5

Yoga Arm Balances.

October 23, 2012 by Carolina

“Picture what you want to happen,” says my yoga teacher as we begin to get into crow, one of the many arm balances in yoga. Now that I’ve been practicing for a bit I’m starting to not take myself too seriously & try poses I think I may not be able to do. One of the many lessons yoga has taught me is that sometimes you have to try something before you truly know if you can’t do it. And, even if upon attempt you can’t do it today try it again in a few weeks & you’ll be surprise how different the pose will feel. Lately I’ve been going for every arm balance offered & I’m learning a ton…

It all started with finally getting side crow one day in practice. Though I thought to myself “there’s no way you can do that Carolina” I went for it anyway & was pleasantly surprised to stick it for a few seconds — sweet success. My friend Laura, blogger extraordinaire & awesome yogi, taught an arm balancing workshop shortly after & I was lucky enough to attend. Laura broke a few arm balancing poses down step by step & taught us ways to incorporate them in our practice. Since then, I’ve been taking every opportunity available to work on them, not because I can do these poses yet, but because I want to push myself out of my comfort zone.

That’s the thing with arm balances, yoga in general, & pretty much everything in life: We must push ourselves to grow in order to see change. I’m still constantly in awe of how many lessons from the mat (practicing yoga) I can apply to my everyday life. Below are some tricks for arm balances that I’ve been applying, on & off the mat:

• Go for it. You won’t know you can’t do it until you try. Even if you find out you can’t do it (whatever it may be at this time) just yet doesn’t mean you won’t be able to do it a few weeks from now. Keep trying.
• It’s all about the core. It’s amazing how many balances are easier with a stronger core so work on that. Do a lot of boat poses, planks & other moves to really work out your core. The same thing can be said about life, if you have a strong core (a strong sense of who you are at your core), you can master any inbalances life may throw your way
• Look ahead. If your gaze is down your body will tend to go down but if you focus on something in the horizon your body finds more balance. Just like in life, nailing down a difficult task is about looking ahead — never look back!

I have a long road ahead of me but I’m starting to see progress & it’s very encouraging. I’m feeling great, motivated & overall in tune with my body & life, however hard or confusing it sometimes may be. “Life is a balance of holding on & letting go,” said sage Rumi. Let go, try something new & be free. Namaste!

Have you practiced yoga before? If so, which is your fave arm balancing pose? If not, what are you waiting for? You won’t regret it!

Image Source