Arm Balances: They’re one of those things that for most non yogis or beginner yogis are elusive, scary and part of the “Yeah right, I don’t think so” club. I remember the first time I ever took flight in Bakasana (Crow pose) – knees balanced on forearms, precariously poised in the middle to avoid falling forward or backward, core engaged, trying to remember to also breathe.
Talk about bringing up fears. It can be scary to feel like you might fall and even scarier to bruise your ego on the way down.
But….arm balances are inspiring, they give a surge of confidence and they let you experience what is possible. And what is possible is this amazing feeling of freedom, of flying, of rising above the mundane feeling of gravity holding our feet on the ground. It’s a feeling you can’t put into words but must experience for yourself.
We spend a lot of time following the rules – going to work, doing the tasks and chores that need to be done in a day, taking care of the children…arm balances in my opinion allow us to play, like we did as children. They remind us that life is more than just our regular day to day routines – that it can be silly and amazing too.
Crow Pose also improves concentration and focus and calms your mind. We highly recommend doing arm balances as part of your yoga practice. And if you’ve never done them before – well, everyone starts somewhere.