Elephant Trunk Pose (Eka Hasta Bhujasana)

Elephant Trunk Pose is an advanced, asymmetric, arm-balancing posture that will help to strengthen your arms, shoulders, and core muscles. It’s a variation of Shoulder Pressure Pose (Bhujapidasana) and it will help you build strength, flexibility, and balance.

💪🏽 Benefits:

• Strengthens arms, shoulders, and abdominal muscles

• Stretches hips and groin muscles

Avoid/Contraindications:

• Wrist, shoulder, or hip injuries

Modifications:

• Try lifting with the lower leg tucked in rather than extended out in front.

• Place a block under your extended heel to help lift the leg.

• Use two blocks under your hands to lift yourself higher off the ground. This also helps with taking pressure off of the wrists.

How to:

• Warm-up wrists, hips, and shoulders

• From a seated position, bend your knee and cradle leg into your chest to make a seated pigeon.

• Rock your leg side to side to warm up your hip joint

• Start to bring your leg behind your shoulder like putting on the strap of a backpack

• Once your leg is on your shoulder, squeeze hamstrings to keep the leg in place

• Place hands on the mat beside hips

• Inhale, bring head slightly forward

• Exhale, lift hips, and extended leg away from the mat. Point toes and engage core muscles.