Strengthen your upper body with arm balances: Stage 1

Practicing arm balance postures can give you a sense of accomplishment and body mastery. Most arm balance postures both require and develop upper body and core strength. There are three main types of arm balances. They place your arms and shoulders in three different positions: arms above the head, like in Handstand; elbows bent in front of you, like in Crow pose; and arms extended down, like in Scale pose. These are different kinds of challenges, and they require different preparation.

In this yoga practice, we lay the foundation and prepare your body for all three types of arm balances. We do much easier versions of traditional arm balancing yoga poses in all three positions to build your upper body strength over time. You get to decide how much you lean into your arms and how long you hold individual poses.

For one pose in this practice, we will need a sheet of regular printer paper or cardboard, whatever you have handy, and access to a more sleek floor surface, like wood flooring or tile, so that we could slide our feet back and forth. If you don’t have that, don’t worry about it and do a regular Downward facing dog / Plank pose combo instead.

Please do not do this practice if you have a wrist injury or wrist pain. Arms balances are contraindicated for anybody with wrist problems. You will also have to be very careful if you have shoulder, neck, or upper back tension or injury; for you, the risk of doing arm balances might outweigh the benefit. If you begin this practice and discover that your neck or shoulders are feeling tense, you can always skip the arm balances and do the rest of the practice.

Please give it a try and see how it feels!