Tolasana or Scale pose

The yoga scale pose is an arm balancing, intermediate pose. The Tolasana requires a large amount of strength in the upper part of the body. In this pose, you have to lift yourself off the ground using the strength of your arms. For a beginner or a novice, this lift can be really challenging and is therefore done with the help of yoga blocks that are available easily.

This arm balance yoga pose in which the body looks like scales (hence the name scale pose), is a variation of the Bakasana and is sometimes also called Tulitasana. A lot of people also know it as the Lifted Lotus pose. The pose strengthens the arm muscles and the abdominal muscles.

For more seasoned practitioners, the arm balance poses are of moderate difficulty and therefore tolasana is classified in the intermediate yoga poses.

To practice this pose, sit on the floor and extend your legs in front of you. Your posture should be extremely straight so that your spine rests tall. If you are a beginner, place a yoga block on either side of your body just next to your hips. Place your hands, palm first, on the blocks and start to bend your knees.

Fold your legs like you do when performing the lotus pose. Cross your legs in a manner that the tops of both the feet are above the opposing thighs. The knees should be dropping down. You may even bend your knees and place your feet flat on the ground. This is a modified version in which the knees are pressed against the chest when raising the body up on the arms.

Take a deep breath and press your hands firmly on the ground or the blocks – whichever way you are performing the tolasana. Straighten your arms and keep your legs in a manner that your pose doesn’t break when you lift yourself off the ground.

Do not start slouching. Try and keep your spine completely erect and stiff. Raise yourself off the ground and hold the pose for as long as it is comfortable. Gently start exhaling as you ease yourself back to the ground. Repeat as many times as you find comfortable.

The Tolasana requires a lot of concentration and therefore the eyes are frequently focused at a fixed point. This could help remove many of the defects of the eyes that one commonly suffers from. This asana, if done regularly, can help relax the body and increase your sense of balance.

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