ARM BALANCES AND HOW TO CRACK THEM
[AND IT MAY NOT BE HOW YOU THINK]
Arm balances are tricky beasts. We all want to practice them gracefully and with ease but are often too scared to trust and to experience the process. In this article we take a look at some of the psychology at play and how we can, by changing our way of thinking, make progress.
Let’s be honest there is a lot going on in an arm balance. They require absolute focus leading us to a state of dharana or concentration, the 6th limb of yoga. They are tough and flitting in and out of them in a flow can be discouraging. But they are not scary – we just need time and to take things step by step.
Desmond Tutu once famously said (through probably not about yoga arm balances as far as I know)
“There is only one way to eat an elephant: a bite at a time.”
By this he meant that we can often feel overwhelmed when faced with a difficult and complex situation but by breaking it down into smaller problems (or bites) we can achieve and overcome.
Ok so we know how to eat our elephant but how does that translate into practicing arm balances?
You may have heard of the acronym SMART which stands for
Specific
Aim for a specific arm balance – “I will master crow “rather than a much vaguer “I will master arm balances”
Measurable
What is your goal? Take it one step or bite at a time. It might be to get airtime with both feet off the ground just for a second. Or “I will look forward not down” or “I will remember to breathe” (so many of us forget to do this in a challenging pose)
Attainable
You have to be realistic. If you have a low level of fitness and strength your goals may be very small and there may be many of them. Remember one tiny bite at a time! You will get there
Relevant
You have to want to do it – you need that drive and focus. If arm balances do not interest you then now is probably not the time to embark on an arm balance practice .
Timebound
Set yourself a deadline for mastering each goal – but be realistic. It is far better and more confidence building to overachieve and beat your deadline than to fail!
That said there can be many things which put us off
- The fear of falling – the ego doesn’t like the possibility of not being in control. The adult brain kicks in and starts to overthink and dramatise things. Before you know it a whole soap opera story line has been created. What happens if I fall? I MIGHT hurt myself, I MIGHT not be able to go to work and I have got an important meeting (in 3 weeks). Yes – you MIGHT hurt yourself but you MIGHT also hurt yourself doing the housework, crossing the road etc etc – but you still do it!
- The need to be in the present moment. Focus and concentration is required more so than in other poses we normally meet in a class. In a class we are not generally present – we are making lists, thinking about work, food etc.
- Balance is a funny thing – sometimes it’s there, sometimes it isn’t. There will be days when it’s just not happening – and you know what? That is just fine – that is ok.Take a break and return when you feel ready.
- A bad experience can also be discouraging but we learn by experience and we should welcome these moments
And finally
- Arm balances are not easy. Our arms are probably the weakest part of our body as most of us have desk jobs and an essentially sedentary lifestyle. They just don’t get used and we don’t build up strength in them. Your teacher, trainer or even Youtube can provide upper body strengthening exercises for you
So we have seen that if you just throw yourself into an arm balance – it will probably be game over- and pretty quickly! However if you break it down bit by bit it becomes much less intimidating and you may well get there. Take some time to sit down and assess where you are in your practice, what you want to achieve and how you are going to get there. Above all treat it as a process – follow the steps and you will get there – just be patient