Benefits:

• Physical: Strengthens arms, shoulders, abs, legs, and teaches alignment
• Emotional: Invigorating, balancing
• Rx for: Fatigue

Starting on all fours with your elbows shoulder-distance apart, lower your forearms onto the ground, palms pressing firmly into the ground. Tuck your toes and straighten your legs so you are in Dolphin pose (Down Dog with the forearms on the ground). Bring your weight onto the forearms and using your core to stabilize you, kick one leg skyward, then the other. Flex your feet and keep your big toes together. To practice, you can kick up against the wall and then bring the heels of your flexed feet away from the wall to balance. Make sure you press your forearms into the floor so you take the weight out of the shoulders and lengthen the spine.

Hint: Use the wall until you’ve built the strength and stability to do it in the center of the room.


Avoid if experiencing glaucoma, inflammatory diseases in the head region, severe hypertension, recent or chronic injury to the head, neck, or spine, headache, menstruation, heart condition, high or low blood pressure, or pregnancy. (If experienced with arm balances, continue to practice until midpregnancy. However, don't take up the practice of arm balances after you become pregnant.)