abilities, but don’t compromise – dream BIG!

Thanks to @SuddenlySus for inspiring this post a while back on Twitter. Her dream pose is to do a handstand unassisted, so go for it in 2012, Sus! I’ll be checking in with you.

Handstand Image: Jakub Sopicki