Fish is often done with the feet in lotus, though if lotus is not available, you can keep the legs straight, which is the version I’ll describe here. While sometime practice on its own, it is most often taken as a counter-pose, allowing the neck to experience a contrary movement to the somewhat extreme flexion of shoulderstand and plow. Be patient and listen to the body as moving from one extreme to another without sufficient care can increase rather than decrease pressure in the neck.

To begin, lay down on your back and extend the arms by your side with the forearms touching the side of the torso. Some people place the hands underneath the glutes here. Figure out what works best for you. On an inhale, press the forearms into the floor and lift the torso up away from the mat. Broaden across the front of the chest and shoulders and drop the head back to place the crown of the head on the mat (If it’s available. If you can’t comfortably arch that much, simply place the back of the head on the floor). For this variation, you want the majority of your weight to be on the forearms. If you feel strain or discomfort on the front of your neck, back out a little bit by rolling a little more to the back of the head.

Generally, you would hold for as long as you need to feel like you have countered shoulderstand, though if you are taking the pose on its own, feel free to hold as long as feels comfortable. To come out, press into the forearms again, extend the spine and let the spine come gently back to the mat.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Mayurasana is an arm balancing pose that requires a good amount of strength as well as balance. Women usually have a more difficult time in this pose due to their lower center of gravity, which means that they will have to extend their arms more to counter the weight.

To begin, you can come to all fours with the knees wide, then turn the hands around so that the fingers face toward the knees. Bring the sides of the pinkies together and squeeze the elbows as close together as you can. Lean forward to rest the chest on the upper arms with the elbows underneath an engaged abdomen. If the chest isn’t fully on the upper arms, it can be difficult to keep the arms together once you put weight on them. The specific area to place your elbows will vary a little depending upon your body mechanics. Experiment or have a teacher help you adjust until you find the right place for you.

Extend the legs and lean forward to bring more weight into the hands. Keep the upper body engaged and extended. You are essentially trying to create locust but on top of the elbows. As you find your balancing point, try and bring enough weight that the feet just lift up off the floor. If you feel like you have to spring your legs up, this means your elbows aren’t in the correct place or you haven’t come forward enough to find the balance point (Again, this pose can take quite a bit of strength. If you are not quite there yet, you can begin by placing the forehead on the floor and just lifting the feet, slowly working up to the full pose).

Hold the pose for as long as you can, eventually working your way up to a minute or so.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Karnapidasana is usually taken as part of a shoulderstand sequence after both plow and shoulderstand, but can also be useful on its own or to prepare for plow as it stretches the neck, hips, and upper body without having to worry about hamstring flexibility.

To begin, start in shoulderstand or plow, then simply bend the knees, drawing them in toward the ears. Those with limited hip flexibility will find it difficult to bring the knees in that far, and if that is the case, keep the hands on the back and bend the knees to a comfortable angle without compromising the spine. This will improve with time. If you are flexible enough to bring the knees all the way down to the floor by the ears, you can clasp the hands and extend the arms behind the back or wrap the arms around the legs and gently pull deeper into the posture.

To come out, extend the knees back toward plow, then place the hands on the floor and slowly roll down onto your spine. Take a few rounds of breath in Fish Pose afterward to help release the neck.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Plow Pose is often done as part of a Shoulderstand sequence, but it can also be quite beneficial on its own. You can get into the pose by lowering the feet from Shoulderstand or go straight into Plow, which is what I’ll describe here.

Start by laying down on your back. You can put some blankets underneath so that the shoulders line up with the edges of the blankets and the head rests on the floor. This helps to relieve some of the neck flexion in the pose and will allow most people to find a more upright final position. With the arms down by your side, bend the knees slightly, lift the feet overhead and curl the back up off the floor. Some people prefer to keep their legs straight here. Either way is just fine though bent knees can make it a bit easier. As you come up, keep the abdominals engaged to prevent the back from rounding too much. You want the spine to stay as straight as possible. Keep the throat soft and be sure the neck doesn’t become compressed as you come into the pose.

To begin, you can bring your hands to your back as you lift the hips. Once your hips are up over the waist, you can leave your hands here or clasp them behind the back, roll the shoulder blades underneath and press the arms firmly down toward the floor. While being cautious of the neck, roll onto the tops of the shoulders and lift the sitbones up toward the ceiling. Straighten the legs by lifting the backs of the thighs and keep the thighs engaged so the kneecaps are drawn toward the hips.

If your hip flexibility limits your ability to get the feet to the floor, you can prop up the feet by placing a bolster, blanket, block, or chair underneath the feet for support. Don’t force the feet to reach the floor as this can place excessive stress on the spine.

Hold here for as long as you like. To come out, exhale and roll the spine back down on the floor, one vertebra at a time. Just as in Shoulderstand, spend a few rounds of breath in Fish as a counter pose.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!

Bhujapidasana is an arm balance that strengthens the arms, shoulders, and wrists as well as the abdominals. For those with less flexible hips, it can be a struggle to keep the legs lifted, but you can get the benefits of the pose even if you don’t get the feet all the way off the floor. Have patience.

Begin in a squat with the feet about hip width distance apart. Lift the hips up away from the floor and fold forward, keeping a rounded back and bent knees. You can also choose to jump the feet around the arms to come into this position. It’s up to you. As you fold forward, grab on to the left ankle with the left hand and bring the left arm under the left leg. Rest the back of the thigh on the upper arm, then repeat on the right. The more you can work your shoulders under the knees, the easier it will be to hold the pose. Squeeze the thighs in toward the shoulders and place the hands on the floor with the fingers pointed forward. The hands should be placed behind and wider apart than the feet.

Bring your weight onto the hands and begin to straighten the arms. As you do so, lean the hips back so that the balance shifts and the feet begin to lift off the mat. Keep squeezing the thighs in to prevent the legs slipping down the arms and strongly engage the abdominals to keep the legs lifted. Once you have found your balance, cross one ankle over the other and look forward.

Generally the pose is repeated with the opposite ankle on top. If you would like to go further, you can then straighten the legs for Tittibhasana. Lastly, for those that are flexible and strong enough, you can attempt jumping straight into the pose from Downward Dog without letting the feet touch the floor.

If you have any questions, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you or see you at one of my classes!