- Category
- Balancing
- Level
- intermediate
- Hold
- About 10 seconds per side
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Keep breathing through the effort — the hold is short but intense.
Balancing Stick
Tuladandasana — "balancing stick posture (tula: scale or balance; danda: stick)"
Arms overhead, step forward, and pivot your whole body into a level T — one straight line from fingertips to lifted heel. It is held only about ten seconds, and honestly, ten seconds is plenty.
Step by step
- 1Stand tall, reach both arms overhead, and press your palms together with index fingers steepled.
- 2Squeeze your upper arms against your ears — arms and torso now move as one piece.
- 3Take a generous step forward with your right foot.
- 4In one smooth motion, pivot forward over the right leg while your left leg lifts behind you.
- 5Stop when arms, torso, and lifted leg are one straight line, parallel to the floor.
- 6Reach hard in both directions — fingertips forward, heel back — and breathe.
- 7Step back up to standing, lower your arms, and repeat on the other side.
Benefits
- ✓ Works the entire back body — legs, glutes, back, and shoulders — at once
- ✓ Elevates the heart rate quickly for such a short hold
- ✓ Builds full-body tension: everything firms to keep the line straight
- ✓ Trains fast, decisive balance rather than a slow settle
Make it yours
- · Tip only partway down — a 45-degree line with straight arms and leg is the same work.
- · Rest your hands on a chair back and practice lifting the back leg to level.
- · Keep the arms at your sides like wings if the overhead position strains your shoulders.
Take care
- If you have balance issues, practice the pivot with fingertips on a chair back or wall.
- Take care with shoulder or lower-back sensitivity — arms can reach alongside the body instead of overhead.
- The short hold is still vigorous; take a standing rest between sides whenever you want one.
This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.
Props that help here
- Manduka PRO — The buy-it-once option — dense, stable, famously durable. Heavy, so it lives at home, which is where practice happens anyway. find one
- Cork blocks (set of 2) — Bring the floor closer in lunges, folds, and triangle — and a block between the shoulder blades turns a backbend into something you can hold. find one
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