What’s next after mastering your handstand? So comfortable with backbends that it starts to become boring? Looking for a new challenge to elevate your soul?
One of the most challenging advanced yoga poses is the Scorpion Pose or Vrschikasana. This posture requires a great amount of arm strength, spine mobility and mastery of hand balancing. The pose, like a scorpion, is very scary to attempt and takes a lot of courage and patience to learn. But with proper guidance and progressions, anyone can access this posture safely. Don’t be afraid!
This is a very difficult yoga posture. Do not attempt practicing without the guidance of an experienced teacher. Scorpion pose strengthens the arms and core. It is also a very effective way of relaxing tensed muscles on the spine, chest and hip flexors. Vrschikasana is a great movement that improves balance, faith, and concentration.
Here are some preparations that will surely make your Scorpion Pose accessible within a little period of time:
- Strengthen up.
- Arm balances rely on solid foundations of the arms and core. This ensures that the body moves as a stable single system, preventing it from falling and wiggling.
Here are some poses that’ll effectively increase your strength and flexibility as a preparation for the full pose.
Plank Pose
This is the most simple yet most effective pose that increases the strength of the arms and core. It activates the shoulders and engages the abdominal muscles.
How:
- Begin in all fours, hands planted on the ground, shoulder width apart, and knees on the floor hip-width apart.
- Turn your elbows in and lower it down, then come up on your feet on a Dolphin Pose.
- Step back to straighten your legs together behind, keeping a nice straight line of the body.
- Push away from the floor through your forearms and shoulders and contract the abdominal muscles to keep your form stable.
- Hold this position for 5-10 breaths.
Handstand
Mastering your handstand is one of the prerequisites for advancing to full Scorpion Pose. This pose demands a great amount of balance and understanding of body control. It relies on the foundations of the shoulders and a strong core. Balancing on your hands with the awareness of the maneuver will ensure that you don’t fall the hard way.
How:
- Start in Downward-Facing Dog then slowly walk your feet closer to your hands.
- Inhale and kick one foot up, then the other.
- Push away from the ground to keep your shoulders activated and squeeze your thighs together to maintain the stiffness of the body. This ensures that the body will remain stable throughout the pose.
- Stay inverted for 3-5 breaths and exhale, bringing your feet back into the ground to release.
Wheel Pose
This posture stretches the front of the body and improves the spine’s mobility. This is the flexibility needed in order to consciously be able to bend your back during the full Scorpion pose.
How:
- Lie on your back with knees bent and feet planted on the ground.
- Reach behind and place your hands next to your shoulders.
- Inhale as you lift your body off the floor by pushing through your feet and hands.
- Imagine that there’s an invisible string tied to your waist, lifting your body up.
- Stay in this pose for 3-5 breaths and slowly bring your body back down to the ground as you exhale.
Full Scorpion Pose
This is a very advanced posture and it is not recommended to be practiced without the supervision of an experienced and certified teacher.
How:
- Start by getting into your handstand.
- Once you stabilize your balance, bend your knees and arch your back.
- Bend your body as much and as comfortably you can.
- You can also look up to help your feet touch your head.
- Stay in this pose for 3-5 breaths and gradually increase as you practice.
This yoga pose helps improve focus and memory. It is also a good way to release tension on the back and spine. You may fail during the early stages of developing this pose, but with regular practice and discipline, nothing is impossible! Be patient and allow the failures to be your stepping stone to success. Face the challenges with composure, listen to your body and have a good time improving your overall being! Also, make sure to wear comfortable leggings so you can succeed in practising this pose.