Dragonfly Pose: Step-by-Step Directions, Advantages, and Variations of this Playfully Difficult Arm Steadiness

The constructive results of yoga on basic well being are extensively identified, from improved flexibility and mobility to elevated mindfulness, decrease stress, and higher general high quality of life. Nonetheless, these constructive adjustments develop regularly over time, and may be troublesome to quantify or measure.

How are you going to let you know’re really progressing in your follow? One positive strategy to measure your progress is to set a transparent, particular purpose for your self. Selecting to work on extra superior postures like arm balances can assist you clearly see your development over time.

In fact, not everyone is snug (or interested by) going absolutely upside-down in a handstand. However, there are such a lot of extra enjoyable and fascinating arm balancing poses that supply the chance for development in your bodily and psychological follow of yoga.

Right here, we’ll break down a very enjoyable and impressive-looking asana: Dragonfly Pose! This superior arm stability combines components of twisting and a slight ahead bend, whereas balancing in an asymmetrical physique place. Usually, you’ll follow Dragonfly as a peak pose, in yoga sequences that concentrate on arm balances.

A Pose of Many Names

As with many trendy yoga poses, Dragonfly could also be known as by different names relying on the model of yoga or particular person instructor. Different frequent names for this asana embrace Grasshopper Pose, Hummingbird Pose, and Aspect Arm Employees Pose (Parsva Bhuja Dandasana)

Alternatively, Grasshopper Pose (or Child Grasshopper Pose) typically refers to a variation by which one foot stays on the ground and one hand grips the lifted foot of the prolonged leg. This variation can be utilized as a stepping stone earlier than training the complete model of Dragonfly (we’ve damaged it down under within the “Variations” part).

You’ll hear these names in most kinds of yoga, with Yin being the exception. Don’t confuse this Dragonfly Pose with the Yin Yoga model, which is a seated straddle stretch!

Advantages of Dragonfly Pose

It is perhaps apparent that arm balancing poses strengthen the higher physique. Nonetheless, Dragonfly Pose particularly does a lot extra, because it requires power in addition to flexibility within the decrease physique. It’s a complicated pose so far as physique positioning is anxious, which provides many different bodily and psychological advantages!

General, listed below are among the best advantages of training Dragonfly Pose:

• Builds higher physique power, particularly in arms, shoulders, and again muscular tissues; maintaining the higher physique robust could assist forestall osteoporosis and fragility later in life.
• Strengthens the wrists, forearms, and backbone
• Tones the stomach muscular tissues
• Promotes flexibility in hips, legs, backbone, hamstrings, groin, thighs, which improves general mobility
• Improves digestion – because the stomach twists it compresses the interior organs, giving a massaging impact to your digestive tract
• Develops proprioception (the sense of the place your physique is in area) and general physique consciousness as you grasp the mechanics of asymmetrical physique place whereas balancing in your arms
• Boosts confidence as you’re employed in direction of reaching a particular purpose
• Improves stability and focus, calms the thoughts

Methods to Apply Dragonfly Pose

Dragonfly may look intimidating and sophisticated; however, when damaged down step-by-step, you’ll discover acquainted postures that act as constructing blocks to reaching the ultimate pose. Able to strive it for your self? Right here’s how:

1. Start standing in Mountain Pose. Shift your weight barely into your left foot and choose up your proper leg. Cross your proper ankle over your left thigh as you bend your left leg, permitting your proper knee to open to the facet. That is One-Legged Chair Pose, or Standing Determine 4 Stretch.
2. Twist your higher physique to your left and convey your fingers to the bottom beside you. Bend your left leg much more, coming to sit down in your left heel.
3. Place the only real of your proper foot excessive up onto your proper tricep.
4. Floor your palms to the ground at a shoulder width distance and start to shift your weight ahead. Bend your elbows right into a Chaturanga arm place to create a shelf along with your arms.
5. Pull your navel in and as much as activate your deepest core muscular tissues. Puff out by means of your higher again, along with your shoulder blades huge.
6. Fastidiously start to switch a bit extra weight into your arms, utilizing your fingertips to grip the ground. Really feel the deep twist in your hips as you carry by means of your pelvis; your sitting bones must be diagonally aligned.
7. Set your gaze to a spot on the ground between your fingers and barely in entrance of you.
8. Once you really feel prepared, carry your left foot up off the bottom. Press your left thigh towards your proper higher arm as nicely, above your proper elbow.
9. Lastly, lengthen your left leg out to the facet.
10. Maintain your Dragonfly Pose for a number of regular breaths.
11. To exit the pose, bend your left knee and convey your left foot the ground. Relaxation a second or two, then strive Dragonfly in your different facet, starting with Standing Determine 4 Stretch the place your left ankle crosses over your proper thigh.

Contraindications

Dragonfly Pose is a sophisticated posture, and as with different arm balances, there are a lot of cases by which it’s finest to skip this one till you’re in your optimum well being. In case you are experiencing any of the next circumstances, you should definitely seek the advice of with a medical doctor earlier than trying any superior arm balances:

• Wrist damage or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome
• Latest damage within the shoulders, elbows, or different a part of arms
• Decrease again ache or damage
• 2nd or third trimester of being pregnant
• Excessive Blood Strain

Modifications for Dragonfly Pose

Dragonfly Pose is a sophisticated arm stability that requires a substantial quantity of arm and core power, in addition to flexibility within the legs and hips. Utilizing yoga props can assist you regularly construct power and confidence, whereas giving your physique time to grow to be accustomed to the twisted, asymmetrical stability.

Listed here are a pair modifications you may attempt to get snug with Dragonfly:

• Place a bolster, cushion, or folded blanket in entrance of you as you’re studying to stability; that manner, in the event you do fall ahead, your brow could have a comfortable touchdown place.
• Block underneath foot of prolonged leg will assist you to maintain your leg straight, and let you concentrate on constructing power in your arms required to carry your entire physique weight.

Variations and Associated Poses

If you happen to’ve determined so as to add this funky, enjoyable arm stability into your yoga follow, listed below are a number of poses that go hand-in-hand with Dragonfly Pose. Every of those advisable yoga poses shares some important aspect with Dragonfly, and can assist you to isolate every talent wanted to take full flight within the ultimate pose.

Child Grasshopper Pose

If you happen to’re missing in arm power, this pose is an ideal stepping stone earlier than lifting off into full Dragon Fly Pose. On this extra intermediate model, one leg hovers prolonged above the ground whereas your reverse foot stays planted on the bottom to assist assist your physique weight.

1. Start seated in your yoga mat along with your legs straight in Employees Pose. Flex your toes and sit tall, lengthening by means of your backbone.
2. Bend your proper leg and squeeze your knee in in direction of your chest.
3. Decide up your proper foot and cross it over your left leg. Flip your higher physique to your left and place your proper foot flat on the ground to the surface of your left leg. Your toes must be going through your left, so your proper foot is parallel to the quick finish of your yoga mat.
4. Carry your left hand to the ground in entrance of your left hip, consistent with the correct foot along with your fingers going through the identical route as your toes.
5. Sustaining your spinal twist, start to shift ahead barely, coming onto your left hip. Your left foot ought to stay flexed, along with your toes now pointing in direction of the left as you roll barely onto the left hip.
6. Lean your torso ahead a bit extra. Attain your proper arm to the facet, and grasp the left foot from the interior arch.
7. Interact your core by pulling your navel in and up. Preserve your left elbow near your physique as you lean your chest ahead, placing extra weight into your left hand and proper foot.
8. Preserve shifting ahead, bending your left arm right into a Chaturanga place, and at last carry your hips and proper leg off the ground.
9. Maintain Child Grasshopper for a number of regular breaths, then gently decrease your hips and proper leg again right down to your mat. Launch your spinal twist, uncross your proper leg, and return to Employees Pose.
10. Repeat Child Grasshopper in your different facet, crossing the left foot over the correct leg, and twisting your higher physique to the correct (on this facet, you’ll stability on the left foot and proper hand).

Aspect Crow

Aspect Crow is one other asymmetrical arm stability, and whereas nonetheless a sophisticated posture, it proves barely extra easy than Dragonfly as each legs stay tucked on the identical facet of the physique. Practising Aspect Crow will let you work on stability and arm power whereas additionally including the aspect of a twist, just like the physique place in Dragonfly.

To overview methods to follow Aspect Crow, go to our Crow Pose information and scroll right down to the “Variations of Crow Pose” part.

Eight Angle Pose

Eight Angle Pose is just like Dragon Fly Pose within the the asymmetrical physique place, balancing along with your arms in a Chaturanga (4 Limber Employees Pose) form, with each legs prolonged to at least one facet. This asana, nevertheless, requires a bit much less flexibility within the hips and leaves out the spinal twist; on this sense, Eight Angle Pose is a barely extra simple arm balancing pose (regardless of how spectacular it seems!) that can assist you to construct the abilities mandatory for Dragonfly.

To view step-by-step directions for Eight Angle Pose, take a look at this incredible record of 11 Inspiring Superior Yoga Poses.

Preparatory Poses

One of the crucial frequent causes Dragon Fly Pose feels troublesome is because of not correctly warming up. These advised yoga poses every goal part of the physique which is a vital element to success in Dragonfly.

Standing Ahead Fold

Uttanasana, or Standing Ahead Fold, will open up your hamstrings and launch your low again.

To Apply Standing Ahead Fold:

• Stand along with your toes barely separated, grounding down by means of the 4 corners of your toes.
• Attain your arms up overhead as you breathe in, and dive ahead as you exhale, releasing your fingers to the ground.
• Permit your torso and head to hold, and chill out the again of the neck.
• To assist launch your decrease again, you might step your toes a bit wider to hip width distance, and maintain a slight bend in your knees.

Yogi Squat (Malasana)

As a way to place your foot on the tricep in Dragonfly, you’ll want your hips to and interior thighs be open. Malasana is the proper pose to focus on each of those muscle teams!

To overview methods to correctly follow Malasana, take a look at or Yoga Squat information!

4 Limbed Employees Pose (Chaturanga Dandasana)

Having a strong Chaturanga (4 Limbed Employees Pose) gives you a strong basis for a lot of totally different arm balances. Apply a number of Solar Salutation yoga sequences to heat up the entire physique, and attempt to spend and further breath or two in your Chaturanga. It will set you up for a strong balancing base in your Dragon Fly Pose, which use the same arm place.

To follow 4 Limbed Employees Pose:

• Start on all fours in a Desk Prime place. Pull your navel in direction of your backbone to activate your core. Press the ground away as you carry up and out of your shoulder joint, feeling your higher arms activated.
• Step your toes again one after the other, coming into the highest of a push-up. Your toes must be at a hip width distance, along with your heels stacked over the balls of your toes. Pull up in your kneecaps to interact your thigh muscular tissues.
• Take a breath in and shift ahead barely, pushing ahead with the balls of your toes. As you exhale, decrease down midway to the ground, along with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
• Preserve your elbows near your physique. Attempt to maintain your Chaturanga for one or two breaths, then use management to slowly decrease your self all the way in which right down to your stomach.

Standing Determine 4 (One-Legged Chair Pose)

You’ll use this Chair Pose variation as a transitional pose when getting into Dragonfly, so why not follow by itself first? As a bonus, this pose helps open the hips, which is without doubt one of the most important components of reaching Dragon Fly Pose.

For a reminder on methods to follow One-Legged Chair, go to our full Chair Pose Information and take a look at the part on variations!

Revolved Chair Pose

This Chair variation prompts the leg muscular tissues in addition to the core, whereas bringing the backbone into the identical deep twist required of Dragon Fly Pose. Undoubtedly don’t skip this one in the event you’re working towards Dragonfly in your yoga sequence!

If you happen to want some suggestions or directions for Revolved Chair, yow will discover them included within the Chair Pose Information linked above.

Counterposes to Observe Up Dragonfly Pose

Dragonfly Pose requires activation from the entrance facet of the physique, specifically the stomach muscular tissues and chest, whereas the higher again rounds. For these causes, backbends are a wonderful sort of posture to follow after Dragonfly pose. These poses will assist you to to elongate your backbone and again muscular tissues used within the asymmetrical arm stability of Dragonfly Pose.

Bridge Pose

The spinal extension of Bridge Pose counteracts the spinal flexion required in Dragonfly. It additionally lengthens the entrance of the torso — particularly the hip flexors — that are put to work in Grasshopper.

For directions on methods to follow Bridge Pose, observe this hyperlink.

Upward Dealing with Canine

Take your spinal extension to the subsequent stage with Upward Dealing with Canine. This may even give your stomach muscular tissues and hip flexors a pleasant stretch after being put to work in Dragonfly.

To follow Upward Dealing with Canine:

• Start mendacity face down in your yoga mat with the tops of your toes on the ground. Your toes could also be collectively, or separated at a couple of hip width distance.
• Place your palms beneath your shoulders, along with your elbows tucked in near your sides.
• Press the tops of your toes into the ground to activate the muscular tissues of your legs. Pull your navel in and as much as have interaction the core.
• As you breathe in, press your fingers into the ground and straighten your arms to carry your head, chest, hips, and legs off the ground.
• Preserve area between your shoulders and your ears; widen your shoulder blades throughout your higher again.
• Gaze straight forward to maintain your head and neck aligned.
• Maintain your Upward Dealing with Canine for 3-5 breaths. Then, gently decrease your physique right down to your mat. Launch your arms to your sides and switch your head to position one ear to the bottom and relaxation.

Baby’s Pose

A traditional resting pose, Baby’s Pose feels particularly soothing after the problem of arm balancing postures. Attempt a variation the place your knees are huge and your arms are positioned down alongside your physique, palms up.

Want a refresher on all issues Baby’s Pose? Click on right here for our step-by-step follow information!

Frequent Questions About Dragonfly Pose