The Secret to Finding Stability in Arm Balances

While there are many contributing factors to stabilizing arm balances, such as your core and foundation, the following tips focus on arm and shoulder placement as a way to avoid injury and improve strength.
Learning how to set the shoulders for arm balances begins with engaging the muscles surrounding the scapula, or shoulder blades. The shoulders are intricate joints. There’s a conjunction of three bones, with a complex muscle, tendon and ligament structure. Because there are so many pieces to the shoulder puzzle, it means a lot can go wrong. The big secret to finding stability in arm balances hasn’t been in front of you the whole time. It’s actually been behind you!
These tips will guide you from the back, to the shoulders, and through the arms:



1. Practice Scapular Retraction and Depression: Some refer to the retraction and depression action of the scapula as “putting your shoulder blade in your back pocket.” Start with retraction, by pulling your shoulder blades in towards the spine. This will broaden the chest. Now try depression by drawing the shoulder blades down, by pressing the shoulders down. This action engages the lower trapezius, the major muscle covering the most area on the upper back. You can try this action anywhere, like sitting at your desk. Try it 10 times and hold each action for 1 breath. Developing the strength and habit of this action will make it second nature when preparing for an arm balance.


2. Stay level in the shoulders: Both shoulders should have equal weight, even in asymmetrical arm balances like Eka Pada Koundinyasana or Side Crow. In these arm balances, there is a tendency to let one shoulder drop down and lose stability, putting more weight on the opposite shoulder. If one shoulder is dropping, that scapula needs to be put back in its pocket! Remember, retraction and depression.



3. Keep the elbows hugging into center: Things are stronger when working together, right? Get the elbows in on it! If the elbows are wide, you will be less stable. You’ll spread the weight outward, when the goal is to draw it in towards your center to balance over the hands. Ideally, your elbows should be stacked over the wrist. This will vary on the arm balance, like Crane Pose, the elbows may be slightly forward of the wrist.



4. Maintain a perpendicular angle between the lower arm and the ground: This touches back on the idea of keeping the elbows over the wrist. Not only do we want to avoid the elbows going wide, but you need to shift forward when approaching arms balances like you would in Chaturanga Dandasana. Shift far enough forward to avoid the digging sensation in the heels of the hands, but not too far forward that you begin to pinch the wrist. Forearms are perpendicular to the ground and parallel to each other. Who would have thought high school geometry would have come in handy on the mat?

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Energizing Breathing Exercises to Conquer Your Day

 “When you understand who and what you are, your radiance projects into the universal radiance and everything around you becomes creative and full of opportunity.” - Yogi Bhajan
All life starts and ends with our breath. However, most people do not breathe properly; quick, shallow upper chest breathing wins the race over slow, deep diaphragm breathing.
Proper breathing aids in promoting health and vitality, controlling mood, developing concentration, and creating the foundation for a vital and prosperous life.
Try one of these Kundalini Yoga breath techniques when you wake up and you’ll start your day in a relaxed state, ready to conquer anything! All of the breathing exercises should be done with the eyes closed, sitting in a relaxed cross-legged position.


1. Nadi Shodhana (Alternate Nostril Breathing): Release fatigue and tension with this calming breath. Take the thumb of the right finger and close off the right nostril. Inhale deeply and slowly through the left nostril. Use the right pinkie finger to close off the left nostril and exhale slowly through the right nostril. Continue this alternate breathing for a minimum of three minutes, maximum 31 minutes. Also a great option to do right before bed to calm a busy mind.


2. Sitali Pranayam (The Cooling Breath): The act of drawing the air across the tongue and into the mouth is said to have a cooling and calming effect on the nervous system. Roll the tongue into a “U”shape with the tip just outside the lips. Inhale slow and steady through the U shaped tongue filling the diaphragm. Exhale through the nose. Continue for three minutes. If this is too difficult, you can also try Sitkari Pranayama which has the same effect. Open the mouth slightly with your tongue just behind the teeth. Inhale slowly through the space between the upper and lower teeth, letting the air come in over your tongue as you lift your chin up toward the sky. At the end of the inhalation, close the mouth and exhale through the nostrils as you slowly lower your chin back to neutral. Repeat for 8 to 12 breaths. Both Sitali and Sitkari Pranayama are a particularly good way to wake up if you feel tired in the morning or even during an afternoon slump when you want to improve your focus.


3. One Minute Breath: This exercise soothes fear and is said to help cognition. 20 seconds to inhale, 20 seconds to hold breath, 20 seconds to exhale. To start, inhale slowly, filling the lower abdomen, stomach area, lungs and then finally, the chest. Hold the breath in for 20 seconds and then slowly exhale for 20 seconds. Work your way up to 20-20-20; perhaps start with 10 seconds to inhale, 10 seconds to hold, 10 seconds to exhale (or five seconds is great too!). Continue for a minimum of three minutes.
4. Breath of Fire: Rapid breath of fire is enlivening and cardiovascular; it improves the strength of the lungs, heats the body, and promotes quick energy. Begin in a comfortable seat and sit up tall. Keep the mouth closed through this breathing exercise. Relax the muscles of the stomach.Take a deep inhale through the nose and exhale through the nose. Begin to breath rapidly through the nose and pump the naval point in and out with each breath. Maintain an equal emphasis on the exhalation and inhalation. The breath should be shallow so it can be quick.
Let us know if you’ve tried any of the above techniques and whether they’ve helped jump-start your day by leaving your comments in the section below!
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3 Things I Learned from Teaching Yoga to Beginners

“You will most likely pass gas in this pose,” I shared with a new student recently during a private session. He looked at me, part shock and part amusement across his face, as we pulled our knees into our chest.
Beginners are my favorite students to teach. They have three specific qualities that make them such great students: humility, fear, and discomfort. New students are humble in that they acknowledge that they know nothing, a trait many advanced students must relearn. Their fears are easy to support and help overcome. And their discomfort is the best tool for highlighting the benefits of yoga.
Here are three important traits that I have learned from my beginner yoga students:


1. Humility: Yoga teaches us that there is always room to grow and improve no matter at what level we think we are. Beginners have the advantage of knowing this at the start, and they are excited by the possibilities that lie ahead. Their idea or image of yoga gets them on their mat, eager to learn and explore. As teachers, we can use this enthusiasm to inspire new students to try different poses and introduce new methods of breathing (pranayama) and meditation (dhyana).


2. Fear: The consequence of humility, the acknowledgement that we are not the best, is comparison. Beginners look to others to learn and in doing so often fear that they are not good enough, not flexible enough, not strong enough, not fit enough. Nothing could be further from the truth but beginners use other students and the media to benchmark their progress. This fear has the power to unravel their initial enthusiasm; however, as teachers we can encourage students to focus on their path to growth. Each mind and body is different and the teacher’s role is to help students identify their strengths and weaknesses. The joy of yoga is that there are many paths in which we can be successful, and our goal as teachers is to introduce new students to the many types of meditation, breathing, and poses that will best support a student’s personal growth and cater to their uniqueness.


3. Discomfort: With fear comes discomfort, and beginner students feel most uncomfortable when they think they are doing a pose wrong or when a pose becomes challenging. This discomfort is a great opportunity for either physical growth or for new students to turn inward. As a teacher, we can share with new students the idea that yoga doesn’t start until we go outside our comfort zone. This helps new students realize that discomfort is a part of the exercise. The struggle and overcoming it is the essence of yoga!
After six years of practicing and two years of teaching I still describe myself as a beginner. This helps me remember that I too am a student. Each class I take is an opportunity to grow as both a student in my own personal practice, and also as a teacher, absorbing the other instructors’ cues, sequencing, and class environment. As a teacher, this realization of continual learning helps connect us with new students, to feel the same way they feel as a beginner. My guru, Dharma Mittra, says “If you say something too high or the student is not ready, they will not understand.” It is important to put yourself in the beginner student’s place so we can better navigate their struggles. It is a delicate balance when teaching beginners between acknowledging a student’s unabashed enthusiasm, expelling their fears, and challenging them to move beyond their discomfort. Their growth in the first couple classes is tremendous and playing to their humility, fear and discomfort are a few tricks to help teach any beginner student.
I looked over at my student I mentioned at the start as we released our legs to the ground from vayu-muktasana. “Don’t worry,” I continued, “I’ve seen it all before, and our goal is to move your body, stretch your muscles, and massage your inner organs. And sometimes that means a lot of gas.” He chuckled, his fear of embarrassment erased as he completed his first yoga pose in his first ever yoga class.
Whether you are a beginner student or perhaps are farther along on your journey, I would love to hear what you think about this idea of a "Beginner's Mind." What do you think is so important about approaching the practice with new eyes? Please share your perspective in the comments below.

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