Short Course #1 for Arms: Preparing Arms for Effortlessness in Inversions: Headstand, Shoulderstand and Elbow Balance (Level: Experienced Beginners/ Intermediate)

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About Course

As one set of our major organs of action, the importance of arms cannot be overstated.  This has become especially significant these days as our normal range of arm activities has significantly reduced – we no longer pull, push or lift weights.  Instead our lifestyles are such that our arms and shoulders are held in chronically shortened and stressed positions.

This Short Course is in FOUR Parts:

Part1: The ‘Arm Experience’ and the ‘Arm Explanation’: Anatomical Information and Subjective Knowledge

Part2: Strengthening the Weak Underbelly of the Arms: The Triceps

Part3: Breath Supporting Arm Actions to lift up to Inversions

Part4: Arms Connecting to Sides for Effortless Inversions (Headstand, Shoulderstand and Elbow Balance)

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What Will You Learn?

  • This manifests sooner or later as aches, pains, discomforts in wrists, elbows, shoulders, neck and back.  To continue to be productive, we have to ensure that our arms stay in healthy condition.  As students of yoga and as asana practitioners, arms play a much wider role.  Among many other things, a regular practice of inversions is believed to release tension, increase circulation and energy levels, and strengthen muscles. It's also thought to promote emotional growth and calm the mind. An agitated mind will surely benefit from a practice of inversions. Arms play a major role in inverted positions.
  • Our lower limbs (legs) and our upper limbs (arms) are attached to our trunk through ball and socket joints - to give maximum possibility of movement of these limbs.  However, unlike the hip socket, the shoulder socket is shallow.  This gives the arms a wider range of movement, but also makes the shoulder joint more prone to injury.  It becomes all the more important to strengthen its connection with the shoulder-blades, and to the spine, in order increase the efficiency of arm use.
  • This is not a Beginner level Course as the actions are nuanced, and require some patience and experience.  There are not many gross actions, and yet through intelligent actions, arms are connected to the shoulders, the spine, the sides of the body, to the breath, ultimately culminating in effortlessness in Inverted positions.

Course Content

Part1: The ‘Arm Experience’ and the ‘Arm Explanation’: Anatomical Information and Subjective Knowledge
Arms play a major role in inverted positions. This session goes into some anatomical explanations, and also some subjective experiences of the similarities between these joints, and explores and ready the arms through ‘extension’ action. Level: All levels Duration: 75 min. Props needed: 2 blocks This session is part of the Short Course#1 for Arms:Preparing Arms for Effortlessness in Inversions: Headstand, Shoulderstand and Elbow Balance (Level: Experienced Beginners/ Intermediate)

  • Anatomical Information vs. Subjective Knowledge of Arms
    01:14:00

Part2: Strengthening the Weak Underbelly of the Arms: The Triceps
This is a deceptively simple session that targets an area of the arm that we ignore in most arm movements: the ‘Triceps’. This underside of the arms are weak for many people, and with age, a visible ‘sagging’ of this area becomes apparent. Weakness in this area significantly reduces the strength of our arms, creates imbalance between biceps and triceps, and will ultimately become the weak link in shoulder and back strength. Level: Experienced Beginner, Intermediate Duration: 90 min. Props needed: couple of blocks, yoga strap, access to a wall This session is part of the Short Course#1 for Arms:Preparing Arms for Effortlessness in Inversions: Headstand, Shoulderstand and Elbow Balance (Level: Experienced Beginners/ Intermediate)

Part3: Breath Supporting Arm Actions to lift up to Inversions
This session builds up on the previous sessions and it is expected that the left up to headstand (Sirsasana) and shoulderstand (Sarvangasana) will be relatively effortless without requiring too much active preparation. Instead, this session focusses on the breath as a consolidating force Level: Intermediate Duration: 60 mins. Props needed: blocks, bolster, belt, blankets This session is part of the Short Course#1 for Arms:Preparing Arms for Effortlessness in Inversions: Headstand, Shoulderstand and Elbow Balance (Level: Experienced Beginners/ Intermediate)

Part4: Arms Connecting to Sides for Effortless Inversions (Headstand, Shoulderstand and Elbow Balance)
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