Yoga Arm Balances

Phalakasana

The top of a push-up, held: one straight line from heels to head with your whole core working. Simple to set up, honest work to hold well.

Makara Adho Mukha Svanasana

Plank on your forearms: the same straight line, no wrist load, and if anything more core work. A reliable substitute whenever your wrists need a break.

Vasisthasana

Balance on one hand and the edge of one foot, body in a single tilted line. It asks a lot of one shoulder and the side waist, so build up with the supported versions first.

Chaturanga Dandasana

A slow half push-up held with the elbows at ninety degrees, hugging the ribs. It shows up in nearly every vinyasa class, and doing it sloppily is how shoulders get grumpy — knees down is the smarter version for most people, most days.

Bakasana

Your first flying pose: knees perched on the backs of your upper arms, feet floating off the floor. It's more about balance and knowing where your weight is than raw strength — and everyone falls a few times on the way there.

Patita Tarasana

From a three-legged dog, one leg sweeps under and across while you open into a side-plank-like shape, one foot's edge and two hands (then one) holding you up. A playful transition pose that sneaks real side-body work into a flow.

Parsva Bakasana

Crow's twisted sibling: both legs stacked to one side, knees resting on one upper arm. You need a solid seated twist and a comfortable Crow before this one makes sense — expect to tip sideways while you find the balance point.

Tittibhasana

Legs stretched straight past your upper arms, hips floating behind your hands. It looks like an arm-strength trick but it's mostly open hamstrings and a strong core — if forward folds are still a work in progress, this will be too, and that's fine.

Astavakrasana

An asymmetric arm balance: legs scissored around one arm, hips swung out to the side, elbows bent like Chaturanga. It looks impossibly tangled, but it breaks down into steps — one leg over the shoulder, ankles hooked, lean and lift.

Eka Pada Galavasana

A figure-four shape balanced on your hands, back leg reaching straight behind you. It needs open hips, a trustworthy Crow, and a willingness to fall forward onto a cushion a few times before it clicks.

Mayurasana

Your whole body balances horizontally on two bent elbows pressed into your belly, fingers pointing back toward your feet. The wrist position is unusual and intense — warm up thoroughly and expect this one to take a long time.

Tolasana

Sitting in Lotus, you press your hands down and lift your whole seat off the floor. The catch is the prerequisite: a genuinely comfortable Lotus, which many practiced students never force — blocks under the hands make the lift itself accessible.

Kukkutasana

From Lotus, you thread your arms through the gaps between calves and thighs, then press up to balance. It demands a deep, easeful Lotus and slim tolerance for shortcuts — treat it as a long-term curiosity, not a goal to rush.

Bhujapidasana

Thighs squeeze your upper arms, ankles cross in front, and you sit back onto your hands in mid-air. It's the bent-knee cousin of Firefly and usually the first of the two to arrive, since it asks less of the hamstrings.