Dolphin Pose

The oh-so fun Tina at Carrots’N'Cake is having a yoga pose month this May.  Each day different bloggers are posting their version of yoga poses and they are all linked on her blog.  I love the idea and love sharing my pose today with all of you – it’s Dolphin!

I love Dolphin because it was a huge part of my journey toward headstand.  Years ago, I tried and tried headstand, but it just wasn’t working out for me.  I took some time off of practicing headstand and went with Dolphin for about six months.  Then, one day I decided to give headstand a go again and wah-la! I made it.  All of the Dolphin practice really helped my body be ready for my now favorite inversion.  Yippee!

I also love Dolphin as a yoga teacher because it is a super shoulder/upper back opener and a great alternative if your wrists are bothering you in Downward Facing Dog.

This is my favorite prep for Dolphin.  It really gives the shoulders some time to open and helps you connect to opening up the upper/middle back.  Place your elbows on a chair (first photo) or even your deck (second photo).  Hold a yoga block between the hands and extend long through the fingers.  Reach your hips away from your elbows and explore wrapping your inner shoulder blades outward.  This is a little tricky, but when you find it – wow – you will feel the back and shoulders really opening.  Work on finding the oppositional reach between the top of your head and your tail.  Notice that the head stays in between the upper arms and does not drop below and break the line of effort from the crown of the head to the tail.

There are two ways I like to practice on the mat.  Either way, you set the arms up by wrapping the hands around the elbows.  That sets the elbows up beneath the shoulders.

For an open palm variation I like to use a block at the “L” of both of my hands.  Note that with open palms the forearms stay parallel.

Keeping that alignment with the block, tuck the toes under and lift the sits bones to the ceiling as you move into Dolphin.

The second variation I like to practice is with the fingers interlaced and the hands together.  You set up the same way by wrapping the hands around the opposite elbow to align the elbows beneath the shoulders and then keeping them there bring the hands together so you make a triangle with the arms.  Tuck the toes under, activate the quads, reach the sits bones to the ceiling, the side waist long, and the heels descend to the mat and there you are in Dolphin!

Hope you enjoy my take on this fun asana!  Yoga is such a blessing in my life – it is an ever evolving journey!  Starting a home practice is easier than it may seem…I set an intention to be on the mat everyday sometimes I go for 5-10 minutes, but more often than not end up staying much longer.  Hop on your mat and give a few poses a try.  Listen to your body and follow its guidance.  Thanks for stopping by and happy asana!

Cheers!