Pendant Pose - Lolasana

Pendant Pose - YanvaYoga

Contents

Lolasana is an arm balancing asana. It strengthens wrist, forearms, shoulders, and tons up core muscles, upper back.

This simple looking posture requires immense strength in hand along with a sharp focus to remain in the posture. In appearance, Lolasana looks similar to crane pose but it’s different in practice.

To achieve the final Lolasana pose, you have to practice its preparatory poses consistently. Back to the back practice of this asana can transform a practitioner’s body into a muscular and strong structure.

Lolasana is a Sanskrit word which can be easily comprehended as ‘Lol‘ means ‘fickle’ or ‘dangling’ and ‘asana’ means ‘pose’.

In Lolasana, a practitioner’s body remains hanging in the air on being supported by the hand. Due to this, it is also known as Jhula (means swing in Hindi). This asana also signifies a hanging pendant and so it’s called Pendant Pose.

Pose Detail

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1
Sit on your mat with your legs folded beneath you.
Step 2
Put your hands on the ground next to you so your fingers are lined up with your knees. Your palms are on the ground with your fingers facing forward.
Step 3
Lean into your hands, bringing your shoulders forward.
Step 4
Lift your hips up and back.
Step 5
Squeeze your knees up into your chest and bring your feet up toward your glutes so you lift completely off the ground.
Step 6
Engage the core and press into the shoulders.
Step 7
If you have a hard time getting off the ground, you can use blocks to help yourself get more lift.

Benefits and Contraindications

Benefits

Strengthens the arms, wrists and shoulders

Tones the abdominal muscles

Opens the chest

Generates control and balance

Improves concentration

Contraindications

cervical vertebrae condition

neck sprain

shoulder injury

wrists dislocation

DeQuervain's Syndrome (inflammation of tendons)

pregnancy

Photo poses in different angles

Modifications, Props & Tips

Try practicing this with blocks underneath the hands. This allows for more space for you to curl into the body and balance. Practice other weight bearing exercises like downward dog and plank pose to build up some core strength and wrist strength prior to practicing lolasana. Remember that it’s all for fun and all about the practice! Showing up is what matters!

Variations

  • Padma Lolasana

Top Follow-Up Poses


Iana Varshavska
Iana Varshavska
Website administrator

In love with yoga and everything that goes along with it. Iana is a Registered Yoga Teacher (RYT) who has completed the 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training Certification by the Yoga Alliance U.S. In addition to that, she is constantly studying and improving her skills in various aspects of yoga philosophy, yoga anatomy, biomechanics, and holodynamics.