Parsva Bakasana

Parsva Bakasana is a modern arm-balance variation built from Bakasana, itself part of the twentieth-century postural yoga repertoire rather than a posture named in the Hatha Yoga Pradipika, Gheranda Samhita or Shiva Samhita.

• Builds wrist, forearm and shoulder strength needed for arm balances generally
• Strengthens the obliques and deep core muscles through the twisting hold
• Develops the coordination between breath, gaze and weight transfer that arm balances require
• Builds confidence for more demanding twisting arm balances such as Eka Pada Koundinyasana

1. Begin in a low squat or from Utkatasana, feet together.
2. Twist the torso to the right and place both hands shoulder-width apart on the floor.
3. Bend the elbows slightly and hook the outside of the left hip against the upper right arm.
4. Shift the weight forward onto the hands, stacking both shins to the right of the arms.
5. Lift the feet off the floor together, squeezing the knees and ankles together.
6. Keep the gaze slightly ahead of the hands, not down, to keep the weight forward.
7. Hold a few breaths, then lower with control and repeat on the other side.

• Looking down at the floor: shifts weight backward and causes a fall. Fix: keep the gaze forward, slightly ahead of the fingertips.
• Placing the hip too far from the arm: loses the leverage point. Fix: hook the outer hip snugly against the upper arm before lifting the feet.
• Splaying the elbows outward: weakens the base. Fix: keep the elbows tracking back, roughly over the wrists.
• Trying to lift both feet at once without weight shift first: results in tipping forward onto the face. Fix: shift weight fully into the hands before attempting to lift the feet.

• Easier: keep the feet on a block or on the floor and practise only the twist and the forward weight shift
• Easier: practise the shape with the head lightly resting on a folded blanket for confidence
• Harder: straighten the arms fully, coming into a version closer to Parsva Bakasana with extended elbows
• Harder: transition from Parsva Bakasana into a side plank or a jump-back to Chaturanga

Arm balances demand a strong, engaged uddiyana bandha, since drawing the lower belly in and up is what lightens the legs enough to lift them. The concentrated attention arm balances require is traditionally likened to the focus of dharana — one-pointed concentration — since any wandering of the mind is immediately reflected in a loss of balance.

Arm balances of this kind depend heavily on shoulder and wrist strength combined with core control rather than on flexibility, so preparation for the wrists (weight-bearing warm-ups) and the obliques (twisting core work) matters more than stretching. Most falls happen because the gaze drops toward the floor, which shifts weight backward off the hands; keeping the gaze slightly forward keeps the body's weight over the arms.