Why You Can’t Bind Your Arms in Yoga (Spoiler Alert: It’s Not Your Arm Length!)

flexibility yoga yoga tips Dec 10, 2024

You’re happily flowing on the mat, gliding through poses, and then the sequence lands you in Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose). One arm reaches overhead, the other rests on your thigh, and everything feels just right.

Until the teacher cues: “You can stay here, or you can go for a bind.”

Your top hand moves to your lower back, flailing like a horse's tail swatting a fly, while your bottom hand reaches behind your thigh, patting around (mostly your bum) in a frantic search for connection. That’s when it hits you:
“Dang! My arms are too short to bind!"

My friend, your arms are not the problem. You’re not a yoga T-Rex 🦖. The secret to binding lies in shoulder mobility and technique, not limb length. Let’s break it down.

The Anatomy of a Bind: What Happens to Your Shoulders?

In yoga binds like Bound Side Angle Pose or Bird of Paradise, both shoulders internally rotate and extend. In others, like Gomukhasana (cow face pose), one shoulder internally rotates and extends while the other externally rotates and flexes.

When internally rotating, many yogis mistakenly dip their shoulder forward, protracting the scapula instead of moving the humerus (upper arm bone). This classic “shoulder dip” might look cool (hello, Fallen Angel Pose prep!) and is useful for creating stability in many arm balances and inversions.

However, it won’t help your bind. Instead, it pulls the chest down when the goal is to open it up.

Test Your Shoulders Rotation:

Extend your arms out in a wide “T” with palms facing down and thumbs pointing forward.
Rotate your thumbs down so your palms face backwards, behind you—that’s internal rotation.
Return to neutral (thumbs forward), and now rotate your thumbs up so your palms face the ceiling—this is external rotation.

Notice how only your arm bone (the humerus) should be moving. If your shoulder dips forward, you’re compensating with your scapula—and that’s not the rotation we’re after to achieve a proper bind.

Step-by-Step Guide to Set Up a Yoga Bind

Let’s keep using Utthita Parsvakonasana (extended side angle pose) as an example:

For the top arm:

Before dropping it behind your back, reach it toward the ceiling.
Internally rotate the arm (thumb pointing towards your feet, palm facing back).
Bend the elbow and bring your hand behind your back.

For the bottom arm:

Internally rotate it in the same way, keeping your chest open.
Bend the elbow and reach behind your thigh and try to meet the other hand.

Take it step by step, focusing on maintaining your chest open to the side, mostly in line with your front thigh. With practice, you’ll notice more ease and fluidity in your binds.

Tight Shoulders? Here’s How to Modify Your Yoga Bind

Even with proper alignment and a proper warm up your hands may still feel miles apart—and that’s okay! Mobility takes time, but there’s a simple solution: a yoga strap!

Here’s how to use it:

Hold the strap in your top hand as you bring it behind your back.
With your bottom hand, reach between your legs to grab the other end of the strap.
Walk your hands closer along the strap, stopping when you reach your edge.

Over time, you’ll build the mobility to ditch the strap, but until then, embrace it as a tool—not a crutch.

Yoga Is About Progress, Not Perfection

Yoga isn’t about achieving the perfect bind or any other Instagram-worthy pose. It’s about mindfulness, presence, and honoring where you are today. Leave your ego off the mat, and remember: props are your friends. They make poses accessible, safe, and sustainable.

Ready to Deepen Your Practice? Check out my No Bullshit Yoga Pose Library for step-by-step guides to over 90 yoga poses. Discover detailed breakdowns, modifications to make poses more accessible, and advanced tips to expand your practice.