If you are new to arm balances…
- Place the short edge of your mat against an empty wall
- Come into downward facing dog with your hands shoulder distance apart, fingertips at the wall
- Inhale: lengthen your spine. Exhale: firm your low belly and lower your elbows to the floor, coming into dolphin pose.
- Keep your elbows shoulder distance apart -no wider- and press your forearms firmly into the mat as you walk your feet a few inches closer in
- Inhale here, and as you exhale, gently kick one leg up in the air toward the wall. No worries if it doesn’t get there! The action is the practice. Eventually, you will be able to kick one leg up until the other follows and both heels rest against the wall.
- Once upside-down: press your hands and forearms into the mat, lengthen your spine, engage the shoulders, firm the belly.
- To exit, simply move your feet away from the wall and land them gently back on your mat. Rest in child’s pose for a few breaths
If arm balances are part of your regular practice…
- Come into downward facing dog with your hands shoulder distance apart.
- Inhale: lengthen your spine. Exhale: firm your low belly and lower your elbows to the floor, coming into dolphin pose.
- Keep your elbows shoulder distance apart -no wider- and press your forearms firmly into the mat as you walk your feet a few inches closer in
- Inhale here, and as you exhale, gently lift one leg up in the air. Exhale: engage the low belly and shifting your weight over the shoulders and lifting both legs towards the sky.
- Once upside-down: press your hands and forearms into the mat, lengthen your spine, engage the shoulders, firm the belly.
- If you want to begin to find scorpion, hug the thighs inward and upward, continue to lengthen the spine as you bend your knees and attempt to draw the head and heart towards the feet and the feet towards the head.
- Breathe here for three to five cycles
- To exit, maintain engagement and slowly bring the feet back up over the hips and then down to the mat. Rest in child’s pose for a few breaths