Elbow bridge with a wheel

I have two wheels that I like to use. One is taller than the other one. When I use the taller one (see picture) I manage it to bring the elbows to the floor. My back gets obviously enough support. Without a wheel it’s difficult to bring the elbows to the floor. When I use the smaller wheel I struggle in vain to bring my elbows to the floor.

When I get out of the above pose, I realize what I’ve done. It’s a deep deep stretch for the upper body.

1. My next tiny step is to hold this pose longer and longer till I can hold it for 1 minute.

2. Another tiny step could be to roll away the wheel, so that my palms can be put on the floor.

There are so many exercises to do. I tried a lot. The simple ones are often the best ones. The pose above stretches the body on both sides at the same time. It’s relatively easy to get into the pose. When I found an exercise that feels good (and effective) I like to stick with it for some time. When the position feels super good time has come for a change.

Today was my back bending day. It was neither easy to start with my practice nor to do back bending asanas. Yet I also got momentum. If you do only one exercise today, start the timer and do urdhva dhanurasana for 1 minute, I thought. I left the wheel one second before the alarm clock told me that my time was over. Nevertheless, I did it.

Stretching needs time. I do not expect quick progress, but progress can already be seen.

Every practice is important as it’s always good for the body and the mind.

I’m more and more also my own coach.

Elbow bridge

Elbow bridge

The elbow bridge is a very useful variation of the classic bridge (urdhva dhanurasana). It helps to stretch the upper body.

Pincha mayurasana is a balancing pose. It’s performed on the lower arms. The fear is to fall out of the pose. It’s a good idea to fall out of this pose on purpose in order to conquer this fear. We’ll land in elbow bridge, when we fall out of pincha mayurasana. The more familiar we are with elbow bridge the more courage we can have when learning pincha mayurasana, because we know we don’t injure ourselves when falling out of this pose.

Elbow bridge helps to stretch the upper body. The classic urdhva dhanurasana becomes easier. My elbows are still away from the floor. When upper arms and upper body are in line without this curve at the armpits I’ll be able to take the hands closer to the feet in urdhva dhanurasana. Every centimeter of flexibility needs time. Especially stretching requires patience.

It’s important to work on the next tiny step. 10 tiny steps further is a huge step further.

Back bending (urdhva dhanurasana) is part of every Ashtanga Yoga series. This pose is difficult for me after primary and all these forward bending asanas. Yet today it was doable. I performed urdhva dhanurasana 3 times and held it for 5 breaths. I dropped back against a wall. More was not possible. I felt I had reached my limit for today.

Every practice counts. Every practice is good for the body.

A new month has started. It will get warmer here. This makes it easier to bend and stretch. It’s still good advice to stay at home because of Corona. I’ll have a lot of time for my yoga practice. Distractions are limited. Cinemas, exhibitions, restaurants are still closed. It has really sad aspects. On the other hand it helps to focus on yoga.