I used to think that Handstands were tough. They still are, but forearm balance has a difficulty of the whole new level, which makes this elusive pose even more desirable 🙂 I am still learning to balance it without the wall, but it takes years of practice to do Pincha Mayurasana without any support. I cannot stop being amazed by all those yogis and gymnasts who transition into the feathered peacock flawlessly.
What I have learned is to keep practicing. Keep jumping, keep pushing yourself, if you fall down – do a facepalm, pick yourself up and try again. I could barely do Dolphin pose before. But slowly and steadily, I kept working on my arms and core strength, and one fine day, I could lift myself up and my legs finally hit the wall.
My biggest struggle right now is to keep the forearms parallel. I get it right on few occasions, but on others, I clasp my palms together and concentrate on relaxing in this pose.
How to do Forearm Balance?
For core strength: Plank holds, side planks and boat pose (navasana) variations.
For warm-up: A couple of Surayamaskar sequences and wrist warmups
I start by holding Dolphin pose for few breaths. Then clasp my hands together, and try to lift one leg up. If you are a beginner like me, practice this against the wall for safety. This would also help you to maintain proper alignment and you will learn to be comfortable in this inversion. It is important to relax and breath.
Here’s a sequence that I hope will give you a better idea.
For a long time, I was stuck in the first pose, which is alright. You are building a foundation for something amazing. Be patient and appreciate even the smallest of progress.
Stay here for a couple breaths or till you are comfortable.
Slowly move your legs away from the wall one at a time. This is where I am currently. You can repeat the sequence if you like, but don’t overdo it. Listen to your body and stop if you feel any kind of pain. Rest in child pose.
Once you are comfortable in Pincha Mayurasana, you can try to push yourself a bit further and try variations with a backbend.
Here’s a video that I found useful when I was trying to figure out how to go about this whole thing.
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Oh wow, this certainly looks like something I would need to build my strength up to! I’m loving all this fantastic information. As soon as I am feeling better and not as tired I will be working on getting back into a good exercise routine!
You are simply amazing, Raj. Your passion for fitness and stretching beyond your comfort zone and learning it all on your own is simply awe-inspiring. I wish I had an iota of your commitment for fitness. Way to go, girl!!
You left me breathless once again, I have to relax and breathe separately. You actually called yourself a beginner. Raj, you are a humble yogi. I wish I first do one part of the pose. Like Zainab mentioned, kindly tell how to get started.
Wow this is just super Goals! You need to do a post on how to get started. I did yoga some ten years back . But never as good 🙂
I get so inspired by your yoga posts ! You rock ! Currently trying to get back to yoga with the help of a very good book and some online tutorial. But I keep wondering if I do need a yoga guru somewhere down the line !
I just started yoga again and am working on my core for now. Arm balance is something I wish to achieve too. I need that rush of blood to my head once in a while 🙂
Your pics are so inspiring ! Recently, I too managed to accomplish this asana after many years😃
OMG. This is outstanding Yoga Girl. I already went dizzy reading Ana Mi’s posts on exercising this A to Z challenge and was wondering where your pose fitted in till I realised it was a ‘stand alone’ ( pun intended) pose. So that’s what you’ve been busy with – travelling and standing on your head! 🙂
This looks complex, Raj! You are one flexible babe, I must tell you. Kudos to all your efforts at honing this exercise form.
No I cant do this….. I dabble with a bit of Yoga. But this is way too good Rajlakshmi
I don’t think I have this much strength in my forearms to try this, Raj. At the moment recovering from knee sprain and pretty much off all exercise. Always awesome to read your Yoga posts.
Aaargh – I am doing yoga 5 days a week and the plank and mountain pose kill me – even after 4 weeks, my forearms have not gotten upto that strength yet – many more mountains to climb yet – you are truly inspirational Raj- I love your Yoga posts a lot.
Marvelous Raj!
Gosh! That is pretty darn amazing! Mind-blowing infact! Why don’t you post your videos too? Stay Fit, the Raj way…see I got a title for your YT channel! Cheers 🙂