Dolphin pose: A secret stress therapy

Dolphin pose is the modification of downward facing dog pose and is particularly helpful in wrist pain. The type of pose includes standing with mild inversion.

With the head resting on the floor, the legs and heels are lifted up such that they come below the hips while the arms are extended straight on the floor in front of the head. The major muscles worked with such yoga asana are wrist, arms, legs, calves and shoulder muscles

Why is this pose important?

Yoga has many therapeutic applications. The major rewards associated with the dolphin pose include relief from depression and anxiety. This is also helpful for patients suffering from headaches of unknown origin, insomnia, stomach problems and the likes. It has been medically proven that the pose also helps the patients going through menopause, osteoporosis and spinal pain. The dolphin pose strengthens your arms and legs. It stretches shoulder muscles, hamstrings and calves.

Who should not do this pose?

Patients with neck or knee injuries should abstain from this exercise. Beginners should extend their shoulders instead of keeping them parallel while the wrists are firmly pressed against the floor.

How do we do the dolphin pose?

This pose has a few simple steps, which would help you to relieve your stress.

Step one: Come down on the floor on your arms and knees in a way that the knees lay below the hips while the forearms are in front of the shoulders. While putting pressure downward on the floor with the forearms, tightly press your hands together.

Step two: Push your toes inward, curling them while you lift your knees up from the floor. At first your knees will remain slightly bent but later try to straighten your tailbone and curl the inner thighs into the groin.

Step three: Widen your shoulder blades and try to push them toward the tailbone. Don’t let your head bend down; rather keep it straight between the shoulders. At such a point your arms should be pressing tightly against the floor.

Step four: Now lift your chest bone away from the floor and straighten your tailbone drawing it away from the pelvis. If your back is round, don’t try too hard to keep your knees straight. The pose can be practiced even when they are bent.

Step five: Hold this pose for 30 seconds and exhale. Put your needs back on the floor and release pressure on the muscles slowly.

Practise this pose and then feel your muscles relax in no time.