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I love the idea of this pose but can't seem to get it right. As soon as I try and put my arm up in the air I loose my balance and unless I really bend over (sideways) I find it hard to hold my body in the sideways pose. What am I doing wrong?

Any help would be great - thanks!

Hi Lizzie - there are a few things you could try that might help with your wobble Whenever I feel that I'm struggling in a pose I always go back to my foundation - in this case, the feet! Make sure that you've spread your toes and are presssing down in all corners of both feet so that your weight is evenly distributed along the mat. Draw in your belly to your spine so that your core is firm and you're protecting your lower back.

In this pose we often try and reach too far down our front leg with our arm - so try coming up a bit and placing your hand either above or just below the knee. Don't worry about raising the opposite hand, keep it on your lower back (this will help to roll that upper shoulder away from your ears).

Keep practising in this slightly modified way till you feel you've got your balance, your core is firm and can raise your arm in the air.

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That's great advice, thanks Yogini. Can you (or anyone else?) help me out with this pose too. I'm double jointed in my knee and always locks in this pose - I've actually hurt it in the past by staying there too long. How can I stop this happening?

...try bending your front knee slightly so that it's not locked and come up slightly, resting your lower arm a little higher on your leg (your torso will naturally come up a bit as well). This should help with the lock...

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Keep drawing in your moolahbunda (lifting up your perineum) - If your core is strong you shouldn't 'wobble'

By bending the knee and actively engaging the leg muscles (plus foot grounding) it will prevent the body's weight stressing the joints and ligaments, and provide some of the stability. Generally speaking, if you're quite flexible you may benefit from turning your attention to what your muscles are doing rather than whether you can come down all the way.

Also ensure that both legs and feet are evenly grounded and you feel the connection from your feet right up to the pelvis. The hip and pelvis muscles will then be a solid base for the engagement, lengthening and self-support of your torso.

Namaste