Dolphin Pose: Ardha Pinca Mayurasana

Pinca Mayurasana (Peacock Pose or Elbow Stability Pose) has lengthy impressed nervousness for a few of my yoga college students. Flipping your legs up with solely the help of your forearms on the ground can really feel susceptible. Maybe as a result of it feels much less steady, we don’t observe it as recurrently as Sirsasana (Headstand) and Sarvangasana (Shoulderstand). However in contrast to Sirsasana, there’s no weight on the top and neck in Pinca Mayurasana. Due to this, it might finally be safer for most individuals. However parallel forearms don’t make as strong a base because the interlaced fingers in Headstand. So so as to really feel protected and steady in Peacock Pose, we have to again up and provides some vitality to strengthening the shoulders and arms earlier than we kick our legs up. Dolphin Pose (Ardha Pinca Mayurasana) is a good way to work towards Peacock Pose, nevertheless it’s additionally a helpful pose in its personal proper.

Dolphin Pose may be each a preparation for and a substitute for Peacock Pose. Practising Ardha Pinca Mayurasana recurrently for some time—weeks, months or years—earlier than trying Peacock Pose can provide your higher physique the energy to help you in Peacock Pose. It will possibly additionally get you accustomed to bearing weight in your forearms, so that when you’re feeling able to kick your legs up, it feels acquainted fairly than overseas. However in fact, your yoga observe is not going to endure if you happen to resolve Peacock Pose isn’t for you. You’ll be able to all the time observe Dolphin Pose as an alternative and nonetheless reap comparable advantages.

Dolphin Pose Advantages

Dolphin Pose provides many advantages. These embrace:

• Strengthening shoulders, arms, hamstrings and calves
• Calming and energizing the mind
• Relieving again ache, headache (in some instances) and fatigue
• Therapeutic for sciatica
• Strengthening the core

As well as, Dolphin Pose is usually a nice substitute for Adho Mukha Svanasana (Downward Going through Canine Pose) for individuals with hand and wrist points. Like Canine Pose, it’s a light inversion that strengthens and stretches the arms, legs and shoulders. However the fingers and wrists bear no weight. Alternating between Canine Pose and Dolphin Pose throughout vinyasa observe may be a good way to forestall the hand and wrist stress that typically comes with a number of Solar Salutations.

Dolphin Pose Cautions

Whereas Ardha Pinca Mayurasana is usually protected for most individuals, there are a number of contraindications for observe. These embrace:

• Acute or power shoulder, arm or again harm
• Glaucoma or indifferent retina
• Unmedicated hypertension
• Practising Dolphin Pose within the first day or two of your interval might interrupt your movement and trigger cramping.

All however the first contraindication are the identical cautions you’d need to observe for any inversion. Dolphin Pose, like Canine Pose, is a light inversion. So proceed with warning or keep away from the pose altogether if you happen to’re experiencing any of the above situations.

How one can Follow

1. Begin in Bharmanasana (Tabletop Pose) on a nonskid Yoga Mat.
2. Place your forearms on the ground in order that your elbows are shoulders-width aside and your forearms are parallel, palms down. Unfold your palms and fingers, pointing your center fingers straight forward.
3. Flip your toes underneath.
4. Press down into the ground along with your forearms as you elevate your pelvis up towards the ceiling.
5. You needn’t straighten your knees instantly. As a substitute, deal with lengthening your higher arms and torso, creating a protracted, steady line out of your forearms to your ischial tuberosities (aka “sit bones”). Your ischial tuberosities must be the best level in your physique.
6. Straighten your knees if you happen to like, sustaining the size in your torso and arms.
7. Keep away from the tendency to elevate your head. As a substitute, hold your head and neck consistent with the remainder of your backbone.
8. Take 5 to 10 deep breaths right here, persevering with to press your forearms down as you lengthen your torso and legs.
9. Launch your knees right down to the ground, after which loosen up in Balasana (Baby’s Pose).

How one can Assist Your Dolphin Pose with Yoga Props

Retaining your elbows proper underneath your shoulders is essential to making a steady base for Dolphin Pose. However there’s a powerful tendency for the elbows to slip out within the pose, inflicting the forearms to angle inward. When this occurs, our bony construction, primarily the humerus bones, are now not in a position to help us effectively. Moreover, the shoulder blades can draw inward, compressing the higher again. Utilizing a Yoga Block and a Yoga Strap may also help stop this misalignment.

Right here’s the right way to arrange:

1. Begin in Tabletop Pose.
2. Place a Yoga Block on the ground between your fingers in order that it’s widthwise throughout the mat.
3. Make a loop in a Yoga Strap. Place the strap simply above your elbows after which modify the loop in order that the strap holds your elbows at shoulders-width aside.
4. Bend your elbows in order that your forearms are on the ground and parallel, palms down. Place the inside sides of the index fingers into the vast sides of the block, along with your thumbs pointing towards one another and urgent into the facet of the block nearest you. Your index fingers and thumbs will probably be at a 90-degree angle to one another.
5. Now observe steps 3 by 9 within the above “How one can Follow” directions.

About Charlotte Bell

Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced educating in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Follow and Yoga for Meditators, each printed by Rodmell Press. Her third guide is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and folks sextet Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD gained two Emmy awards in 2010.