FOREARM BALANCE

I don't know if my students yesterday are feeling the deep backbends today. I am, so today am focusing on upside down and pelvic/shoulder stability.


The picture on the left shows a guy holding forearm balance but his shoulders aren't stable. He might have the strength to hold the pose, but his elbows are way to wide and you can see his upper body sinking. Because he is not properly locked into the shoulder girdle, he is in danger of injury or falling.

The pic on the right shows a great set up for forarm balance. She is stepping in close to her elbows in dolphin, without sinking into the shoulders. She is keeping her core/legs strong. This pose is a good warmup for full forarm balance. Holding dolphins longer and working on strengthening the whole body in breath will make you crazy strong. It takes a lot of patience. I could not do forearm balance a year ago and now with a lot of core dolphin work, I know how to patiently move into the pose. The key is patience. Dolphins with legs up strong are hard with a straight knee but they teach you where to move the energy. When you get tired, you have to adjust your thinking. You have to ask how you can get back in the pose. Do you need to really come down or do you need to use your legs.

It is crazy hot in Wisconsin now so I will practice a lot in my cool house this week. So this morning I will focus on upside down. Later this afternoon I might pull out Rodney Yees's Advanced Hip opener dvd and get into the hips and release low back from yesterday. I love this dvd. Rodney does not rush you through anything. Do not be afraid of the word advanced. The hip opener sequence is great for all levels.



I will have more updates on Buddha garden and a blog about transitioning out of mid summer. I felt a huge - SHIFT - energetically the last few days. I have been reading a new book that I can't put down so will review that too.