Forearm Balance - Pincha Mayurasana
Try out this Asana with me?, Health Challenge Invite. P?�cha May?r?sana
STEPS :
- From an all fours position, place your elbows, directly under your shoulders. You can take hold of the elbows with the opposite hands to ensure that your elbows are shoulder-width apart.
- Place your palms flat on the floor with your forearms parallel.
- Press down through your forearms and engage your hands by pressing down with the fingertips, hollowing out your palms slightly (Hasta Bandha).
- Tuck your toes, lift your hips to the sky and come up into Dolphin pose.
- Keep pushing the ground away with your forearms, firm your shoulder blades and bring them down your back.
- Externally rotate your upper arms (outwards) and without moving your forearms, sense that you’re actively drawing them in towards each other.
- Step one foot in closer to the middle of your mat. Keep that knee bent.
- On an exhalation, press into the foot of the bent leg to lift your other extended leg up.
- Start with some small hops to practise feeling the weight in your upper body.
- When you become stronger and your body becomes used to the feeling of being in the first stage of the pose, press into the foot of your bent leg with a little more energy to lift your extended leg completely.
- Eventually, you will kick both legs up straight.
- Once up in the pose, keep pressing into the forearms and palms, knit your front ribs in, focus on your core by drawing your navel towards your spine, and lengthen your tailbone towards your heels
- Maintain energy in the legs by internally rotating your inner thighs and lengthening out through your heels or your pointed toes
- To come out of the pose, lower one foot, followed by the other back into Dolphin pose, bend your knees, and r est in Balasana (Child’s Pose) for a few breaths before coming up.
Benefits
- Strengthens the shoulders, arms and back
- Stretches the shoulders and chest
- Decompresses the spine
- Improves sense of balance
- Relieves mild depression
Who Can Do
Consult a doctor before beginning an exercise regime.