Forearm Stand - Pincha Mayurasana Is the Yoga Pose of the Week
Sunday November 30, 2008
Recipe for Forearm Stand:
Mix 1 part arm strength
2 parts ab strength
2 parts open shoulders
3 parts good alignment
and 3 parts fearlessness.
Shake well for several years and practice often.
Comments
I tried this without the wall yesterday - my boyfriend spotted me - and I couldn’t believe how much of a curve, and how much strain, this pose put into my back. Was I doing it wrong? What muscles should I use to counteract this effect?
Ah, the famous banana back. As much as possible, you want to have your feet stay over your shoulders. To do this you have to engage the core, keep the tailbone tucked, and reach strongly up through your legs. In my opinion, being able to get up into the pose away from the wall and being able to hold it in the correct position are separate issues. I think it helps to practice at the wall by coming up and then taking your legs off the wall the balance so that you know what the correct position looks like. Also having a good teacher look at your pose will help. Good luck!