How to Start Doing Yoga Arm Balances

[Eliza Granger]

Hey,

 

So I have been doing yoga for a bit now but I can't figure out how to start doing the yoga arm balance poses where all your weight is resting on your arms. Before the quarantine started, I had started lifting weights, but I don't think I have the arm strength yet to support my entire body. Does anyone have any advice on how to start doing yoga arm balances or what I should be doing to work toward being able to do them? So far I have just managed to fall flat on my stomach each time 😂

 

Thanks in advance!

[Mad Hatter]

Oooh fun! 😄What arm balances are you trying? Some of them are much heavier than others. What's your current strength level and how comfortable are you with other yoga poses that take a lot of weight on the wrists? 

[Elastigirl]

here's a tutorial for my favorite arm balance(because it's the one I can do😉) the crow pose

https://gmb.io/crow-pose/

[Eliza Granger]

On 4/18/2020 at 1:08 AM, Mad Hatter said:

Oooh fun! 😄What arm balances are you trying? Some of them are much heavier than others. What's your current strength level and how comfortable are you with other yoga poses that take a lot of weight on the wrists? 

Honestly I haven't done any of the arm balances before so I'm open to any. I can do advanced movements and positions for most types, but I have never done any arm balances before. For example, I just mastered being able to get into and get out of the Kapotasana. I'd say that I probably have more strength in my legs than my arms (as I think most people do). What was the first arm balance you started with?

[Eliza Granger]

On 4/20/2020 at 7:57 PM, Elastigirl said:

here's a tutorial for my favorite arm balance(because it's the one I can do😉) the crow pose

https://gmb.io/crow-pose/

Thanks!!! I definitely am going to try it out!!!

[Mad Hatter]

2 hours ago, Eliza Granger said:

Honestly I haven't done any of the arm balances before so I'm open to any. I can do advanced movements and positions for most types, but I have never done any arm balances before. For example, I just mastered being able to get into and get out of the Kapotasana. I'd say that I probably have more strength in my legs than my arms (as I think most people do). What was the first arm balance you started with?

Oooh bendy! As @Elastigirl said crow pose is a great starting point. It leads to loads of other arm balances and it's not very strength intensive. You might have to build up some strength, particularly in the wrists*, but it's more about trusting that you won't face plant than about strength. It sounds like you're very flexible so if you have a decent pancake some variation of firefly or shoulder pressing pose might also be accessible to you. I'd also play with headstands if you haven't already. Technically it's three points of contact but it complements arm balances nicely and you can use it to transition in and out of arm balances for a bit of extra fun.  

 

*The GMB tutorial doesn't seem to cover wrist prep in the crow tutorial but they have other detailed resources

[Eliza Granger]

On 4/24/2020 at 11:59 AM, Mad Hatter said:

Oooh bendy! As @Elastigirl said crow pose is a great starting point. It leads to loads of other arm balances and it's not very strength intensive. You might have to build up some strength, particularly in the wrists*, but it's more about trusting that you won't face plant than about strength. It sounds like you're very flexible so if you have a decent pancake some variation of firefly or shoulder pressing pose might also be accessible to you. I'd also play with headstands if you haven't already. Technically it's three points of contact but it complements arm balances nicely and you can use it to transition in and out of arm balances for a bit of extra fun.  

 

*The GMB tutorial doesn't seem to cover wrist prep in the crow tutorial but they have other detailed resources

Thanks a lot! I definitely will start practicing with Crow Pose and headstands!!😁😁

[rosemiller]

I'm practicing yoga now and this is incredible. I got a lot of self-confidence and self-esteem. I don't worry about many things that are not really important. I started to practice yoga in order to lose weight, I found a great site with yoga balance poses. There are some simple steps which you have to follow but they only seem as simple. I had to avoid sugar, eat healthy food, adopt a diet plan and eat food rich in protein and fiber. I still lead a healthy lifestyle, eat healthily and go to the gym regularly. I've become a balanced and well-minded person.