Beginner Yoga Arm Balances

Yoga arm balances require strength, balance, and mental focus. The foundation for these poses is developed throughout your entire yoga practice, with strength and stamina gradually built upon over time to achieve more advanced asanas. They are quite possibly the most challenging part of the physical yoga practice. 

An arm balance is generally defined as any posture where the body weight is held solely on the arms. Hand Stand (Adho Mukha Vrkshasana) and Forearm Balance (Pincha Mayurasana) can be considered arm balances but are also sometimes placed in the inversion category. For this post, however, we will focus on any pose with significant weight placed upon the arms. 

Training core (Bandha) engagement with the breath is crucial for mastering arm balances. When the bandhas are activated, our energy is concentrated in the torso to build heat and strength from the inside. Uddiyana Bandha, or the abdominal lock, is the suction of the abdomen, pulling the energy inward and upward. Typically, you’ll hear “engage the core” as a cue for Uddiyana Bandha. 

In almost all arm balances the gaze or focus is forward, helping to keep balanced weight distribution, as well as spinal extension, helping to lift the sternum. The weight in our hands should be felt on the inner edge of the hand, from the thumb and up through the pointer and middle fingers. If the weight is distributed poorly in the hands, it will eventually cause injury somewhere along the line—whether it’s the wrist, elbow, or shoulder. 

At any level, arm balances challenge the body and mind, requiring you to trust in your body and the ability to breathe deeply in stressful situations. As you work through these poses, you’ll build strength and confidence, transforming your yoga practice one step at a time.

Arm balances do more than build physical strength—they also enhance mental focus and discipline. Concentrating on your balance can bring your mind to the present, helping you practice mindfulness. Mindfulness is the ability to be aware and pay attention to others, your surroundings, and within yourself in the present moment.

The more you practice arm balances, the more you become in tune with your body, learning its unique capabilities and limits.

Even if you are a beginner, don’t get discouraged from practicing arm balances! Trying a handstand or headstand against the wall is fun and offers many benefits if done with correct alignment.

Below, we’ll review how to improve strength for arm balances, and some beginner-friendly arm balance poses with easy modifications, and finally, what the typical arm balance journey looks like.

Building Strength for Arm Balances

Building the necessary strength, especially in the core, shoulders, and arms, is essential to avoid injury before doing arm balances. Remember, yoga is a holistic practice, meaning all the poses in an asana series build strength, flexibility, and balance throughout the body. 

Here are some tips for how to improve your arm balances: 

• Strengthen the core: The core is your power source for arm balances—practice core asana exercises like plank variations and boat pose.
• Strengthen the shoulders and arms: Push-ups, chaturanga, and downward dog help prepare your upper body for the demands of arm balances. They also help strengthen and stretch the fingers, wrists, and forearms. 
• Improve your flexibility: Spinal twists, hip openers, and hamstring stretches are required to achieve certain arm balances. 
• Practice Downward Dog a lot!: Downward dog is often considered the cornerstone of any yoga practice. It plays a pivotal role in preparing your body for arm balances. As a pose, it strengthens the arms, shoulders, and core while stretching the hamstrings and calves, making it the perfect foundation for building the strength and flexibility needed for more challenging arm balances.

Beginner-Friendly Arm Balances

For those new to arm balances, starting with beginner poses is key. These postures build strength, confidence, and balance without overwhelming your body. 

Downward Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana)

Downward Dog is an asana used as a resting pose during sequences and helps to realign and reset the body. Mastering this pose will lay a solid foundation for practicing arm balances. 

Downward Dog might seem like a simple pose, but it’s deceptively powerful. Beyond arm balances, Downward Dog is a grounding pose that you’ll return to again and again in your yoga journey. 

Here’s how it helps prepare the body for more complex asanas:

• Strengthens the Arms and Shoulders: In Downward Dog, you’re actively pressing your hands into the mat while lifting your hips, engaging your arms and shoulders. This action builds the upper body strength you’ll need for arm balances like Crow or Handstand.
• Engages the Core: A strong core is crucial for arm balances, and Downward Dog helps engage your abdominals as you draw your belly in and up. The pose also teaches you how to distribute weight evenly between your hands and feet.
• Improves Flexibility: Downward Dog stretches the hamstrings, calves, and spine, preparing your body for the flexibility needed in many arm balances. 
• Builds Wrist Strength: Since you are bearing weight on your hands in Downward Dog, this pose is excellent for strengthening the wrists, a critical joint in all arm balances.

Mastering Downward Dog can directly translate to more success in arm balances. Here’s how you can use this pose to your advantage:

1. Focus on alignment by ensuring your shoulders are active and pulling towards one another and away from the ears. Hug the arms’ muscles to the bone and externally rotate them until the elbows point towards the back of the mat. In this pose, your arms are strong, and your fingers are spread wide. Distribute the weight evenly across all touchpoints in the hand and fingers. Grip the floor with your fingers.
2. Practice shifting more weight into your hands by lifting your heels slightly off the ground. This will mimic the sensation of balancing on your hands.
3. As you press back through your hips, draw your lower belly toward your spine to engage the core. 
4. Downward Dog is often the starting point for other arm balances. Practice transitioning from Downward Dog into standing forward fold to get a feel for shifting your weight and engaging the arm, back, and shoulder muscles.

Crow Pose (Bakasana)

Crow Pose is typically the first “real” arm balance many yogis try. It teaches you to shift your weight onto your hands while lifting your feet up and off the ground. Crow pose also helps strengthen the arms, wrists, and core. It builds confidence and improves body awareness and concentration. 

• How to Enter: Start in a squat, hands on the mat. Lean forward, lifting your feet one at a time while engaging the core. Look at the top of the mat and keep your dristi, or gaze, fixed. Remember to breathe. 
• Modification: Place a block under your forehead for extra support and confidence as you balance. You can also place a block under each hand to elevate the arms slightly, which provides more space to lift the feet off the ground. Blocks can also go under the feet for an easy lift-off.

Side Plank (Vasisthasana)

Side Plank is a great way to strengthen your arms and core while improving balance. This pose strengthens the shoulder joint and all of the muscles of the back and obliques. 

There are also many ways to modify this pose, for example, by going into a side forearm plank to relieve pressure on the wrists. You can also play with a side plank with a lifted leg, tree pose, arm binds, and transitioning into wild thing. 

• How to Enter: Start in a plank position, then shift your weight onto one hand while stacking your feet on each other. Lift your opposite arm towards the ceiling and the top of the mat, engaging your core and shoulders to maintain balance and prevent swaying. Lift the hips towards the sky. A harder variation would be to lift the top leg to align with the hip. 
• Modification: Drop your bottom knee to the ground for extra support, keeping your body in a straight line while focusing on shoulder and core stability. Blocks under the hands can help relieve some pressure on the wrists. 

Wild Thing (Camatkarasana)

Wild Thing is an energizing, heart-opening pose that combines shoulder and arm strength with spinal flexibility. The deep backbend also opens the chest and hips. Doing this pose feels freeing and joyful!

• How to Enter: Start in Downward Dog, lifting one leg into the air and slowly bending the knee. Flip your body by stepping the lifted foot behind you and pressing it into the ground as you open your hip. Lift your hips and chest toward the sky, reaching the opposite arm overhead, keeping the backbend controlled and steady.
• Modification: Start in a tabletop position with your hands and knees on the ground. Lift one hand and rotate your body to the side, pressing the opposite knee and shin firmly into the mat for support. Step the free foot behind you, lifting your hips and arching your back gently as you reach your top arm overhead for a modified, low-to-the-ground version of the pose.

Dolphin Pose (Ardha Pincha Mayurasana)

Dolphin is a fantastic prep pose for challenging arm balances like forearm stands. It directly targets the shoulders, arms, and core. By bearing weight on the forearms, this pose helps develop deep shoulder stability and upper body strength. You’ll also notice the core gets fired up quickly in this pose. 

• How to Enter: Start in a tabletop or downward dog position, then lower your forearms to the ground, aligning your elbows under your shoulders and your forearms parallel. Tuck your toes under and lift your hips toward the sky, creating an inverted “V” shape similar to Downward Dog but with forearms on the mat. Practice balancing by kicking one leg into the air at a time.
• Modification: Bend the knees to reduce the stretch in your hamstrings. Placing the forearms on blocks will also reduce the intensity of the stretch. Keep pressing into your forearms to engage your shoulders and core while lengthening your spine. Again, placing the forearms on blocks makes this pose easier. 

Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana)

A handstand is one of the most empowering arm balances as it requires intense focus and shoulder strength. After a decade of practicing yoga, I still can’t hold this asana very long, but handstands are an important part of my overall yoga practice as they build strength. Although it’s not a “beginner” pose, it’s simply fun to do! 

• How to Enter: Start in a Downward Dog position, then walk your feet closer to your hands, lifting one leg toward the sky. Press firmly into your hands as you kick off the ground with your other leg, bringing both legs overhead into a straight line, engaging your core to stabilize the body. 
• Modification: For beginners or those building confidence, modify by practicing with a wall behind you for support, kicking up gently until both feet touch the wall, or try small hops to get used to the movement without fully inverting.

The Journey to Arm Balances

The path to mastering advanced arm balances is a gradual process that starts with building the foundation of a strong yoga practice. In these early stages, you will often practice poses like plank and downward-facing dog. These help build strength, ensure correct alignment, and help you practice breath control. 

After building a strong foundation, it’s necessary to continue building strength in the upper body and core using poses like Chatarunga, dolphin, and side plank. Along with the goal of getting stronger, you should put effort into improving flexibility in the hamstrings and hips. 

Once your alignment is correct and your body is prepared, start by exploring simple arm balances like crow pose (Bakasana) or side crow (Parsva Bakasana). These require a strong core, trust in yourself, and confidence in your ability to lift yourself off the ground. Developing your mental focus is an important part of this process. Remember to breathe throughout the poses. 

As strength and confidence grow, you can move on to practicing more complex arm balances like Flying Pigeon (Eka Pada Galavasana), Eight Angle Pose (Astavakrasana), or Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana). These are considered more advanced because they require greater strength and flexibility and often involve intense hip openers.

Advanced arm balances like Firefly (Tittibhasana), Handstand (Adho Mukha Vrksasana), and Peacock Pose (Mayurasana) demand mastery of technique, incredible strength, and the flexibility of a seasoned yogi. Entering these postures requires consistent practice, total-body strength, and mental fortitude. 

Trust the Body and Honor Your Physical Limits

It’s important to approach arm balances with patience. Every body is different, and what works for one person might not work for another. Trust in the process and know that progress comes with consistent practice. 

Respect where your body is at today, and avoid pushing too hard too soon. If you fall, laugh it off. Each attempt gets you closer to learning the pose.

Remember, arm balances are part of a long-term practice. Over time, you’ll see how these poses transform not only your strength but also your self-confidence.If you’re ready to deepen your practice and explore arm balances in a supportive environment, join Bodhi Surf + Yoga for a week-long retreat. With personalized guidance from Pilar Salazar, our expert yogi, you’ll learn to connect with your body and mind on a deeper level.

Sources

Thron, Raji. Mastering Vinyasa Yoga: The Yoga Synthesis Guide to Dynamic Sequencing with Hundreds of Photos and Instructions (p. 132). Yoga Synthesis. Kindle Edition.

Jakubowicz, Rina. The Yoga Mind: 52 Essential Principles of Yoga Philosophy to Deepen Your Practice (p. 146). Rockridge Press. Kindle Edition.

Freeman, Richard; Taylor, Mary. The Art of Vinyasa: Awakening Body and Mind through the Practice of Ashtanga Yoga . Shambhala. Kindle Edition.