Inspirations: Arm Balances

Pincha Mayurasana

Feathered Peacock Pose This is a moderately difficult pose requiring arm and back strength before success.  The easiest entry is to move to the wall with your mat, placing fingertips close to wall.  Go into Adho Muhka Svanasana-Down Dog, lower arms into Dolphin, pressing into open palms, rotate hands and arms inward,  with parallel elbows.  It helps to strap the arms above the elbows.  Maintaining a strong base through shoulder girdle, upper back and arms is key.  Press shoulder blades toward tailbone, and hug forearms inward. Step feet in as close as possible then lift one leg, and kick yourself off the floor toward the wall.  Do not collapse onto head or down into shoulders.  If this happens, you’re not quite ready.  Simply practice lifting one leg up and then the other to test the waters.  You can also reverse yourself to the wall, facing away in Dolphin Pose and walk feet up wall and hold.  Great preparation pose. Back to Pincha.  If you are launched and upside down, lengthen legs and feet toward the sky.  It helps to flex feet and feel as if you are standing strongly, lifting up out of the arms and shoulders.  Be careful not to extend front ribs, drop back into lumbar spine, or allow legs to turn out. Set your Drishti-focus on a place between elbows.  Come down one straight leg at a time. Rest. Kick up again using the other leg.  Don’t get one-sided about take-off. Health Notes:  Gives you a tremendous sense of accomplishment, and like all inversions, helps with depression, changing a POV, calms brain and body.  This is a big balancing pose, especially as you move to center floor with it.  It strengthens arms, back and shoulder girdle. Be careful in you are menstruating, have a headache, or high… Read more »

Read more

Vrschikasana

Scorpion Pose Asana/Pose: Vrschikasana –Scorpion is a pose requiring much preparation and schooling in order to graduate to its beauty.  Kneel on the floor, placing forearms and hands parallel to one another, with elbows under the shoulders. Exhale, swinging torso and legs up over shoulders.  You are now in Pincha Mayurasana/tail or feather of the Peacock.  Lift head up, and bring feet down toward crown of head, exhaling.  You now have the appearance of a Scorpion as it strikes its victim.  Work toward keeping legs and feet together, making shins parallel to upper arms, and keeping chest open. Health Notes:  There are many great health benefits from this pose, such as a stronger, more supple spine, expanded chest and breathing, and more powerful arms and back, but the best is its psychological workings.B.K.S. Iyengar writes in The Light On Yoga, “The head which is the seat of knowledge and power is also the seat of pride, anger, hatred, jealousy, intolerance and malice.  These emotions are more deadly than the poison which the scorpion carries in its sting.  The yogi, by stamping on his head with his feet, attempts to eradicate these self-destroying emotions and passions.”  

Read more

Tittibhasana

Firefly Asana: Tittibhasana Firefly. An easy entrance to this Pose is from a low Malasana, feet open and wide, Sitts bones dropped toward the floor.  Place palms inside the feet, fingers face forward, open the elbows, placing back of thighs over upper arms. Keep chest relating to the floor, lift lower Bandhas,  release feet out, stretching toes.  If this is not yet possible, place hands on two blocks, or just remain in opening position and visualize extending a leg out, then both.  This is a nice summer pose to do upon the grass, especially in the evening when you can join the throng of fireflies lighting the night.  If you don’t accomplish the pose this summer…next summer soon here. Health Notes: Because lungs and abdominals are contracted, the spleen, intestines, kidneys, liver, prostate, and gall bladder are vitalized, and if practiced on a regular basis, this Pose helps prevent diseases of these organs.  The nerves are soothed, and thighs and neck muscles stretched & strengthened.

Read more

Bhujapidasana

Shoulder Pressing Pose Asana: Bhujapidasana/Shoulder Pressing Pose. Spread the feet, bending the knees in order to place palms about 18 inches apart, between legs so you can rest the back of thighs on upper arms. Bend elbows, and exhale as you lift feet off floor, squeezing the knees over the arms.  Interlock ankles, lifting abdominal muscle and mula bandha.  Repeat pose by changing ankle interlock.  To release any wrist strain, stand on hands afterward in Padhastasana. Health Notes: This is a powerful pose of strengthening wrists, arms, and abs.  When you conquer it, you do feel ready to meet anyone, on any level.

Read more

Eka Pada Galavasana

Crossbow Balance Asana: A great pose of strong polarity where we are tethered to earth, yet lift off and ‘fly high’ through the power of holding the center. You can come at this from Utkatasana, (or tripod headstand.) The easier is from Utkatasana:  Feet together, extend arms up, bend knees, lift Bandhas, lengthen back, drop tailbone. Now, lift R shin across L thigh, R knee opens to the side, flex R foot. You are in ‘Number 4.’  Reach both arms forward until hands are on the floor, elbows parallel. Bring the R shin across back of both elbows, (R toes pointing same direction as hands). Release your weight into the arms and begin to extend and lift L leg back. If this is too much, keep L leg bent and close to torso.  Release, by bringing feet to floor, or jump back into Chaturanga, or slowly tilt forward into Tripod Headstand, and lift both legs up.  Yogi’s choice. Health Notes This pose is good for abdominal muscles, and it massages internal organs. It strengthens wrists, arms and neck, and as always, being up side down, or sideways, is an opportunity to change a POV.

Read more

Bhujapidasana

Shoulder Pressing Pose Asana:Bhujapidasana/Shoulder Pressing Pose. Spread the feet, bending the knees in order to place palms about 18 inches apart, between legs so you can rest the back of thighs on upper arms. Bend elbows, and exhale as you lift feet off floor, squeezing the knees over the arms.  Interlock ankles, lifting abdominal muscle and mula bandha.  Repeat pose by changing ankle interlock.  To release any wrist strain, stand on hands afterward in Padhastasana. Health Notes: This is a powerful pose of strengthening wrists, arms, and abs.  When you conquer it, you do feel ready to meet anyone, on any level.

Read more

Eka Pada Bakasana

One Legged Crane Pose Asana:  Eka Pada Bakasana/One legged Crane Pose. Many bodies struggle with this as it requires strength, balance, and flexibility in equal measure.  You can enter it from Bakasana, extending one leg back.  You can enter it from Plank, pulling one knee into the upper arm, releasing the back leg up.  You can also enter it from Salamba Sirsana/Tripod Headstand.  Lower both legs until parallel to floor, bending R knee, place it on back of R arm, extending L leg out.  On exhale, lift head up, extending torso forward. To release, exhale, head to floor, repeating to other side. Health Notes:  Abdominal organs and muscle are enormously engaged.  The arms and wrists strengthened, the ego greatly massaged, for kudos are due.

Read more

Bakasana

Crane Pose Asana Bakasana-Crane Pose.  If you are a beginner, place a block under your forehead until you feel safe enough to lift off. This is a powerful pose that lifts the mula bandha roots up as you press hands down into the earth to fly.  Begin in Down Dog. If you are advanced, jump into the pose, placing knees onto upper arms, tucking tailbone down.  If not so advanced, bring feet closer to widely spaced hands, bend knees, tucking them up into the armpits, press feet together, and try lifting them off the floor.  Tuck tailbone down as you lift abdominals into high contraction. You can take Bakasana over into  tripod headstand, lifting back up into Bakasana. You can jump back into Chaturanga. Other variations on the Bakasana theme are: Eka pada Bakasana, (see below), Eka Pada Sirsa Bakasana, bringing one leg up over the head to rest on the back of the neck; and Parsva Bakasana, taking the Pose to one side, resting the left outer knee against the upper right arm.  Of course changing sides in all of the above. Health Notes:  All arm balances strengthen arms, abdominals, and legs, building upper body strong bones.  They teach us to move beyond our fears, to commit to showing up ‘failure after failure.’ The difficult Poses are when the Practice becomes the great teacher of patience and true wisdom-strength.  Our willingness to commit to something that at first seems far beyond our capacities, instructs that if we remain focused, committed, willing, there is little we cannot do.Think of the really difficult ones as ‘five year plans.’

Read more