Learn the arm balance eight angle pose (astavakrasana) step-by-step. This pose requires core and upper body strength, and very open hips and hamstrings. A sense of humor is also helpful! After you watch, try the classes below that prepare the body and build up to this advanced arm balance.
Here are some classes featuring Eight-Angle Pose.
By Ally Hamilton on Jan 24, 2018
Go deep in an hour. The hips, hamstrings and shoulders get the love as we make our way to astavakrasana. Use your inner compass to figure out whether it makes sense to take it all the way to the arm balance, or if you should just focus on hip-opening and core strengthening that will lead you to the pose eventually. As ever, it isn’t the destination! Arm balances, core strengthening, backbends and inversions along the way!
By Annie Marks on Nov 30, 2017
Step by step instructions for a funky, fun arm balance that is one of the more accessible of the bunch. This is a great way to get into hips, core and hamstrings as well. The story of ashtavakra is a beautiful one, of inner beauty and strength. Don’t worry about how silly or awkward you may feel in a pose, think of the inner strength and joy you can find in the moment!
By Ally Hamilton on Nov 30, 2017
Whoa, there, Nellie! If you don't want to open your hips deeply, ride off into the sunset now! Otherwise, saddle up, and let's go for a fun ride together! You might end up in eight-angle pose and you might not. You will absolutely open your hips, hamstrings and shoulders along the way, you'll fire up your core, open up your heart, and hopefully even laugh along the way! Ready? Yeehaw Hips!
By Noelle Beaugureau on Jan 19, 2017
Focus up in this Fly Strong Flow! Learn to move mindfully in and out of poses and create awareness of mind/body/spirit. Strong Sun Salutations create heat in the body and powerful standing poses develop focus. In this class we work with a lot of shoulder and hip opening. Explore eagle pose, twist, warrior poses and the arm balance 8 angle. Double pigeon and forward folds set you up for a nice relaxing savasana! Enjoy yogis!
By Ally Hamilton on Dec 5, 2016
Let's go on a little journey together! We'll open the hips and hamstrings, fire up the core and play with compass pose and eight-angle pose along the way. Ready?
By Noelle Beaugureau on Oct 10, 2016
Powerful Warrior Fly Strong Flow. Find your strength with this practice that focuses on warrior postures and arm balances. We move through strong sun salutations and variations on standing postures. Arm balances include, crow, flying pigeon and 8 angle pose. A nice long hold in hanumanasana allows for deep hamstring opening. A few minutes for inversions reverses the blood flow. Hip opening and forward folds close it out to prepare for a long restorative savasana! Enjoy!
By Kate Cariati on Aug 1, 2016
A little ditty, about the true nature of man...followed by core strengthening and a putter-party of asymmetrical balancing acts! Embody the main characters of this classical Hindu texts through the shapes that make up the flow, then build into longer holds in standing poses, and a few arm-balances. The ample leg work in this practice builds strength, balance, and grounds you. Today's Maha-moment grapples with a transition from a variation of an inversion into a variation of an arm-balance. Asymmetry Loves Company?!?!?
By Angela Kukhahn on May 14, 2016
This flow builds to one of my favorite arm-balances Ashtavakrasana! What to expect: Core-centered variations on the sun salutes that are peppered with plenty of opportunities to play with different ways of getting into your handstand. Crow pose, core work on your back, half-pigeon in tabletop, frog style navasanas, crow pose, creative 360 vinyasa sequencing, skandasana, warrior poses, and much more! Enjoy!
By Noelle Beaugureau on May 5, 2016
Harness you inner & outer strength in this fly strong flow! A powerful Surya B with anjaneyasana and crescent builds heat in the body. Our standing postures open the hips and hamstrings to prepare for the arm balance 8 angle pose. Bird of paradise challenges the balance in our standing flow. Plenty of core work is mixed in to ignite the strength in the center. Time to play with inversions is given and we practice a few backbends to open the heart. A nice deep pigeon pose with an added stretch variation relaxes the body and mind. Enjoy yogis!
By Kate Cariati on Mar 23, 2016
"Om Mani Padme Hum" - The Jewel of Consciousness resides in the Heart's Lotus. Invite your difficulties to inspire more growth, more wisdom, more compassion. The practice of yoga is not easy, being human is not so easy either. Experiment with challenging arm-balances and transitions, rooting through the ground to rise up out of the muck. This sequence works the hips open in a full range of motion throughout the flow to lead us up to a more obscure peak pose, Viranchyasana. It's definitely more about the journey than the destination with this one ; )
Ally Hamilton
