Yoga asanas help you enjoy good physical and mental health. This ancient art has helped millions experience true bliss and connect with their divine self. Yoga is not just another workout. It is a holistic way to bring about some big positive changes to your lifestyle and overall style of living.
One of the most effective yoga asanas is the Dolphin Pose. The Dolphin Pose is an intermediate-level yoga asana that works on your arms, abs, upper back, and shoulders. You should enroll in a reputed yoga teacher certification course to learn more about practicing this yoga asana.
With that said, let us look at how you can practice this yoga pose.
Steps To Practice Dolphin Pose
- Come onto all fours. Keep your forearms on the yoga mat and elbows directly under your shoulders.
- Place the palms of your hands down and keep both forearm parallel with each other. You can also interlace your fingers and tuck the bottom little finger in.
- Exhale and curl your toes under. Engage your lower belly and lift your knees off the mat.
- Lift your sitting bones and elongate your tailbone to straighten your legs. Lower your heels towards the mat, they should not touch each other.
- Engage your thigh muscles and draw in your lower belly. Press your forearms into the mat.
- Firm your shoulder blades down onto your back and maintain space between them. Lengthen your spine.
- Hold your head between your arms and off the mat.
- Hold this position with 5 to 20 breaths.
- Bring back your knees to the mat. Exhale and rest.
Needless to say, the Dolphin Pose is a quite effective yoga asana that provides you a host of benefits.
5 Reasons To Practice Dolphin Pose
Given below are five reasons you should include Dolphin Pose in your regular yoga practice.
1. Strengthens The Shoulder Girdle
The Shoulder Girdle is the most vulnerable bone structures in your body. All the bones and joints that form the shoulder girdle are connected to the rest of your skeleton at the junction of your collar bone and sternum.
In other words, the stronger the muscles in your upper back and chest, the more stable is your upper body. Dolphin Pose provides your shoulder girdles with added strength to practice challenging yoga poses with ease.
2. Improves Headstand
Similar to Forearm Stand, the Dolphin pose is of great help if you are learning to do a Headstand. The Dolphin Pose develops strength in the muscles of your shoulders and back. These are the two muscles you engage to do the Headstand.
In the long run, daily practice of this Dolphin Pose strengthens your core muscles, which play an important role when doing a Headstand. Enroll in a reputed yoga instructor certificationto know more about this yoga asana.
3. Develops Confidence
The Dolphin Pose is a half inversion, which means the very act of taking your face forwards helps you develop the confidence to hold onto this yoga asana. It is a great yoga asana that helps you develop confidence in your body.
4. Helps With Forearm Stand
If you want to master the Forearm Stand or improve your overall strength, Dolphin Pose is what you should try. It develops stability in your chest and shoulders, which you need for doing the Forearm Stand.
The Dolphin Pose keeps you away from sagging shoulders and improves your stability and balance in this yoga posture. You should enroll in a yoga allience teacher certificationto learn more about this yoga pose.
5. Great Abdominal Exercise
Planks and other crunch-like exercises help you develop greater abdominal strength. Similarly, when you move back and forward in the Dolphin Pose, it engages all the core muscles in your body. It improves your muscular strength, body posture, and even tone the abdomen.
Conclusion
Dolphin Pose strengthens your upper body and activates the arches of your feet. Enroll in a reputed yoga teacher certification course to learn this yoga pose.