12 Min Yoga Tutorial | Arm Positions in Yoga - Internal & External Rotation

In this tutorial we discuss internal and external arm positions in Ashtanga Yoga. If you're not sure how to rotate the arms for backbends or in downward dog, this detailed breakdown will be helpful and keep your shoulders safe/healthy in your practice.
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Disclaimer: David & Jelena Yoga LLC strongly recommends that you consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. You should be in good physical condition and be able to participate in the exercise. You should understand that when participating in any exercise or exercise program, there is the possibility of physical injury. If you engage in this exercise or exercise program, you agree that you do so at your own risk, are voluntarily participating in these activities, assume all risk of injury to yourself, and agree to release and discharge

[@tamarmeilijson9771]

Super valuable information! Thank you so much for putting this tutorials together! So well explained! 🙏💕🙏

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

our pleasure :) Thank you for the feedback!

[@carllangford1774]

Is there a difference when you are pulling with your arms vs. pushing? In judo, when pulling your opponent forward, the teaching is to raise (flex) and rotate your arm so that you can "look at your watch" (internal rotation).

[@fckdischit]

You guys are always so on point with your alignment cues. Most fellow yoga teachers don’t believe me when I tell them shoulders should be naturally reaching up toward the ears when the arms are overhead. I hear that cue “press your shoulders down away from your ears” in W1 allllll the time. I impinged my shoulder doing that. It wasn’t until I started doing gymnastics and circus style handstands training that I learned the correct form. Then my pain went away. Can’t wait to train with you guys next year!

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Looking forward to meeting you :)

[@bibieshuk5247]

@@DavidandJelenaYoga hi elena & david i dont know whats the problem about my shoulder i still cant improving my downdog rotate in.. i think my shoulder is tight

[@antoniolanza-kv2ct]

0:52 😊

[@jannytang2536]

Upward facing dog, shoulders are internal rotated, a mini backbend alike, but Ardvha dhanurasna, the shoulders are external rotated, the back muscle is required to protract or retract? and how the scapulars do to give more opening on the chest, pls give further tutorial to clear the cloud on my head.

[@krzysztofusarek6928]

Can you Say litly bit mare about rotation When we skips forth? Namaste 💚

[@CurlyEm]

I absolutely loved this tutorial. Having practiced Asana for over 10 years there was a many lessons for me in this video. Thank you.

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Fantastic to hear you found this tutorial helpful :)

[@richkito]

Educative as always... Thank you so much... ❤❤❤ Please do a tutorial on Triang Mukhaikapada Paschimottanasana. The dos and don'ts of the posture and maybe the modifications for a beginner. Thank you... 🙏🙏🙏

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

You're very welcome! Great suggestion -- we'll add a tutorial on that soon :)

[@username-bn8jm]

I requested this, thanks for doing a video on this. Your tutorials are great

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

It was a great suggestion so thank you! Hope that you found it helpful :)

[@eileenwhite5792]

Thank you so much! Your tutorials are great. Easy to understand, you’re clear, & I hear your voices as I move in and out of my asanas.

[@michellemaunder2622]

Thank you so ,much! I have never heard these guidelines or 'rules', so helpful! I wonder if you could do a tutorial on the pelvis, femur and feet alignment, similar to this, maybe using the warrior 1, 2, 3 asana or the triangle pose. I think I am trying to align hips, rotating femur, keep knee out, lift into arch of foot ?? I would also love a tutorial on optimal shoulder alignment in wheel pose - arms are over head (so externally rotated, scapula retracted ?, elbows ? slight bend ? can hands angle out ?? I have only just accessed this pose but it feels awkward in my shoulders. Thank you thank you

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Hey Michelle! Thanks so much for the feedback and all of your suggestions :) We have a video coming next week on alignment for Wheel Pose, it should answer many of your questions regarding that pose.

[@artgrigorian5714]

Beautiful. Talk about the arm rotation in urdhva dhanurasana please. Would you say that in backbends generally we rotate internally? It feels to me that in urdhva dhanurasana an internal rotation makes sense and reaching from the shoulders? Also working on keeping that back of the heart open - breathing there a bit? This may be ok for me because i am pretty open. Would this be ok? Or does the arms above the head apply here - which means external rotation in urdhva dhanurasana? Thank you

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Thank you Art! Following the rules we suggest in this video, in Urdvha Dhanurasana the arms are above the head, so it would be external rotation. Below the head (ie: upward facing dog) we would do internal rotation.

[@drewash3636]

I love this, why do we press our palm in everything ashtanga but in many ‘vinyasa’ classes all they do is lift the arms by the ears? Just a curious question…

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Great to hear you enjoyed this tutorial. So, since we only practice and teach Ashtanga, we can only really speak to this specific tradition as we've been taught/experience it. Hope that makes sense :)

[@VARSHABRAO]

I finally understood what extension and flexion mean! Thank you David and Jelena, you guys rock!

[@deannamorgan673]

This is fantastic information, thank you. ❤️👍

[@ceciliaboldrini5134]

Dear Jelena and David, your tutorials are perfect. You are always harmonious and good in your explanations and so much prudente in every single movement. I am so Lucky to have met you and thank for being here! GOD BLESS YOU .Cecilia

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Thank you Cecelia :)

[@martina8736]

Wow guys, I need to try the upward dog with your suggestions, that was new to me... THANKS!!!

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Great to hear it :)

[@fiona685]

Really helpful, thank you! ❤❤❤

[@andiaralopes283]

Great tutorial!!!! Explains a lot!!! So shoulders down, internal rotation. That goes for purvottanasana too, right? I've tried and made a hudge difference🙏🕉💗 Thank you

[@huohsien]

Question: I thought in upward facing dog arms should be external rotated? Cuz I Watch the Ashtanga Yoga recording in 1993 LA with Sri Pattabhi Jois. Practitioners in this video seem to externally rotate their arms? Also in the book of "Light on Yoga" by B.K.S. Iyengar, the photo seems to show arms are externally rotated, even though, in description there are no such detail. But from the elbow pits facing forward it looks like arms are externally rotated? Please advise. Thanks

[@GDveertje]

Absolutely loved this video, thank you so much for sharing this - I learned so much!!

[@vialetta01]

Such a great tutorial again. Thanks soooooo much!

[@yogaconmarta7224]

Thank you for the insightful video on shoulder rotation in Downward Dog and Upward Dog poses. I largely agree with the actions described. However, my biomechanics instructor has a different perspective. He asserts that in Downward Dog, internal shoulder rotation is crucial. He believes it helps with pushing through the hands and prevents excessive weight on the wrists while also enhancing spinal extension. According to him, a neutral pelvis might lead to spinal flexion rather than extension, so he recommends anterior pelvic rotation with the sitting bones pointing upward. I’d appreciate your thoughts on this alternative approach. Thanks!

[@nanana-o1c]

Such great tutorials!!! Thank you so much!!! I watch all of them all the time :) I have 2 questions though - how are the shoulders in prasarita C, internally or externally rotated? And what is the name of those yoga mats you use? Thank you, Namaste :)

[@shankarsubramanian5421]

Awesome... I was struggling with internal and external rotation and when to do it for Upward and Downward positions... Loved it

[@christianblabla4110]

I battle with shoulder impingment. This is a fantastic tutorial! Easy to understand and to apply in astanga practice. Thanks!

[@savithabhoote3776]

Your tutorials are very helpful and informative. Thank you

[@franstockley240]

Thank you this is very helpful! As an aside those leggings look so comfortable! Do you have a link or recommendation for the brand please? With thanks

[@juliabrowne63]

Appreciate your exceptional tutorials 🧘🏻‍♀️

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Glad you like them! :)

[@dafzoom]

Hola David y jelena me encantan sus vídeos gracias por compartir sus conocimientos, muy importantes recomendaciones, les saludo con gran cariño desde Colombia 💚

[@anitapasquali7211]

Great explication guys!!! Tks so much

[@kimberlyyogi]

You two are a Dynamic Duo! Your clear instructions coupled with your awesome demos really help me to apply your lessons to my practice. I’m currently having a really hard time with the grip in bhekasana in the intermediate series. I tried so hard (obviously the wrong way) for so long that I eventually started experiencing shoulder pain all the time (especially outside of practice). After stopping bhekasana for several months and focusing on improving my shoulder and wrist alignment during all vinyasas (b/c they had become so darn painful), my shoulders and wrists finally feel really strong and healthy again and I’m pain-free. I know it’s time for me to start working on bhekasana again, but I’m afraid of re-injuring myself. I’d love any advice you can offer about proper shoulder/wrist alignment in bheksana. A video would be awesome too. - Many Thanks!

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Hi Kimberly! Thank you for your feedback and sharing that with us. We'll look at putting together a video on Bhekasana to help explain the grip and to protect your shoulders.

[@kimberlyyogi]

Awesome. Thank you!

[@oneofthesixbillion]

I'm regularly confused and often don't trust yoga cues because they tend to be abstract terms like lighten or weight. I would both understand and trust alignment cues more if they were expressed in terms of external, internal rotation and flexion, extension.

[@jane5049]

Holy shit I’ve been doing upward dog wrong this whole time 😅

[@healingwithmaris]

Can you please do a tutorial on bandhas. What is the general rule during practice? Are there any exceptions? When doing jumps should we engage the bandhas more? What exercises can we do to feel the strenght or engagements of bandhas?

[@MyriamDiJi]

Thanks, Jelena and David, this great tutorial clarifies the tutorial you did about upward facing dog. Now I can understand much better how to put my arms when I do my downward and upward facing dog. Two basic postures were challenging for me though I have been practicing my yoga for 4 years now. Love your tutorials and thanks for sharing your knowledge with all of us.

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Wonderful! Glad it was helpful for you!

[@misfitsng]

Thank you!

[@pattersonassoc]

Thank you

[@Becca529]

mmm, so good.

[@yogawithmahi6147]

Please make a video on Laghu vajrasana 🙏🙏

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Thanks for the suggestion -- we'll add it to our list for upcoming tutorials :)

[@luciamerrywahyuw6234]

terimakasih david n jelena ilmu yang sangat berguna bagiku..salam dari indonesia

[@smitamistry9041]

Very helpful 🌹 Love from Canada

[@virginiahilton4175]

How a out shoulders in chatauranga dandasana? Hmmm...

[@iaram.7528]

Real life saver, thank you so much😊

[@SoniaLongarela]

Very good explanation. Many thanks

[@bonnieprunella4650]

Thank you. This lesson on arm positions is very helpful.

[@shankarsubramanian5421]

Can you please do a tutorial for hamstring and quad along with rotation tips?

[@beatricejoly9379]

❤👌🙏

[@KaiAshtanga]

Beutiful. Would love one on urdhvaDhanurasana🙏

[@suganyaramachandran5758]

Very informative ,clearly explained and useful for practice ! Thank you so much! Can you please do tutorial on backbends wheel pose? I couldn’t lift with poor wrists and arm strength. Love you guys!!!

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Great to hear this was helpful for you :) We have a tutorial coming out later this month on backbends - stay tuned!

[@vandanarao8235]

Wow,wanted this knowledge long time back

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

So glad to hear it was helpful for you :)

[@Lyndell239]

My back won't let me do upward dog. I gotta cobra

[@oiyyy9758]

very useful, thanks for sharing

[@caramadadi6767]

That was sooo helpfull, thank youu 😍😍

[@laurenturnbaugh1377]

Super helpful. Thank you so many instructors take these important details for granted. No wonder so many injuries in ashtanga. Thank you so so much. I look forward to back bend cues as well as modifications that help move us towards peak poses.

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Thanks so much Lauren. Happy to hear that you're finding our videos helpful. We've released one on backbending basics recently - have you seeing it? You can watch here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Zp6wk2Z-lNeHn5Y

[@yoleidisguzman9251]

Excellent tutorial!!! I have only 2 years practicing yoga and this videos are helpful, so thank u because I was doing all the external/internal rotation wrong... Hahaha hahaha. Encontrarlos ha sido un gran regalo del universo. Namasté.

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

You're so welcome! Happy to hear this was helpful for you :)

[@alexandrecutini5042]

I always enjoy your tutorials. If you have a moment, would you mind making a tutorial video breaking down Eka Pada Sirsasana & also Yogi Dandasana. I was really interested in seeing not just the breakdown of these poses, but also a few drills you can do outside the practice to develop the flexibility to someday do these poses. I think it would also be interesting to see how to progressively increase the intensity while doing these drills as you begin to build more and more flexibility. For eka pada sirsasana, for example, I think I have enough external rotation of the hip, but I lack enough hip flexion, so I am looking for ways I can train and deepen that element of the pose. Thank you sooo much!

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Hi! Thanks so much for the feedback and suggestions. We've actually filmed an Eka Pada Sirsasana tutorial and it will be posted in the next few weeks :)

[@alessiasalamina7799]

you are two gems!! Thank you!!

[@synaptic84]

thank you so much! 🙏

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

You're very welcome!

[@yogawithhoda]

thnk you❤❤❤ plz talk about pincha

[@govindannairramachandran5890]

Very useful infn. Thanks to both of you.

[@ricciamericanavasuarez5588]

Thank you ! I love it 🎉

[@lizp757]

This is brilliant. Such a comprehensive explanation but broken down to make it easily understandable. Now I realize where I have been going wrong ....for years ! Hopefully the stress I have placed on my poor shoulders is now a thing of the past ! I love David's sense of humour....and as an aside Jelana's hair is stunning !

[@ThroughTheLensofTruth]

I am so appreciating these in-depth precise tutorials as I make my way through your beginner 30 day program. They pair perfectly. Also, your upbeat personalities and smiles are contagious. Thank YOU!

[@oiyyy9758]

when doing yoga, we always need to be on our knees. How can we avoid injuries?

[@oiyyy9758]

i mean avoid injuries of knees

[@aleeazy]

Wow, knowing that detail about arm position down has really improved my chaturanga and helped me unlock a much stronger bakasana! Thank you so much!

[@krishnameghwal1357]

Thank you so much guys 😊

[@amydeng4273]

Thank you both

[@danya-louise]

🙏thank you so much!

[@adam.motions]

This is gold 🙏🙏🙏

[@isatovaryoga815]

Bravo!!! This information is gold. Thanks a lot ✨️

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

You're so welcome! Glad to hear it was helpful :)

[@mariyakerr174]

Huge thanks❤

[@luckshan799]

Always beginners like us don't focus on these types of small but important details on practice. Basics are always important to focus for final posture without pain and injuries

[@aysunsenturk1982]

Thanks a lot ❤

[@yogagai]

Thanks so much

[@HasSan-wr5tv]

❤

[@nancypieete6236]

I love your tutorials! I'm learning so much!

[@ethan5273]

You two are an awesome team. Pearls every single time

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Thank you!

[@melicesobel44]

Thank you so much!!!👍🙏💜

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

You are so welcome :)

[@pattydower4078]

Very good tutorial 👌

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Thank you! :)

[@101Catarina]

Hi! What is the correct position of our arms-internally or externally rotated-when in a Plank Pose? In this position the arms are neither above nor below the shoulders so I’m curious as to which way to go. Thank you so very much for the time, effort and energy you put into your videos! I’ve already learned so very much!

[@DavidandJelenaYoga]

Hi! Thanks for your question. It would be the same as chaturunga - check out our tutorial here :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/gX2ZZZWglM5_ftE

[@101Catarina]

@@DavidandJelenaYoga Thanks! On my way to watch it now. :)