How Your Eyes Can Help You Have Stronger Inversions And Arm Balances

You know how I'm always banging on that the only wrong way to do yoga is if it injures you? Well, that's still true, but let me tell you, this comes close to breaking that rule...

Ok, practice time. Reach your hands above your head (urdhva hasta).

Join the palms together while your hands are reaching upwards. Now bring your palms to hearts centre, while flaring your elbows out to the side. Ok, that's the way to have weak inversions and arm balances.

Now do the same thing (hands reaching high, palms together), only the very first thing to do, before you even start to draw your hands to heart centre, is to bring the elbows together.

Keep the elbows together, while drawing the  them down, until they physically have to separate because of your rib cage.

Now, my friend, you have taken the first step onto the professional arm balancing podium. Welcome aboard.

What you have just learned is THE single most important principle in holding long, strong inversions and hand balances.

You just turned the eyes of your elbows forward (instead of them facing each other)

Now that you have the eyes of your elbows facing forward, NEVER let them face each other ever again. They never need to.

...plank...face 'em forward.

          ...down dog...yep, facing forward

                     ...up dog...FaCiNg FoRwArD

                               ...handstand...facing forward

koudinyasana, crow, astavakrasana, do we need to keep going? You get the message.

Elbow eyes facing towards each other is just weak, puny, vapid posing.

Get with the strength. Face 'em forward. 

Happy hand balancing, J.