Shoulder PressingSave PDF
Bhujapidasana
bhoo-jah-PID-AH-sah-nah
Strengthens shoulders, arms and wrists
Strengthens abdominal muscles
Develops willpower and focus
How to perform Shoulder Pressing
- Begin in a low squat with your feet a little less than shoulder distance wide.
- Lift your bottom and bringing your hands in between your legs, place your hands on the floor behind your feet. Rest the backs of your thighs as high on your upper arms as possible.
- Carefully shift your bodyweight back so that your feet lift from the floor. Squeeze your arms with your legs. Hook one ankle over the other. Once you feel balanced, work toward straightening your arms.
- Balance in the pose and take slow, deep breaths.
- Bend your elbows and release your feet to the floor with an exhale.
Alignment cues
- Spread fingers wide
- Bring thighs high on upper arms
- Hug arms with thighs
- Shift body weight back to balance
Modification: Keep your arms bent.
Avoid this pose if you have wrist, arm or shoulder injury.
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More yoga poses to discover
Shoulder Pressing (Bhujapidasana in Sanskrit) is an intermediate yoga pose that belongs to the balancing and core categories. This asana targets abs, biceps, forearms, shoulders and wrists, and also involves middle back / lats, triceps and upper back & lower traps muscles. Shoulder pressing strengthens abdominal muscles; strengthens shoulders, arms and wrists and also develops willpower and focus. Refer to the illustration and instructions above for how to perform this posture correctly. Discover more yoga asanas and yogic breathing exercises in our free yoga pose directory – a visual resource for yoga teacher training students as well as practitioners of all levels. Finally, shop our best-selling Yoga Cards products!
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Discover our best-selling Yoga Cards – professional study, class sequencing and practice guide for beginners and beyond.
Studying to be a yoga teacher? Learn the essential yoga poses the easy way with Yoga Stacks app!
New to yoga? Our Yoga for Beginners pack covers everything you need to know to get started with your practice.
Personal trainer? Try Train - our beautifully simple training platform you and your clients will love.
