Ideas for preparing to practice elbow balance

Autumn 2014 - Published BWY Spectrum Magazine

Elbow balance is a position that can seem unobtainable. It is a position I have been working with for many years (I hesitate to admit that it has been part of my regular practice for around 10 years). In the classes I teach, I work with the preparation for elbow balance, and though demanding, it is always received well. The most important thing to understand is that it is the progress towards the posture/asana, and not the posture itself that allows us to enjoy working with it. If we practice without judgement and without a debilitating need to ‘do’, yoga practice becomes an enjoyable game, rather than a checklist of things to achieve.

The more we ‘practice’ the stronger and more supple we become. I have practiced yoga for 30 years and have had many different teachers and many different viewpoints thrust upon me. I was always taught that ‘discipline’ is integral to yoga practice. This will ensure we practice, this will make us improve……But, I started to practice more when I stopped thinking I ‘had’ to practice and started to ‘want’ to practice.

Every day is unique and learning to listen to our body (its capabilities, its limitations) are integral to this way of practicing. When I started to practice in this way, the words ‘be content in the place you are in’ seemed like just a nice set of words. But, if we promote patience, tolerance, and gentleness within our practice, these words reveal a simple truth.

Where to start.

In any posture there is no ‘one’ part of our body that is more important than another. If we work as a ‘whole’ then a lightness can be achieved. It is easy to say that we need strong shoulders in order to perform ‘elbow balance’, but it is the connection of our shoulders to the rest of our body, that opens up possibilities. Thus, in order to prepare for ‘elbow balance’ we ‘find’ or shoulders in relation to our ‘whole’.

While on all fours, play with the idea of distributing your weight equally in your hands without ‘pushing’.

Can there be a feeling of space beneath you as well as above? For your hands to feel ‘light’ our shoulder joints must be found and their connection to the spine explored. Keep this feeling as you experiment with down-dog.

Can we keep our shoulders feeling the same if we carefully lower the elbows? If not, return to ‘cat’ and ‘down-dog’.

Be attentive to the way your body is feeling. Is it possible to keep your shoulders, elbows, wrists, hands ‘free’? Is there a possibility of movement in all these positions? This will ensure we are not straining.

Be interested in working with your arms in gomukhasana. Be aware of the connection between your shoulders, elbows and wrists. Keep the area between your shoulders ‘rested’, this will stop your ribs lifting. If you ‘find’ this position, is there a possibility of sending the elbows ‘away’ but allowing your shoulders to stay connected and not ‘pulled’ away from their joints. In this way, we are attempting to connect with the inner muscles. At no time are we attempting to ‘push’, ‘pull’, or ‘strain’ and ‘stretch’. To find the inner muscles, our outside muscles must stay as relaxed as possible.

Work with parsvottanasana in the same way. Only step forward as far is as comfortable for you and by being attentive to the back heal, allow your spine to lengthen forward (away from the heals) and then down towards the ground. Use this position to elongate the spine. The connection with your palms are your guide, if the hands come apart, do not go so far forward/down. Be aware of your length, from the ground, through your body, to the top of your head.

If you feel ready to prepare for elbow balance, it is interesting to explore the way in which our elbows are placed. Sometimes, I begin by kneeling and gradually ‘round’ my spine down. Don’t let your shoulders or head drag you down, but feel as though the space underneath you if lifting you up. Explore the ways your hands touch the ground – can you still lift them? When your elbows come down, can you still lift them? Are your shoulders and neck free? By practicing in this way, with care and attention, you will be aware of ‘all’ your body having to work just to place your elbows, forearms, wrists, and hands on the floor without allowing the weight of your spine to sink into them. Remember the position aims for us to lift our weight UP from the floor. Our elbows stabilise/ground us but our spine must feel light. Only lift your knees if you can keep the freedom in your shoulders and ‘lightness’ in your arms. The best teacher you have, is your own body.

Once we have practiced and prepared, listen to your body at each stage. I start by lifting one (straight) leg at a time. If this can be done without ‘pushing’ into the shoulders/arms then continue, if not, stop. Play with the position with no thought of ‘holding’. Our bodies enjoy movement and once we have learnt to integrate our shoulders to our spine, there is a possibility of being able to enjoy postures that may seem unobtainable. I have been exploring this position for many years now and know that I have a lot more to learn. The most important part of my practice is acknowledging what I am able to do at each moment, without judgement and without force. In this way, asanas are an exploration of movement, rather than something to be ‘done’. After all, what we practice should be enjoyed.