Advancing to Forearm Balance
Intermediate II
In this shoulder opening practice, you will begin to warm up and educate your body to approach our peak pose, forearm stand. This exquisitely powerful inversion is similar to handstand, but also requires both heart opening and strength through the upper back and shoulders. Note: You will need a wall to do the practice.
This can either be done as a stand-alone class or as Day 4 of Rachel's 7-Day Inversion Challenge.
Equipment:
Strap Videos
Block Videos
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Comments
Existing Comments
"7-Day Challenge" my butt; I'll be working on these poses for a long time!
But even the exercises preceding the forearm balance itself feel great, those backbends are a godsend after a day at the desk. To be honest I couldn't lift my leg too far up in that final pose - I'd guess it was about horizontal, although I of course couldn't actually see it -, something just seemed to block any further movement. As I said, lots of work to be done. And I'm looking forward to it!
Not just awesome. Simply brilliant! I’ve tried doing this pose in various yoga classes in the past, but nobody has explained it in such a clear, concise and effective way as you. It’s so much easier now. Wow! A BIG thank you from Prague!
Dolphin is a tough pose and I loved the process to get to the final pose with lots of cues and guidance along the way.
Thanks again, Rachel, for a safe and challenging practice.
I got a lot less sleep than usual and was thinking I might find this class too strenuous but the strength and stability moves provided so much stretching that I had some energy left over to do Rachel’s 15 min pick me up after, which was a great complementary class to have an hour with Rachel. Thank you! And the next time I do these for my “Rachel week-treat” I will do them with her 7 day fundamentals classes.
Week-Treat!!?? That must made my day!!
:) My “Rachel week-treats” are cobbling together at least an hour of your classes per day for a week. Once in a while I do the bow pose series over a Saturday. Both help me to focus on my alignment, as I practice daily but only at home. Thanks for helping us keep our minds sane and our bodies healthy. My 13 yr old is also learning an almost daily yoga practice with your classes. Namaste from Berlin.
Awesome awesome awesome! These classes just keep getting better and better! Rachel is an absolute genius in the way she breaks down each and every tiny step, helping to build strength and awareness, and eventually leading up to the final pose. Which of course I didn't come close to haha, and actually it doesn't matter, because as Rachel says, it's important to work on the stage you're at and perfect that before moving forward. I will definitely make this 7 day inversion challenge part of my regular practice and look forward to seeing the progress it brings!
So glad you're enjoying it Leah!! Pincha is a tough pose - it's one that can keep us busy for a lifetime ;)