Dragonfly Pose
Benefits
Dragonfly pose has the following benefits:
n Rinses/massages internal organs.
n It’s a deep hip opener – the glutes and piriformis muscles get
a deep stretch.
n Arm balance – strengthens arm, shoulder and upper back muscles.
n Strengthens core/abs and legs.
Common Mistakes
Here are some common mistakes when attempting dragonfly pose:
n Not opening hips enough – this pose requires that you’ve done a
fair amount of poses like pigeon and pigeon twist to the foot poses
to open the hip area up and twist before attempting this pose.
n Hands/fingers pointing out – not able to balance or stop
themselves from tipping over onto the head/face. The fingertips
are used as the brakes which help from falling forward and create
balance in the pose.
n Not bending elbows enough – the practitioner won’t be able to get
into the arm balance if the arms are not bent enough, as the foot
resting on the upper arm will have no ‘shelf’ to balance on.
n Bending elbows too much – opening up rotator cuffs too much and
possible damage of these muscles over time if repeated a lot.
DYLAN AYALOO IS THE MAN ON THE MAT
Tips
Here are some tips to get into this pose:
n Stretch out the wrists before getting into the pose.
n Stick the resting foot high up the upper arm - get deeper into the
twist before placing arms on the floor and resting the foot on the
upper arm.
n Practice lots of hip openers, twists, basic arm balances like crow, to
strengthen your abs, stretch out upper back and shoulders for the
strength and mobility required.Awareness
You are doing an arm balance, so the fear of falling on your face may
show up. Keep your awareness in your core region and it may help
facing sideways rather than the floor in front. Spread out your toes
and press out through the ball of the extending foot to make that leg
engaged and lighter. Lift chest bone forwards once in the pose.Dylan Ayaloo (dylanayaloo.com)
Photo (imeldajphotography.com)