How to do: Dolphin Poses 1, 2 and 3

After writing my article on headstand I realised that I need to do a follow up article on the Dolphin Poses (Advadanta Sirsasana). The Dolphin Poses are the essential preparation poses for headstand.

In very simple terms, Dolphin Pose looks similar to Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana), except it is on your elbows. Here is a very basic step by step breakdown for you.

Dolphin Pose 1.

• Kneeling on the floor, bring your knees, ankles and big toes together and sit back on your heels with your toes drawn under; as though you are going to stand back up.
• Stay sitting back on the heels, extend the torso forward and place your elbows on the floor, shoulder distance apart, so that the upper arms are vertical to the floor and your lower arms are resting on the floor.
• Interlock your fingers, If you have the right index finger on top, tuck your left little finger inside the palms rather than on the floor (vice versa if you have left index finger on top).
• The tips of your thumbs are contacting and there is a slight gap between the two wrists (this is eventually where the head will go in your headstand).
• There should be an unbroken line from your elbows through the wrist to the knuckles of the fingers.
• Ensure that the top wrist bone is stacked directly above the bottom wrist bone.
• From here, keep the elbows shoulders distance apart and on the floor, lift your pelvis high and straighten the legs as though you are doing Downward Facing Dog pose. Lift your heels toward the ceiling so that you are on the ball of the foot as though you are standing in stilleto heels (for some reason men understand this instruction better than women – go figure). The legs are straight and thighs are firm. Head extended in line with the torso.
• Important point. Do not rest the head on the floor – the head is off of the floor with the neck long. Many other instructions tell you to put the head on the floor. Do not. You will become a lot stronger by keeping the head off of the floor.
• This is Dolphin Pose 1. Hold here for 5 slow breaths.

Dolphin Pose 2.

• From Dolphin Pose 1 – without taking a break – inhale, move your body forward and look forward so that you can touch your chin to your thumbs. Keep the legs straight, heels high and tail lifting to the ceiling.
• As you exhale come back to Dolphin Pose 1. 
• Repeat this 5 times, after the fifth time hold Dolphin Pose 1 for another 5 breaths. Do not rest the head on the floor.

Dolphin Pose 3.

• Dolphin Pose 3 is the same as Dolphin Pose 2, except this time as you inhale and move forward you will touch your sternum, the centre of your chest, to your thumbs.
• On exhale return to Dolphin Pose 1 position.
• Repeat this 5 times without taking a break, then return to Dolphin Pose 1 and hold for 5 breaths. Do not rest the head on the floor.
• After you have completed Dolphin Pose 1 for the third time for 5 breaths, then you can rest in Child Pose.

The Dolphin Poses are very challenging – I am yet to meet someone who can do the whole sequence on their very first attempt (you should have seen me – a shaking quivering mess!) Build it slowly – to begin with it is possible that you will hate these poses, yet if you persist and you become stronger you will learn to love them. They are now some of my favourites. My students still groan when I say Dolphin Poses.

Important points to remember:

Do not put the head on the floor.

Keep the elbows shoulder distance apart. They will want to slide out further – scissor them inward, especially on the return movement to the Dolphin Pose 1 position from Dolphin 2 or 3.

Keep the legs straight with the heels high.

Keep the tail lifted.

Do not give in!

I will try to update this article very soon with photos and hopefully a video of this sequence being performed.

Very soon.

Related posts

• 10 Tips for Headstand – Part 3 (0)
• 10 Tips for Headstand – Part 2 (0)
• 10 Tips for Headstand – Part 1 (1)
• From the Ground Up (2)
• 10 Tips for Headstand – Part 4 (0)