Upper Arms

Yoga Basics: Yoga Pose for Strengthening the Upper Arms and Body

Practicing yoga is not just for fun and relaxation. Fine and perfect execution of yoga poses can strengthen the body as well. Upper body and arms can be strengthened using various yoga poses. A great recommendation to sustain and improve the strength of the upper body and upper arms is to practice yoga couple of times a week, as much as possible every day to help you build up the strength, rather than doing it only once a week.

Benefits

Yoga for the upper body and arms enhances the flexibility of your upper arms and your torso. This also facilitates lung aeration and expansion.

Contraindications

Any injury and inflammation to the upper arms and torso, as well as problems with full inhalation and exhalation, is contraindicated.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Start by standing on the mat and assuming a full body stretch. This can be done by placing your foundation (your feet) flat with the toes spread apart, feeling the ground, pulling your kneecaps and bringing your arms at the sides of your body. Take a deep breath. As you inhale, bring your upper arms up and look up while you perform a full body stretch. Exhale and inhale some more while you continue to stretch.

As you inhale, your tailbone should be pointing down. Do a slight back bend, and as you exhale, come down swan-diving, placing your hands on the floor in front of your feet while you inhale as you look up. Open the body and lengthen your torso, exhale as you bow down towards your knee and inhale as you look forward. Do this a couple of times as your body warms up.

Step your feet downwards, assuming the downward dog pose. A downward-facing dog pose, is a great way to focus in stretching and strengthening your upper arms and body. Observe your hands and make sure that your fingers are pointing straight ahead, and your hands are parallel to each other. Feel the shoulder in your back and gently push back as you align your upper spine and your head. You can gently bend your elbow out of the side a little.

Draw the shoulder into the spine and then push back. You can do this a few times observing very gentle movement. If you have a little difficulty, you can bend your knees a little. As you assume this position, you can feel a slight imbalance in the two sides of your body. Whenever this occurs, lightly bend and gently rock your body front and back until you feel at ease.

After pushing your spine back while assuming the dog pose, assume the position of stillness. Stay in this position for 10 breaths, while you build comfort and relaxation. You should feel the energy flowing through your strong arms, soft between the shoulders, in the entire length of your body as it travels down your legs.

Gentle Yoga Push-ups

Come down on your knees and move into a few gentle push-ups. Gentle push-ups are great at lifting the weight of your entire body, strengthening your upper arms and torso. Begin by pointing your fingers towards each other. Inhale and exhale as you come down toward the floor. Inhale as you push back up. You can feel the arms working. You don’t really have to go all the way down. If you are building up strength in your upper arms, you can just go down toward the middle. Keep your core strong and in your belly button drawn in. Do this five to ten times before you release.