Do the Yoga Balance Pose to develop Strong and Supple Wrists

The Yoga Balance pose aims at nourishing your wrists, biceps triceps and shoulders. In doing this pose you lift yourself on your palms, with your wrists acting as the lever. This pose is similar to the Crow Pose (Kakasana), with some subtle differences.

Those who seek to develop strong, supple wrists should do the Balance pose which is also known as the Tulasana or Tulasana pose. But those who suffer from the carpal tunnel syndrome or any other wrist, elbow or shoulder related ailments should first consult their physician before they proceed to do this asana (pose). Learning to do it under the guidance of a trained yoga tutor is also a must, so that you learn to do this rather intricate pose, the right way.

You start by being seated on a mat, on your buttocks. Spread your legs down your hips and come into a cross legged position. This cross-legged position is not the normal cross-legged one, but now you need to place your right foot over your left thigh and then place your left foot over your right thigh. Now both your foot soles are facing upwards.

You need to cross your legs this way so that they are interlocked into each other. If you sit in the normal cross-legged position, your feet can drop back to the floor when you lift yourself in the next step.

Straighten your spine and lean back to place your palms on the floor behind you. Leave some distance between your hips and arms and stiffen the muscles of your arms and shoulders. Apply as much pressure as you can and then lift your hips up to balance yourself on your palms.

This is a difficult move and will have to be mastered over a few days or weeks. Many beginners are not able to do it right away, and you will need to practice it persistently. In the initial stages you may not be able to lift yourself up more than an inch or two and again, you will not be able to hold yourself up in this position for too long.

But keep at it and you will be able to hold on to this position for a longer duration. After you are able to lift yourself up, you may fix your gaze on any point in front of you. This will help you to psychologically hold on to this position for a longer duration. Be in this position for as long as you comfortably can and then lower yourself to the floor once again.

Sources:

yoga Tolasana

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-AwO4VP3KQ

Scale Pose - Tolasana

http://yoga.about.com/od/yogaposes/a/pendant.htm

Scale Pose

http://www.yogajournal.com/poses/1706

Tolasana

http://www.thesecretsofyoga.com/Ashtanga/TOLASANA.html