A Beginners Guide to Arm Balances in Yoga 🦚

Why Do Arm-Balances?

I’ve often said it, and I’ll keep saying it: the strength-based poses in yoga—like arm balances—are more important than the flashy bendy ones, like foot-behind-the-head.

Why? Because foot-behind-the-head won’t help you live a more comfortable or functional life, especially as you head into the later decades. In fact, pushing too far into that kind of flexibility could even hinder your quality of life. Extreme range of motion without strength to back it up can lead to instability and injury—especially in joints that are already vulnerable with age.

Now let’s talk about arm balances. These are the poses that build real strength—shoulders, arms, chest, wrists, core. That strength is worth gold when it comes to aging well. Muscle doesn’t just sit there looking good—it supports joints, maintains posture, protects bones, and allows you to do everyday things like carry shopping, get off the floor, or catch yourself if you stumble.

Muscle wastage, or atrophy, is a harsh reality we’ll all face if we don’t take steps to prevent it. It starts surprisingly early—around our 30s and accelerates as we get older [Mitchell et al., 2012]. If we’re not building and maintaining strength, we start losing it. And with that loss comes a decline in our ability to move freely, stay active, and practice yoga in any meaningful way.

You won’t be able to enjoy yoga in your 70s or 80s if the muscles around your joints can’t tolerate movement. And it’s not just about comfort—it’s about safety and independence.

Women, in particular, are more likely to suffer from osteoarthritis as they age [Srikanth et al., 2005]. Combine that with weak muscles and now you’ve got a recipe for stiffness, pain, reduced mobility—and a real risk of falls and fractures.

This is why I care less about whether you can do a deep backbend or twist yourself into a pretzel, and more about whether your shoulders are strong, your wrists are resilient, and your muscles can support your joints. That’s what will actually serve you for the long haul.

Flexibility’s nice, but strength is absolutely necessary.

References (for those who like to go deep):

• Mitchell, W. K., Williams, J., Atherton, P., Larvin, M., Lund, J., & Narici, M. (2012). Sarcopenia, dynapenia, and the impact of advancing age on human skeletal muscle size and strength; a quantitative review. Frontiers in Physiology, 3, 260.

• Cruz-Jentoft, A. J., Baeyens, J. P., Bauer, J. M., Boirie, Y., Cederholm, T., Landi, F., ... & Zamboni, M. (2010). Sarcopenia: European consensus on definition and diagnosis. Age and Ageing, 39(4), 412-423.

• Srikanth, V. K., Fryer, J. L., Zhai, G., Winzenberg, T. M., Hosmer, D., & Jones, G. (2005). A meta-analysis of sex differences prevalence, incidence and severity of osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 13(9), 769–781.

Zahir Akram - Eternal Seeker

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