2023-08-13 18:00:47
Arm balance poses are very showy, but they also require strength and good coordination. Keep reading and dare to try them.
Last update: August 13, 2023
Arm balance positions are a modality within yoga. They are very showy and integrate strength, endurance, balance and coordination. Not only to be able to perform them, but to achieve relaxation.
There are various benefits of practicing arm balance:
Activate circulation. Increases concentration and confidence. Strengthens the muscles in the middle area or core.
General recommendations before starting
Yoga is a discipline that has been known and practiced since ancient times. In turn, there are different modalities. Among them is the set of positions known as arm balance.
Before starting to work with the balance of the arms, we must bear in mind that their mastery and learning are progressive. They are not achieved from one day to the next.
Let’s see, then, some recommendations to perform these poses:
The hands are the base: As in a building, if the foundations are solid, it can be sustained. In this sense, the fingers should always be separated and well supported.
Front view: When performing the arm balance poses, it is possible that we look at the floor out of fear, but this way we will lose our balance.
Strive from the core: the abdomen is the center of the body and balance is achieved from there. It is essential to find your center of gravity.
Do not forget to breathe: sometimes, when we make an effort, we tend to hold our breath. But we should not do this, since breathing in yoga is essential.
Balance is achieved with the mind.
The arm balance poses are somewhat difficult from a physical point of view. However, we must remember that not everything is a matter of muscles. Likewise, the benefits of this modality and of yoga in general are also benefits for the mind and physique, according to what various investigations indicate.
Conventional physical activity is not the same as yoga. You must take this into account. The practice of yoga adds a meditative element that we don’t find in sports.
Arm balance: poses for beginners
In the arm balance it is convenient to work progressively. So let’s start with some poses that shouldn’t be too complicated.
Cuervo (I don’t know)
To master the crow position, it is important to gradually manage your balance with increasingly difficult postures.
The crow pose is also known as I don’t know. In Sanskrit it means “crane posture”. It is ideal to know where our center of gravity is. So it is the basis to progress in the next exercises and avoid falling.
In the crow we start in a squatting position, on tiptoes. Hands well supported, knees open outside the arms, next to the shoulders. From there we lean forward and take our feet off the floor.
Don’t lean too far. Take advantage of the elbows to help support the weight of the legs.
Arms pressed (bhujapidasana)
Bhujapidasana It can be translated as “oppressed shoulders posture”. Although the knees are not exactly at the height of the shoulders, but over the triceps.
This pose begins in a squat, somewhat similar to the previous one., with the knees outside the arms. Only that the feet go in front, aligned with the height of the chin. Then we take our feet off the floor and cross them, as if we were making a loop. From there we hold the body in balance.
Bhujapidasana.
scale (tolasana)
Tola means “balance” or “balance”. This pose requires us to be able to sit in a lotus position, which is one of the basic yoga postures.
The balance is done as follows: with the arms at the sides, hands next to the buttocks, we try to rise. Surely we are going to feel that the body sways a little, until we achieve balance.
Tolasana.
Intermediate arm balance
Do you master all these postures? Do you consider that you are no longer a beginner? So, you can advance to the next level.
Cuervo lateral (parsva bakasana)
In Side Crow Pose, the body shrinks, drawing the knees and tilting as much as possible, until the hips fit into one elbow and the knees into the other. From a certain point of view, in this arm balance pose it is easier to maintain balance, since the lower body is supported by the elbows.
Cuervo lateral.
Peacock (mayurasana)
We start kneeling. We nail the elbows under the abdomen and the hands with the fingers pointing back, in the direction of the feet. We lean the weight forward, holding from the center of the body, with the elbows in V.
Although you can keep your body completely horizontal, parallel to the floor, this is not so essential. In fact, some people maintain their balance better by leaning slightly forward. Especially those who have a lot of weight on their legs.
Mayurasana.
Advanced level poses for arm balance
Do you want something more complicated? Here are a few poses for you to perfect.
Firefly (tittibhasana)
It begins the same as in the pressed arms pose. Knees out, feet in front. But once we take our feet off the floor, we project them forward.
The back maintains a certain inclination, because with that we compensate. Also, the arms help support the thighs. At first, you can have your knees bent.
With time and mastery, the legs are stretched and the feet are pointed.
Titti Bhasana.
Dragonfly (maksikanagasana)
The dragonfly position requires a lot of concentration and previous physical preparation.
It is a somewhat complicated position. in the dragonfly, one foot is mounted on one elbow, with the knee at an angle, and the other is pointed to the side, with the leg extended. The rest of the body remains in a position similar to push-ups or push-ups.
The dragonfly can be started from the starting position of the crow.
Elephant trunk (Eka Hasta Bhujasana)
One leg is over the shoulder and the other is extended under the body. He peels off his body, lifting himself off the ground, pressing hard with his hands. But it doesn’t end there: once the balance position is reached, the toes alternately extend and contract.
One has to worship.
eight curves (astavakrasana)
And to finish, astavakrasana: the position of the eight curves. Check out the one we have in the cover photo.
It is like the side crow, because the legs go to the side; but they stretch with one above the elbow and the other below. The feet, at the end, are braided into a loop.
The possible balance
Achieving balance is one of the biggest challenges in life. And while we sometimes do, we don’t always stay in the same position.
With the arm balance we learn to work the arms, chest, shoulders, hips, legs, feet, abdomen and head in a coordinated way. The first times we will not succeed. However, the important thing is that we have a good base and that we know where our center is serious.
Practice will make everything seem easier in a few months. And over time you will see that the most difficult thing in arm balance is to pronounce the names of the positions: astavakrasana, maksikanagasana o bhujapidasana.
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