Whole Living Daily

It’s not only nearly summer—it’s almost true cocktail party weather.

And by that, I mean the cardigan comes off, and the LBD (Little Black Dress) takes center stage. So understandably, it’s the perfect time to turn our attention towards the state of our bare arms and shoulders.

I’m from the Midwest, but I still prefer to keep the chicken wings where they belong—on the farm, and not on me. When it comes to attaining what I call the “triceps twirl," or the sculpted, spiraling muscle on the back and side of the upper arm, yoga can be one of the most effective exercises out there.

As always, though, you have to know what move to use to attain your ultimate goal. And if your goal right now is to have Michelle Obama’s guns, then now’s the time to try the following pose.

Yoga for Toned Arms
When aiming for muscle firmness, without bulking up, you want to do something that not only asks your muscle to contract, but also to stretch, either at the same time, or immediately afterwards.

This pose does both: Using your body weight, you’ll ask more of the triceps, shoulders, chest, and back muscles than they usually give, which makes them stronger—fast. Then you’re going to stretch the same areas in order to cultivate that long, lean look that goes so very well with the LBD.

Ready?

DOWN-TO-UP-DOG ROLLS

Back Next

1 of 3

1 From Downward-Facing Dog, lift your heels, widen your sitting bones, and take a deep breath in.

2 Exhale and curl your tailbone down while lifting your navel, creating a wave-like move through your belly, ribs, and chest, moving toward a Plank or push-up position.

3 As you finish the wave, lower your hips to the floor, point you feet, and raise your chest into an Updog pose. Keep shoulders over wrists, and keep lifted. Then return to Downdog and repeat!

1. Come into Downward Dog, hips high in the air with hands at shoulder-distance, and feet at hip distance. You are wide enough so when you roll forward, your shoulders will be just over your wrists, not too far forward.
2. Raise your heels, integrate your legs towards the pelvis and widen your sitting bones. Inhale here.
3. Exhale and curl your tailbone down and lift your navel. Let this begin a wave that moves the front of your belly, ribs and chest up, and forward, taking your body toward Plank Pose, or the the top of a push-up.
4. By the time you inhale again, you’ve kept your movement fluid as you lower the hips to the floor, point the feet, and raise the chest into an Up Dog arch. Your shoulders should remain over the wrists, palms and fingers firm into the earth. No sinking into the shoulders here.
5. On your exhale, push your hands and knees into the floor, engage your core, and return to Down Dog position.

Repeat this movement 3-5 times, then rest in Child’s Pose. Repeat the sequence 3 times total.

Note: If your core isn’t strong enough yet to allow the hips to lower without crunching the lower back, put your knees down during the transitions, but still engage your navel in, and up towards your chest.  Feel free to remain in a lower arch with low ribs on the floor if Up Dog is too extreme a curve for your spine. Work towards the full movement over time.

Sadie Nardini is the founder of Core Strength Vinyasa Yoga in New York City and the creator of the bestselling Total Body Transformation DVD series. For more information about Sadie or to access her free yoga videos and tips, go to SadieNardini.com