Your Monthly Yoga Pose

Dolphin Pose

Catur Svanasana

Summer is around the corner! Kids are done with school, days are longer, heat is higher, and vacation mode is about to set in. Here in Florida, it likely means beachwear is headed our way!  Incorporating dolphin pose into your regular yoga practice is excellent to open the shoulders and tone the core and arms.

1. Begin in an all fours, tabletop position.
2. Allow the elbows to bend and place the forearms on the mat. Your hands may be placed palms facing down with the thumbs near each other or palms facing in toward each other and the fingers interlaced.
3. Adjust your elbows so they are under the shoulders. It is a common mistake to spread the elbows further or feel as if the shoulders are wider than they are.
4. Untuck the toes and press the hips up towards the sky. The knees may be bent depending on how warm and mobile your body may be.
5. Focus on lifting the hips toward the sky and elongating the spine.
6. Making sure your neck is loose, allow the head to drop and gaze past the feet or toward the navel.
7. Press the heels toward the ground (with bent or straight knees) and press the chest toward the legs.
8. Stay for 30 seconds to a minute, breathing a natural breath, then come back to your knees.

Dolphin pose is an excellent pose to work on to gain strength for poses like forearm stand or headstand. It is also a great pose to strengthen your core. For a core exercise in dolphin, follow the steps below.

1. Follow steps 1-7 from above.
2. Adjust your gaze to your thumbs.
3. Inhale and bring your chin over your thumbs.
4. Exhale and press yourself back to dolphin.

In addition to strengthening the core, dolphin pose helps open and strengthen the shoulders, arms, and legs while stretching the chest, hamstrings, and calves. Take caution with dolphin pose if you have shoulder or neck injuries.

I wish you a beach- or pool-filled June, and I hope you enjoy practicing dolphin pose!

Namaste.