Feel Like a Rockstar with Fallen Triangle Yoga Pose
/Feeling stuck and want a boost of creativity?
Need to build upper body and core strength?
Want to bring some fun into your yoga practice?
Dive Into Fallen Star Pose!
Fallen Star Pose (also called Fallen Triangle Yoga Pose or Rockstar Pose) is an intermediate yoga pose that combines Side Plank and Triangle Pose with a bit of a backbend. It’s a fun way to get all the benefits of both those poses plus more while feeling like a super star!
This full-body yoga pose strengthens and stretches at the same time. It also opens the chest and heart and boosts energy and creativity. Let’s light up the night sky like a Fallen Star!
The Benefits of Fallen Star Yoga Pose for Kids
Fallen Star pose is a great way to build children’s upper body strength. Once children progress from crawling to walking, they might not have as many opportunities to strengthen the important muscles of the arms and shoulders.
Playgrounds are the place to build these muscles as children push and pull themselves on swings, climb rock walls, and hang from jungle gyms and monkey bars. This heavy work not only helps build strength, but also burns off excess energy, reduces stress and creates resilience.
However, as academic pressures increase, many children don’t get nearly enough time for recess each school day. Upper body strength makes a difference in:
pencil grasp
pre-writing skills
hand dominance
hand-eye coordination
writing
fine motor manipulation skills
Yoga practice provides a perfect solution as these poses can be done anywhere, anytime — at home, at school and on the go. Even a short brain break practice can have a big impact.
In this rap about being a meteor, we blend music, yoga and STEM as we combine Downward Dog and Fallen Star pose for maximum upper body strengthening!
How To: Fallen Star Yoga Pose
Start in downward facing dog pose.
Lift your right leg up into three-legged dog pose.
Bend the right knee and curl it in toward the left elbow.
Extend the right leg, resting the side of the foot on the floor to the left of your mat.
Shift your weight into your right hand and raise your left arm upwards.
At the same time, pivot on your back foot, dropping your heel down toward the ground.
Ground through your hand and foot to lift your hips and chest up toward the ceiling.
Keep shoulders stacked over your wrist or move into a slight backbend.
Gaze upward toward the top hand.
Stay for 5-10 breaths and then return to downward dog and switch sides.
Tips for Mastering Fallen Star Yoga Pose
If it is difficult to curl the bent knee all the way forward toward the opposite elbow, simply extend the leg once the knee is as far forward as possible.
Prepare for this pose by building up the necessary core strength and stability with downward dog curls. Lift the leg into three-legged dog and curl your knee to your nose. Extend and then curl to right elbow. Extend and then curl to left elbow. Repeat several times on each side to build core strength.
Press down into the supporting hand and foot to create lightness and lift in the pose. Make sure you are not sinking into the supporting shoulder joint - it should feel open and spacious.
If you feel strain in the supporting shoulder, rotate the hand slightly outward to create more space.
Keep the neck long, relaxed and in line with the rest of the spine. Gaze can be upward, downward or neutral as feels most comfortable.
Breathe slowly and deeply to balance grounding and opening in the pose.
Kid-friendly Fallen Star Pose Variations
Combining Fallen Star Pose with Plank Pose and Downward Facing Dog provides an upper body workout that also strengthens core muscles and stretches shoulders, chest, hips and hamstrings.
While many yoga poses reflect a child’s natural progress through developmental milestones, Fallen Star is unusual and sparks creativity and fun. This is not a shape we naturally make and children really enjoy coming up with their own silly variations.
Fallen Star Pose can be a bit challenging so you may want to encourage children to start with the back knee and shin down to the ground to create a little kick stand. This can help focus on the core of the pose and build up arm strength for the full version.
Begin with resting the top hand on the hip to bring awareness to the movement of lifting upward. Create rise and stability first before lifting the arm up toward the ceiling.
Plank and Side Plank poses are really great preparation for Fallen Star. Let’s build core an upper body strength while pretending to be a fire truck!
Once children build their upper body and core strength, you can invite them to explore full arm balance poses like Crow Pose and Handstand.
These challenging poses both require and can create a lot of energy so always take time afterward to wind down and transition into relaxation, allowing children to integrate and absorb the physical, emotional and mental benefits of the practice.
Elevate Your Curriculum
Did you know Yo Re Mi offers an array of children's musical yoga and mindfulness resources for your kids? You can:
- Download our app for exclusive videos and fun activities -- with no ads!
- Request a professional development workshop
- Join a 30-hour certified kids yoga teacher training
- Inquire about bringing the Yo Re Mi program to your students or family
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