If you have been following me on Instagram, then you know already that I love balancing asanas. Back in my 20s, I had often assumed that I had weak arms or shoulders so I would have never imagined back then that I’d do the postures I do today.
In my 30s when I deepened my Yoga practice, I fell in love with Yoga asanas where I had to balance my body weight in some way or another. Especially when they included some sort of inversions, like headstand, and forearmstand – doing them made me feel stronger not just physically, but also mentally.
Anyway, this post is about not all kinds of balancing asanas, but just the ones where one gets to balance on their hands with the rest of the body up in the air.
Just like many other people, my love for hand balancing or arm balancing asanas started with Crow Pose or Kakasana. During my Yoga TTC in India where we did Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga every alternate day, I discovered many other arm-balancing poses and I was surprised to realize that they aren’t about strength but about flexibility, practice, and finding that sweet balancing point with body awareness. Of course, you need basic arm strength for these asanas but there’s so much more than that.
This pose is more than just a blog post; it is kind of like my journal to track my progress as I deepen my practice. I will also collect my pictures for each of these asanas and update this post.
I’m sharing a list of arm balance Yoga poses that have been on my list for a while and there are three that I can’t do yet. Can you guess which ones?
1. Side Crow Pose or Parsva Bakasana
Side crow is the perfect example of a pose that meets strength and flexibility. If you are able to twist deep in the chair pose and do a normal crow (kakasana), then this pose should be accessible to you.
To try side crow, start from a twisted chair pose, lift your heels, and somewhat to a twisted toestand kind of position. Plant your hands, and lean your shoulders over your wrists to arrive in side crow pose.
2. Shoulder Pressure Pose or Bhujapidasana
Bhujapidasana is one of the easiest arm-balancing asanas and I think it is even easier than crow if you have flexible hamstrings. It is a part of Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga’s primary sequence.
3. Crane Pose or Bakasana
The crane pose is similar to the crow pose but the arms are straight. Moving from a bent arm crow to a straight arm crane isn’t just a slight difference but it sometimes takes years of practice. When the arms are straight, one needs to lean the shoulders even further over the wrists and that involves a bit of planching.
What worked for me was crow push-ups where you move from a sunken crow to a lifted crow. I used to enjoy doing them and I eventually was able to lift up very high to a crane pose with a straight arm.
4. Flying Pigeon Pose or Eka Pada Galavasana
Flying Pigeon pose is my favorite arm balancing asana as of now because I remember I thought I’d never be able to lift my back leg up in this but then I did.
In order to nail this pose, get comfortable with pigeon legs and planching. The bit about lifting the back leg just comes with practice and it is easier than it looks.
5. Dragonfly Pose or Grasshopper Pose or Parsva Bhuja Dandasana
The grasshopper pose is a very deep twisted arm balance. It is a much deeper twist than the side crow pose and requires enough hip flexibility.
Practice figure 4 chair pose, twist towards your lifted leg, and try to push the soul of your foot against your elbow (the area just above the elbow but below the bicep). From here plant your hands on the floor directly under your shoulders and lean forward and point your back foot to lift it up.
6. Firefly Pose or Titibhasana
Titibhasana is an extremely challenging arm-balancing pose for me because it requires more flexibility than you’d think. If you are able to push your shoulders through your chest and look at your butt in a wide-leg forward fold, then you can attempt Titibhasana too.
In Ashtanga Vinyasa Yoga’s primary sequence, this pose is included as a transitional from Bhujapidasana to crow and then to chaturanga dandasana.
To arrive at Titibhasana, start from Bhujapidasana and extend your legs. My knees always have a slight bend in them when I practice this pose and that’s why I am never satisfied at my version of Titibhasana, but I’m not in a hurry to arrive at a perfect pose.
7. Eka Pada Koundinyasana 1
If you can do side crow, then Eka Pada Koundinyasana 1 is not that difficult. From Eka Pada Koundinyasana 1, just extend both your legs and you will arrive at Eka Pada Koundinyasana 1.
8. Eka Pada Koundinyasana 2 or Flying Split
Eka Pada Koundinyasana 2 took me longer than the Eka Pada Koundinyasana 1 pose because it requires more flexibility. What helped me was to do Eka Pada Koundinyasana 2 push-ups, meaning a similar leg position with feet on the floor in plank, and then do push-ups from there.
9. Eight-Angle Pose or Astavakrasana
Astavakrasana is a fun arm balance where you put one leg over a shoulder, just like the starting position of the compass pose. From here, you plant your hands on the floor and hook your other leg’s foot on top of the one that’s behind your shoulder, so that both legs are in the air.
10. Elephant Trunk Pose or Eka Hasta Bhujasana
This pose is easier than a lot of other poses on the list and can be done as a prep pose for the 8-angle pose. This is an easier variation of L-Sit where one leg is above the shoulder like a backpack.
11. L-Sit or Bramcharyasana
Now L-Sit is a famous gymnastics and calisthenics shape too but is also in Yoga. If you’re trying to do this pose for the first time, then it helps putting blocks under your palms.
Another tip I can give you is to put your hands further forward than your hips in dandasana to make the lift easier. So plant your hands to either side of your mid thighs and lean forward with a cat-like shape of the spine, contract your core, point your toes, push your hands on the floor and you will lift into an L-sit.
12. Flying Crow or Eka Pda Bakasana
As for me, this is the most difficult hand-balancing pose. No matter what I do, I never get air time in this pose. Unlike the other arm balancing poses where I could just use my flexibility, in this I still haven’t found my “Aha moment” so to me it feels like a strength-based pose.
When I make progress with this pose, I will update this blog post.
13. Peacock Pose or Mayurasana
This looks like a move from 1980s break dance but it is a Yoga asana. I had almost given up on this pose but I was able to do a bent-leg version of it while warming up my wrists.
You know the wrist warm-up in a tabletop position where the fingertips face the knees and you feel a nice forearm stretch? Just in that I tucked my elbows under my ribs and was able to lift off in peacock pose.
14. Cockerel Pose or Kukutasana
From seated lotus, wriggle your hands through your legs and plant them on the floor. Push the floor to lift off into Kukutasana. I will be honest, I do a variation of this pose because I can’t wriggle my hands through my legs in Kukutasana.
15. Tolasana or Scale Pose
When I said I did a variation of Kukutasana, this is the pose I was referring to because, in this pose, the hands are on either side of the hips instead of through the legs in lotus.
16. Lolasana or Pendant Pose
If there’s one pose in which you will feel your core absolutely burn, it is this one. Lolasana is a lovely pose for learning the tuck-handstand because the legs make a similar shape in this.
17. Handstand or Adho Mukha Vrksasana
And finally, the arm balancing pose that’s the most tricky of them all – adho mukha Vriksasana (Downward facing tree pose) or Handstand. This pose has evolved over the years because earlier Yoga teachers depicted this pose with a banana back. But with the evolution of gymnastics and calisthenics, a straight body or even a hollow-back version of a handstand has emerged as the “correct” one.
18. Scorpion Pose or Vrschikasana
What’s more difficult than a handstand? Scorpion handstand. This my friends is one of the most difficult arm balance Yoga poses because it is a deep backend while standing on your hands.
It took me two years of Pincha Mayurasana to get to do a Scorpion Pincha (the same version of this pose but on Forearms instead of hands) but I’m far from a handstand scorpion pose.
Closing Thoughts
I often practice arm balancing asanas but I don’t teach them all in a typical class because I have discovered that many students overburden their wrists because of competitive energy. I prefer teaching these asanas in a one-on-one kind of scenario to ensure my students aren’t feeling pressurized by others’ gaze and only attempt them when they are ready.
In order to join one of my classes, consider my upcoming Goddess Retreat in Goa, India.