Vasisthasana, or Side Plank Pose, is named after the great sage Vasistha. This is the story of King Rama. (the incarnation of Vishnu, responsible for the maintenance of the Universe, While Brahma is responsible for the creation and Shiva for destruction).

King Rama appeared on earth to restore dharma or righteousness. But after his travels throughout the world, where he witnessed many devastating events, he fell into a deep state of depression.

He lost sight of the purpose he came to Earth for. Instead of being the light to the others, he became part of the devastating reality. His vision and perception got clouded.

But Vasistha saw this reality as an opportunity to grow. He showed King Rama that there is another way: the magic occurs by immersing this outer reality into the freedom of the inner wisdom, by basically bringing all the outer experiences into the inner sacred space. 

And that is how King Rama was one of the most successful and celebrated kings.

The symbolism of Vasisthasana is evident in the pose itself. A careful balance, on one hand, the pose requires a clear focus on what’s important recognizing that facing one direction with your weight in on one side of the body you can see only one side of the truth. 

To complete the pose, you turn to the other side, to view another perspective. This aspect of the pose reflects the challenge we all face: to understand the reality from all different points of view, accommodating for views that we do not agree with, without losing sight of our purpose, without losing ourselves in it, and adopting a new perspective if we need to.