Did you know that balance poses are grounding and calming? Lately, I’ve been feeling busy and scattered, so the classes I taught yesterday were mellow, slow flowing classes with lots of balance poses. We played in Warrior Three pose (Virabhadrasana III) some, which inspired this post.
If you practice balance poses often enough, they’ll increase your balance, coordination and strength. Plus, yogis have long believed that balance poses help with grounding, calming, and even relieve anxiety and nervousness. Here are a few reasons why... Benefits Of Balance Poses First off, a balance pose helps you feel grounded. Holding a balance pose requires you to set a strong foundation at your base, whether the base is your feet or your hands. Think about it— you can’t balance if you don’t have a strong foundation, just as a house will fall in without a strong foundation. Another reason is that a balance pose demands your concentration. Total focus is needed, removing your distractions for a little while. You're redirecting your thoughts to the present moment and away from the stress in your life. Also, using a balance pose literally brings you into balance. Even when you feel really wobbly, you are striving for (physical) balance which translates nicely into mental balance. Lastly, when you do achieve balance in a pose, so many muscles all over the body are being recruited to support the posture. You're getting stronger. When you feel strong, you feel more grounded and empowered. As I mentioned earlier, Warrior Three (as shown above) inspired this post, so here are some tips to help improve your stability in the pose. Give them a try... 7 Tips For Warrior Three: • Set your foundation mindfully. Find grounding at the weight bearing foot. • Lengthen the weight bearing leg as much as possible (without locking the knee). • Press out through the heel of the lifted leg. • Squeeze your core. Activate your deep core (TVA). • Level your hips. • Reach your arms out anywhere that helps you balance. • Make sure your breath is steady. I hope this inspires you to practice balance poses for more than just the physical posture. Try one the next time you're stressed. The lovely thing about yoga is that it's all about finding balance on and off the mat. Love & Light. Thank you for reading! Sign up for my FREE Monthly Newsletter here. Follow me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube here:
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