When the words “arm balances” are said in a vinyasa yoga class, there is a wide array of reactions, from anxiety and fear to eagerness and excitement. And noticing these reactions is half of the process! But regardless of whether you are on the end of the spectrum where you dread the words, or the end of the spectrum that has you jumping at the challenge, there are some simple tips and movements you can do to prepare for the posture. Knowing what muscles to activate and how to engage them will make any arm balance more accessible - even if you choose a variation where your feet never leave the ground!

Below I list some simple prep poses to help get you into Bakasana, or crow pose, and how they relate to the pose itself.

Give them a try, and let me know how it goes.

Lay on your back and lift your feet off the floors so that your calves are parallel to the floor. Bring your palms to the top of your thighs, and gently press your palms into the legs and the legs into the palms. At the same time, press your lower back into the mat, taking out the natural curve of the lower spine, and shortening the distance between your lower rib cage and your frontal hip points. Pull your belly button towards your spine. This action starts to activate your anterior core, or the abdominal muscles in the front side of the body. This is the same action you will want to create when you are in crow! Hold for a few breaths, and then release and relax.

Come back to reclined table top. Keep the big toe side of the feet together, but open the knees out wide. Extend your arms forward in between your thighs, lifting your shoulder blades and the back of your head off of the ground. Press your palms straight forward towards the front of your space. Squeeze the inner knees into the upper arms. Round the upper back and press more energetically through your hands. Draw the navel back towards your spine as you create a little bit of flexion in your lower back. Look! You’re already IN crow- Just on your back!

Rock up into a low squat with your feet slightly wider than your hips, and your toes pointed slightly out. Drop your tailbone and pelvic floor towards the ground. Draw your knees back, and bring your hands to your heart center so that your upper arms are on the inside of your upper thighs. Then press the upper things and inner arms into each other, as you lift your sternum into your thumbs. This leg to arm engagement is necessary as you move into the arm balance.

Make your way into a low lunge with the right foot forward. Reach your arms straight in front of you, then wrap your left arm underneath your right arm. Bring the backs of your forearms to touch and then cross the wrists so that your palms touch. (If this doesn’t work for you, just cross and reach for opposite shoulder blades, like you are giving yourself a hug). Lift your elbows up towards the ceiling, then press your forearms forward. Create space between your shoulder blades, protracting the scapula and creating a dome in the upper back. This is the action you will simulate in your crow pose when your hands are on the ground. Hold for a few breaths, then release and repeat on the other side.

Now is our second chance to do crow without balancing on our hands! Come into Navasana, boat pose. Keep the big toe side of the feet touching but bring the legs out wide. Bring your upper arms to the insides of the thighs, and press your palms forward. Squeeze your thighs into your upper arms and press strongly through your palms, protracting the shoulder blades.

Start by spreading your fingers out wide! The wider the fingers, the more surface area to balance on! I like a little external rotation, so that when I place my hands on the ground, the index finger is facing straight forward.

Once your hands are planted on the ground, and your feet and hips are in malasana, connect your inner thighs to your upper arms. Hands are about as wide as your shoulders. Begin to shift your weight forward. Keep your gaze about 8 inches in FRONT of your hands, rather than directly in between them. Think chataranga with the arms, squeezing the elbows inward so that they stay stacked over the wrists. Start to shift your shoulders forward, continuing to gaze forward, until eventually, your center of gravity starts to shift so that you begin to feel light in your feet. Eventually your shoulders end up in line with your elbows, and that allows your feet to come off the ground with very little effort! Once you are up, bring the big toe sides of the feet to touch, and pull your belly up towards your spine, as if a string is drawing the navel towards the ceiling. Push your hands firmly into the ground to create some protraction in the shoulder blades. Breathe. To come out, lower your feet back to the ground. You did it!

Take a moment to reflect on what came up for you. Exhilaration when you realized your feet were off the ground? Frustration that it was more challenging than you expected? Was it cool to see the small pieces as they came together to form the posture?! Whatever you felt, pay attention to it, and see what you can learn from it!

Drop me a comment to let me know how it went, or what other helpful hints you have for crow pose!