A Complete List of Arm Balance Yoga Poses

Out of all our body parts, our upper limbs or arms are the weakest since most of us are not used to heavy lifting in regular life and have desk jobs. For these very same reasons, it becomes important to stretch, train and strengthen our arms everyday and enjoy flexibility and good health.

However, arm balances are relatively tougher than other yoga poses. Hence, one should practice them sparingly as a beginner and aim to first prepare your upper body well. Gradually transition to the full list given below and develop lean, strong and flexible arm muscles.

Tips for Arm balance poses

1. Use a rolled soft towel to place in between your shoulder blades for better support in an inverted arm balance pose like the Bridge pose.
2. Spread your fingers apart in a star and try to dig your fingers in the mat fr better grip and alignment.
3. Gaze is particularly important in arm balance yoga poses due to strain on neck and shoulders. Do not attempt to look into the mirror while in these poses. It is better to record a video or ask someone to check your alignment.
4. Restorative poses for an upward extension includes poses with a rounded back like Child pose, and for inversion poses, it is the straight spine poses like the Corpse pose or Crocodile pose.

Maintaining arm, elbow and palm safety

1. Always perform arm balances on a yoga mat or sand to ensure a soft cushioning beneath the palms and elbows.
2. Never go in or out of these poses quickly. The movement should be gradual otherwise there is a high risk of snapping and muscle tear.
3. Do a little warm up by twisting the wrists, swinging arms by the side and stretching and twisting side ways.
4. Never discard the restorative poses performed at the end, as they allow the muscles to relax and come back into the initial condition.