How to do Raised Arms Pose

Instructions

From a standing position, pull your belly button to your spine for core activation. Press your feet down into the floor and tuck your coccyx (tailbone) slightly to your chest to feel length in your lower back. Reach your arms out wide and trace a big circle until reaching straight upwards. Bring palms together at the top, activate your core once again and then lift your fingers tips up to the ceiling as you slowly bend backwards. Feel a continual lift of the hands, the head and the chest towards the sky. Only go as far back as feels comfortable in the spine.

A common mistake is to forget to activate your core which means the pose puts undue stress on the lower back. The core needs to be firmly activated and supportive as you lean back. If there is any feeling of compression or any feeling of discomfort in the lower back, go less deep into the back-bend. Another common mistake is to go as far as possible into the back-bend and at this depth it is likely that your core will switch off. The aim of the pose is to feel lifted and extended in the front body rather than get as deep as you can in the back-bend.