- Category
- Inversions
- Level
- intermediate
- Hold
- 5–10 breaths, building toward 1 minute
- Type
- Asana
- Breath
- Steady, even breathing; exhale to press the hips higher and back.
Dolphin Pose
Ardha Pincha Mayurasana — "half feathered-peacock posture"
Also known as: Puppy Dog on Forearms
Downward dog on your forearms. It demands more shoulder openness and strength than down dog, which is exactly why it is the standard preparation for forearm stand and headstand.
Step by step
- 1Start on hands and knees, then lower your forearms to the floor, elbows under your shoulders.
- 2Keep your forearms parallel, palms flat, and press them firmly into the mat.
- 3Tuck your toes, lift your knees, and send your hips up and back into an upside-down V.
- 4Keep your knees bent as much as you need to lengthen your spine.
- 5Press the floor away so your shoulders stay active and your upper back doesn't sag.
- 6Let your head hang free — do not rest it on the floor.
- 7Walk your feet slightly closer to your elbows to deepen the shape.
Benefits
- ✓ Builds serious shoulder and upper-back strength without loading the wrists
- ✓ Stretches the hamstrings, calves, and shoulders
- ✓ Teaches the forearm foundation used in forearm stand and headstand
- ✓ Offers a moderate inversion with the head below the heart
Make it yours
- · Loop a strap just above your elbows to stop them splaying wider than your shoulders.
- · Keep your knees on the floor and practice just the forearm press to build shoulder strength first.
- · Place a block between your hands to help keep the forearms parallel.
Take care
- Approach with care if you have shoulder or neck injuries.
- If you have high blood pressure, glaucoma, or other eye conditions, keep holds short and stay attentive to how your head feels.
This is general practice guidance, not medical advice. If something hurts, ease out of it.
Practiced in
Props that help here
- Yoga blanket — Folded under the hips in seated poses, under the knees in kneeling ones, under the shoulders for shoulderstand. A firm household blanket works too. find one
- Wrist wedge — Reduces the wrist angle in plank, chaturanga, and arm balances. Worth trying before concluding your wrists can't do this. find one
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