Mermaiding professionally means becoming comfortable in every aspect of the art; including posing! When starting out, much like it’s our instinct to bend our knees to swim, we also have the urge to sit flat on our butts and smile at the camera without properly showing off our tail or flukes! In this post, we’re going to go over some of the basics of posing when not human. We’re also going to talk about the human yoga pose known as the Mermaid Pose, and how it can help you!Table of Contents:

1. What is the mermaid pose?

2. Is Mermaid Pose difficult?

3. How do you do mermaid pose in yoga?

4. List of Mermaid Poses

 

1. What is the Mermaid Pose?

The Mermaid Pose is a position to strike while in a tail. It’s the positioning of your body to look realistic and magical - the equivalent of striking a grin when someone yells “smile!” There are many variations and ways to pose! The Mermaid Pose is also an advanced yoga position - a position that is great to learn to help with the maneuvering of your tail! Check it out below: 

2. Is Mermaid Pose difficult? 

Posing for photos in your tail can be a growing pain when you begin. You don’t often think hard about how to sit without a tail - but our flukes and the inability to separate our legs creates a new challenge! There are new points of gravity that your body will rest on, and there are new muscle requirements to achieve that perfectly natural twist to show off yourself and your tail. In the water it can also be difficult to pose while facing the challenge of holding your breath, dolphin kicking, and stopping yourself from naturally floating upwards. 

However, it isn’t a hopeless cause. Mermaiding is a sport like any other, and so with some time and training, you will find posing to come more naturally. One of the best ways to train your body is by learning yoga.

Yoga is one of the healthiest and easiest ways to sculpt or strengthen your muscles, and it isn’t super rigorous like other exercise regimes. The mermaid pose yoga sculpt is a pose that is great for almost all parts of your body! The mermaid pose creates a freedom throughout your body like that which you feel underwater. It’s a deep stretch for your thighs, hips, groin, shoulder, and chest. It will help improve your mobility to your spine and hips - two body parts you will use often while striking a pose for some cameras. It also is super helpful for gaining strength in your calves and ankles to help carry the weight of your fluke! 

3. How do you do mermaid pose in yoga?

Like all slightly advanced yoga poses, it can be difficult to do the pose without training and proper preparations. The Mermaid Pose is a spin off of the more commonly known pose called the One Legged King Pigeon Pose. Try mastering this pose before stretching out into the mermaid pose! 

The best way to master this pose is to take it step by step. A huge part of yoga is breath - much like how swimming in a tail relies on your breath hold! In order to reach the correct stretch, you have to keep your breath wide and open. Check out a yoga breathing tutorial!

Mastering basic yoga poses such as the downward dog and the tree pose will help warm your body up to some new stretches and burns! This pose, when done correctly, should feel like a natural stretch. If you are trembling or feeling any sharp stab of pain, slowly remove yourself and stretch out some more. It’s easier to do this pose when you’ve been warmed up sufficiently! So make sure you run through a full yoga regime before jumping into it. Check out this video for a step by step! 

4. List of Some Mermaid Poses: 

So, now you know the basics of how to warm up your body and flip your fins, let’s look at a few classic poses that you can strike! 

No Ordinary Girl 

This pose was popularized by the hit Australian TV show H20 - Just Add Water. In all official arts and DVD box sets, the main characters are shown smiling at the camera with their tails visible by being lifted over their heads. Also adding to its fame is the movie Aquamarine in 2006.  The DVD cover had the main mermaid, Aquamarine holding this pose. It’s a very common pose, and only takes a small amount of prep. 

• You have to be comfortable with your tail. Know the weight of your tail on your legs, the way it tends to bend or flick, and how powerful it is! Knowing the weight can help you decide where to put your center of gravity - on your kneecaps, a little higher, or even just on your calf! This way you can choose how much power you give the lift. 
• How big your monofin is - if you even have a monofin! A smaller monofin is easier for this pose as it won’t flip over your head and won’t require a large amount of concentration to balance it upwards. If you have a larger monofin, this pose can be a lot harder! A large monofin is more likely to flip over and knock you on the head, or overbalance you. It can also be hard to keep it straight up. It is also easier to cramp up in your heels or cause blisters on your feet with the larger fin. That being said, with practice and time, you will be able to find the easiest way to hold this pose. 
• If you are wearing a fabric tail without a monofin, unfortunately the tail skin will reveal your feet. However, there are plenty of other poses for you to do with a tail skin!

To strike this pose you have to lie on your stomach. As always, with toes pointed, bend your knees and lift your fin upwards. Smile big and pretty! If you feel comfortable, you can try to lift yourself off your elbows and instead onto your hands to show your torso. If not, put your elbows on the ground and cup your hands under your chin, or even just have them lying flat. 

To the Side! 

This pose is a classic and a great go-to. It’s an awesome way to show off your whole body, and makes for a perfect fit when sitting right where the tide comes in. It has the added effect of looking like you’ve just been pushed up to shore. There are many variations of this pose, but here’s what you need to do to prep for it; 

• A new center of gravity now rests on the side of your hip, not your butt! This kind of pressure can be a bit uncomfortable, so you can lean down on your knees as well to relieve the pressure. You can also place your hand flat down next to you with your fingers spread to take some of your weight. 
• A tricky part of this pose is how your fluke is shaped. If you have a larger fluke that splays out right at your feet, you will have to lift it just right so as to not fold over or crush the natural fluke shape. You can practice lifting your legs and holding them there - and it may take some time and exercise! 

To strike this beautiful pose, bend your knees and lean them down ever so slightly, so your thighline stretches down while your calfline lifts up! Keep your shoulders back and try to keep your whole body in a line - don’t stick your arm out straight if leaning on your elbow, instead rest your hand under your own shadow and smile big! 

Fins in the Air Like You Just Don’t Care! 

This pose is an ab workout, let me tell you! Especially if you are wearing a thick silicone, this is a pose that will make you feel as if you've done some crunches. However, don’t let that deter you! This pose is a gorgeous one that highlights your tail! 

• To hold this pose for a long time is to feel some burning in your lower abdomen. If you’ve done some yoga or are just accustomed to the burn of a good stretch, this is the effect you’ll get! 
• If you need some practice, lying down in a bathtub or even just out on dry land and putting your legs up straight against a wall is an excellent way to practice and get better at holding your legs up! 
• A bigger fluke again brings in a harder level of difficulty - like with our tail over heads, a big monofin can easily overbalance you or sag down - breaking the illusion. We recommend that you learn how to hold your fins and how to keep your toes pointed! 

To strike this pose, lie flat on your back and lift your tail straight up into the air. Point your toes so your fin stays as tall as it can. Make sure to spread your beautiful mermaid hair around your head and don’t be afraid to play with the position of your hands. It is a simple but gorgeous photo to highlight your scales! 

We’ve covered a lot about the poses you can strike on land, but what about in the water? There are so many more options in our natural habitat! Whether you're floating in a pool or diving into the glorious depths, here are a few options for your under the sea needs! 

The StarFish

Otherwise known as a mermaid baptism, this pose is long and gorgeous. It’s a great way to show your love for swimming, how at ease and comfortable you feel in the water, and you don’t even have to stick your head under! 

• The only real prep for this photo is to know how to float. The best way to float is to hold a lot of air in your lungs to give yourself some extra buoyancy, and lean your head straight back. It can be scary to feel like you’re sinking, but remember that you’re in control. Practice and patience is the best way to learn how to float on your back. 

To strike the star, simply straighten out your tail with your toes pointed on the surface of the water. Tilt your head back to begin floating, and spread your arms wide! The more comfortable you are floating, the more you can add to this pose! You can decide how you’d like your hands to be, where, and how they’re moving. You can even put your hands behind your head to show off maximum comfort levels! 

No Ordinary Girl Pt. 2 

This is not only a great pose for a dry land photo, but also an excellent position to get used to holding if you are swimming in a tank!  This position is the same as our first dry land position; where you lie on your stomach and kick your fin up over your head. It makes your fin a part of any photo you may be snapped in, and shows off your flexibility! This is actually easier underwater, except for one small issue; 

• It’s hard to hold this pose while underwater due to the natural buoyancy of your body. If you have an object at the bottom of the body of water you find yourself in, like a rock or a prop - you can hold onto that in a casual wrapping motion to keep yourself grounded. You can also attempt to let some of your breath out of your lungs - though be wary, as doing this could ruin your breath hold and you’ll feel the need for air quicker. 
• You can also add a diving belt or diving weights into your tail to help you stay low to the ground - though you need some excellent swimming experience and to swim with someone watching when using any of the diving weights. 

To hold this pose, it’s just like on land! Lie on your stomach, or as close to the ground as you can under water. Lift your fluke high up and over your head with your toes pointed. Rest your elbows or hands on the ground, and create a resting position for your chin or even just cup your hands around your cheeks to highlight your gorgeous smile! 

Dolphin Kicks 

The Dolphin Kick is how we swim as mermaids - it is a long, slithering motion that sends us powering through the water and looking super graceful! This motion can be helped with yoga poses to open your spine and hips, where the kick should originate from! While this is the safest and most appropriate way to swim as a mermaid, it also is great for photos! Creating a huge sideways S shape, this motion captures the essence of how to be a mermaid! 

• To prepare for this shot, you just have to practice your mermaid swimming, and pacing! If you are taking photos, take your time going through the motions. Keep it evenly paced so that the camera doesn’t catch a blurry shot of you, and has time to focus.
• The mermaid kick is a long, rolling motion. Practice until you’re used to the motion, then slow it down! 

For this pose, you have to know the dolphin kick. Keeping your arms stretched out over your head, lift your butt up and down. Allow your legs to follow through with the motion - your knees should bend in a natural, not purposed way. Keep your toes pointed to allow your fin to push the water back behind you. Let your hair stream out behind your shoulders and remember to smile and enjoy the feeling of water on your face! 

There you are! These are some of the most popular or iconic looking mermaid poses you can strike at any time in or out of the water. Of course, there are plenty more, and as you get more comfortable with your body in a tail and the different stretch you can make, you can find your own personalized mermaid pose! Keep flipping your fins high!