The act of going upside down, whether for a few breaths in a pose like Adho Mukha Vrksasana (Handstand) or for several minutes in a pose like Sirsasana (Headstand), can feel tremendously liberating. Inversions provide myriad physical, mental, and emotional benefits. But they also require strength, flexibility and confidence about reversingyour normal relationship to gravity and those can take time to develop. If your body or your mind is not yet prepared to do a fill inversion, you’ll benefit from trying a multifaceted posture called Dolphin.
Dolphin both opens and strengthens the upper body, making it a great preparation for inversions or a nice substitute posture when you’re not ready to fly your legs above your head. Whether you practice Dolphin to get comfortable with the idea of turning upside down or you practice it as a prelude to Pincha Mayurasana (Forearm Balance), Dolphin’s virtues are numerous. With continued practice, you’ll experience greater range of motion in your spine and shoulders and build strength in your arms and core. Befriend Dolphin and you’ll open the door to a world in which the cartwheels of your youth no longer seem like a distant memory.
PRESS DOWN TO LIFT UP
For the first Dolphin use the arm position associated with a classic Headstand, but keep your head off the floor. This will help you stretch and strengthen your shoulders and open your middle and upper back, areas that are chronically tight in many students. Begin kneeling at the center of your mat and interlace your fingers, slipping one pinkie inside the opposite palm so you have a flat surface from your outer hands to your wrists. Place your hands on the floor, with your forearms creating a V shape. Your elbows will be shoulder- distance apart and a couple of inches in front of your shoulders. Keep your inner wrists stacked directly over your outer wrists (so that your hands don’t fall open) and press down firmly from your outer hands to your elbows. Perform a quasi “karate chop” in this position to ensure that you really are making strong contact with the floor— the ability to forcefully root down gives Dolphin its integrity andvitality Pressing down enables you to lift up. Consider a tennis ball: Tfyou simply drop it, it doesn’t bounce very high. If, on the other hand, you throw it down with some force, it bounces up much higher. Actively press
