Dolphin Pose

                                                                     Dolphin Pose
Come onto the floor on your hands and knees. Set your knees directly below your hips and your forearms on the floor with your shoulders directly above your wrists. Firmly press your palms together and your forearms into the floor.


Curl your toes under, then exhale and lift your knees away from the floor. At first keep the knees slightly bent and the heels lifted away from the floor. Lengthen your tailbone away from the back of your pelvis and press it lightly toward the pubis. Against this resistance, lift the sitting bones toward the ceiling, and from your inner ankles draw the inner legs up into the groins.


Continue to press the forearms actively into the floor. Firm your shoulder blades against your back, then widen them away from the spine and draw them toward the tailbone. Hold your head between the upper arms; don't let it hang or press heavily against the floor.


You can straighten your knees if you like, but if your upper back rounds it's best to keep them bent. Continue to lengthen your tailbone away from the pelvis and lift the top of your sternum away from the floor.


Stay between 30 seconds to one minute. Then release your knees to the floor with an exhale.


Benefits and Focus
The pose focuses on the upper back and can help to release tension from that area so could be good for people who spend a lot of time sitting in their work. This pose can also help to strengthen the arms and the legs. It is a good pose for stress relief and can also help with mild depression.


There are a number of conditions that could benefit from this pose as it can help relieve symptoms of the menopause and also help with menstrual pain if the head is supported. The pose can aid digestion and help prevent osteoporosis. It is also thought to relieve headaches, insomnia, back pain and fatigue. In addition to that it may also have therapeutic applications for high blood pressure, asthma and sciatica.