Drishti Vinyasa

Yoga Shala

Foundation of Arm Balancing

with Carmen

Arm balances require not only arm and shoulder strength but also a lot of core strength and hip and spine flexibility.

Like all yoga poses it’s best to work arm balances from the foundation up, so hands and shoulder alignment is very important as well as the bandhas. Flexibility and strength will come in time, but the foundation needs to be strong and stable.

We will talk about a few alignment points, practice a deep standing sequence so the core is warm and the legs feel light ready for the flight.

We will explore several arm balances and variations. The beauty of arm balances is that you can always stay in the preparatory pose, or even just lift off with one toe. Remember yoga is a journey, not a destination, so come to enjoy a full practice within which flexibility, strength and the breath blend into one.

24 May 2018 |  19:00 - 21:00

About Carmen

I am Carmen. I come from Spain and have been living in Shanghai since summer 2012 with my husband and our four children. I encountered yoga many years ago in the UK and years later in Mumbai (India) but I just thought it wasn't for me; it wasn't until I moved to Shanghai that my true love for yoga started.

I had had a knee injury that stopped me from running and I was feeling the stress of arriving in a big city and making a new start. I started practising yoga and I never looked back. I have since completed four teacher training courses and have not stopped learning.

In very simple words yoga makes me happy. The asana practice makes me feel full of life and the yoga philosophy and meditation help me to re-connect with the best version of myself, with all human beings and with universal love.

My favourite style of yoga is vinyasa (flow), I love the pace, the movement and the challenge of keeping up with it all. I enjoy the endless possibilities of sequencing a vinyasa class. In my vinyasa classes I try to teach what yoga has thought me, to be ok with uncertainty, not knowing what pose is going to come next, to feel grounded and peaceful as you use the anchoring power of the breath, to feel a sense of play as you stretch and flow into positions that you didn't think possible, to feel your body becoming lighter and softer as you strength and flexibility improve, and to feel the mental toughness and awareness that the practice as a whole brings you.

I came to yoga as a pure physical practice but very quickly it filled all aspects of my life, making me more mindful, more accepting of myself and others, more peaceful and joyful. I teach yoga to share these benefits with the people around me.