4 Amazing Tips For Yoga Arm Balances & Inversions

If the mere mention of arm balances and inversions makes your heart beat faster and your palms sweat, don’t worry! Here’s 4 amazing tips to get your practice moving in the right direction.

Move into it slowly

The most important thing to remember with any arm balance or inversion is to move into it slowly. A common mistake you see all the time is people powering themselves forward into these poses without taking the time to align hands, elbows, shoulders, pelvis and move from the core. When the foundation of the pose is carefully considered and setup, when you move with more integrity and core strength, the feet start to float away from the floor with a lot more grace and a lot less effort.

GET STRONG

Since our upper bodies aren’t used to supporting the weight of our lower bodies, it’s important to strengthen your core, upper back, shoulders, arms, and even the muscles in your hands and wrists so as to feel strong and stable enough to take a stab at a headstand or handstand. Target these muscles on your mat by doing upper-body toning yoga poses, like Sage and Crow, and using these arm-strengthening tips during your next class.

MOVE YOUR MAT

It’s perfectly commendable to tackle inversions in front of a wall and/or with a spotter, so don’t be bashful about pulling your mat up to a wall or asking your instructor for a hand. This will relieve your anxiety about falling, which is often a huge obstacle that prevents people from trying inversions in the first place. Once you have some experience with safely holding yourself upside down without falling, you’ll have the confidence to try it out on your own.

USE PROPS

Aside from the wall, other props in the room can also help you with inversions. Straps placed securely around your upper arms can prevent your elbows from sliding apart in forearm stands. If you suffer from neck pain, placing stacks of blocks under your shoulders to do headstands offers relief. If your wrists hurt while practicing handstands, holding a block under each palm can take pressure off your wrists. Props are also great for trying out more advanced inversions.

Remember, arm balances and inversions help to cultivate a deeper sense of strength, stamina, and self-confidence helping you to feel physically stronger on AND off the mat.

If you would like to get some expert help and deepen your practice , you should get to Rohan’s ,Transitions – A Vinyasa Yoga Workshop on Sunday the 28th February. It will be the perfect way to work up a sweat and release all your Christmas tension.