Learning to Fly: Approaching Arm Balances

Build the foundation for your arm balance practice (bhuja tolasana sthiti) in this strength-focused class. Learn how improving core strength, shoulder stability, hip flexion, and wrist flexibility are needed to explore poses like full arm balance (adho mukha vrksasana), feather of the peacock (pincha mayurasana), firefly (titthibhasana), 2-handed arm pose (dwi hasta bhujasana), and one-handed arm pose (eka hasta bhujasana). We’ll learn to cultivate a stable center through precise engagement of the deep abdominal muscles through udara akunchana sthiti. We’ll explore how improving hip flexion can help unlock the compactness and steadiness required to lift off and help maintain balance. In arm balances, the hands and the arms form the base of the pose. This class will explore how the tenets of alignment and directionality are important tools in learning these asanas.

Move past fear, cultivate lightness, and develop a stable mind required to balance in these challenging but fun asanas.

This class is open to students with at least one year of Iyengar Yoga experience.