4 Yoga postures and their benefits for your body!

Yoga for dancers

Yoga is one of the most ancient forms of exercise and meditation. Initially, there was only one “asana”, or yoga pose. This pose was a stable and comfortable seated pose for prolonged meditation. Today there are many poses, series, and variations that not only help to stretch and tone your body, but also open up energy channels and chakras. Depending on the type of pose, these produce different energetic, mental, physical, and emotional effects. Here are 4 Yoga Postures and how they benefit your body! 

yoga - child pose

 

Yoga Asanas according to position

Seated asanas

Seated yoga poses have a grounding and balancing energetic effect. They also help achieve flexibility and meditation. There are some seated postures that might seem easy at first, but they all have their trick. Some common seated asanas are: easy pose, conqueror breath, staff pose, child pose, bound ankle pose and more.

Standing asanas

These asanas have an uplifting and opening energetic effect. These help strengthen our muscles and bones too. Some standing asanas for beginners: mountain pose, tree pose, warrior pose, chair pose, and triangle pose are a great place to start.

Supine asanas

These type of asanas involve you lying on your back, facing upwards. These poses have a nurturing and integrating energetic effect, and help achieve better flexibility. Some common poses: bridge pose, corpse pose, joyful baby pose, supine hero pose,  and the supine bound ankle pose.

Prone asanas

These asanas involve you lying on the floor, on your belly. These poses have an energizing effect and help strengthen back and core. Some of these poses are: cobra pose, plank or four-limbed staff pose, crocodile pose, bow pose, and the upward facing dog. These poses can take more practice but the value you gain is worth it!

Denver Yoga Dancers

 

Yoga is an integrated physical, emotional, and spiritual practice that helps you achieve a toned body and challenges you to increase your skill all the time. Read about yoga and dance classes in our studio in Denver, why dancing is a great workout and learn to make your own fabulous detox smoothies.

Yoga classes at Bella Diva
Yoga for dancing at Bella Diva Studio in Denver

Salutation to the Sun

Yoga, Hatha Yoga, is an ancient practice that was born in India. This is the physical discipline of continuous learning and challenging of our bodies. Yoga helps us improve our breathing, strengthens our body and clears our minds. There are many reasons for its popularity through the centuries. One of the most well-known sequence of poses is the salutation to the sun. Developed in the modern era of yoga, during which time asana was influenced by gymnastics and other types of exercises, we share how to perform the yoga sequence of the salutation to the Sun.

 

Yoga Basics: Salutation to the Sun Sequence= Surya Namaskar

Follow these steps to achieve the salutation to the sun. Ideally, this sequence should be practiced with the first rays of the sun.

  1. Mountain: stand with your feet together, parallel, and palms lightly pressed together. Make sure the crown of your head lifts up and your chin is parallel to the floor.
  2. Arms and palms up: staying in the same position, inhale and lift your arms together above your head. Reach to the sky with your thumbs locked up.
  3. Forward Fold: exhale and bend downwards, placing your palms on the floor, and slightly bending knees if necessary. Place your head between your legs.
  4. High Lunge: inhale and step the right foot into a high lunge. Make sure your left knee is over your ankle, not leaning forward or behind it. Check your shoulders to make sure they’re back and down.
  5. Plank: bring your other foot back to a plank position. Your body should be one straight line, in a push-up position. Breathe in.
  6. Caterpillar: exhale and bend your knees and elbows to the floor, lower your chin and chest to the floor, as well. Arch your back and bring your hips to the sky.
  7. Upward facing dog: inhale into upward facing dog by straightening your arms, bringing your chest forward and leaning on the tops of your feet.
  8. Downward facing dog: exhale into downward facing dog by bringing your hips back up to the sky, pressing your hands and feet to the floor, and let your head hang from the neck.
  9. High Lunge: inhale back into high lunge, like in step 4. Pay attention to your knee and ankle, and lock down your back foot and hips.
  10. Forward Fold: exhale and bring your back foot to the front to repeat step 3.
  11. Arms and palms together: inhale back, repeat step 2.
  12. Mountain: exhale and go back to initial position.

Watch a video that instructs how to practice the salutation to the sun.

Our body is so amazing and as we learn to move and breathe better than better, even our way of looking at life improves. This basic yoga sequence can also benefit your dance moves, strengthen your core, arms, back and improve your overall posture.

At Bella Diva Dance, we offer yoga classes for both dancers & non-dancers alike, male & female, all ages & from any background.

Our Prices:
$52.00 for a 4 Week Month
$65.00 for a 5 Week Month Series
$15.00 Drop-In rate if space is available
Read more about our yoga class.

Additional Yoga stretches to help relieve lower body pain

Yoga Stretches

To continue sharing valuable information for dancers, and whomever exercises, we talk today about more yoga stretches. These poses can relieve pain in the hip and lower back. It’s important to follow instructions, and practice with a professional to make sure you’re doing the poses correctly. Join our yoga class to learn about these and other poses that can provide you many health benefits.

As we previously shared, there are numerous benefits from stretching properly, such as the easing of pain and decreasing chances of injuries. Let’s take a look at other poses…

 

Fire Log Pose

Fire Log yoga Pose

This pose should put the fire out in your hips. Sit on the floor with a straight spine, both sit bones pressing against the ground. Take the left leg out in front of you and bend it until it is in a straight line and parallel with your body, knee, and ankle. Stack the right leg on top of the left, lining up the right ankle to the left knee and the right knee to the left ankle. If you find the final position too difficult, you can use blocks as support to lighten the pose. This is a deep stretch to loosen the outer hips and glutes. It also stretches and strengthens the groin, calves, thighs, and abdominal muscles.

Goddess Pose

Yoga Goddess Pose (Utkata Konasana)

Gentlemen, do not be deterred by the name of this pose. It will help you open your hips regardless of your gender. Step your feet out very wide, turn the toes outward, bend the knees so they line up with your ankles, and tuck your butt in to engage the core. The further the toes are pointed outward, the deeper the stretch. This will give your groin, inner thighs, and hips a deep stretch. Note: Avoid this pose if you have a knee or hip injury.

 

Half Lord of The Fish Pose

ardha matsyendrasana half lord of the fishes pose over white

Sitting on the floor, extend both legs out in front of you. Keep the left leg straight and bend and pull the right leg in. Line the right heel up approximately 2 inches away from the back of the right leg and 2 inches away from the left thigh. Sit up very tall, avoiding sinking in the lower back. Wrap the left arm around the right leg, creating a spinal twist. Move the left shoulder forward as you move the right shoulder back, attempting to line the shoulders up. Take your gaze over the right shoulder. This pose stretches out the hips, glutes, lower back, spine, chest, shoulders, and neck.

Garland Pose

Woman doing Garland Pose in Yoga

 

This pose is so effective for opening the hips that it’s the position most women use to give birth. Turn your heels so they line up with your hips, turn your toes outward. Bend the knees until you reach a squatted position. Place a blanket under the heels if they have to be lifted while squatting. You can also stack two blocks to sit on to work up to the full integrity of the pose. The Garland Pose increases fluidity in the hips, and stretches the ankles, knees, and lower back. It also strengthens the core muscles.


JOIN US FOR WORLD DANCE CLASSES IN DENVER

Bella Diva Dance’s  new studio is located in the Glendale Center on E. Mississippi Ave and Birch St, near Colorado Blvd.  We offer you: Belly Dance, Samba, Yoga, Bollywood, Hot Hula Fitness, Afro-Caribe and Kids’ World Dance. Contact Caitlin for more information about classes: 303.359.9414 or email us at [email protected].

 

Yoga stretches to help relieve lower body pain

“Yoga is like music: the rhythm of the body, the melody of the mind, and the harmony of the soul create the symphony of life.”― B.K.S. Iyengar

To aid dancers and, virtually, everyone help relieve pain in the hip and lower back you can follow these easy and simple yoga stretches. When stretching is done properly it can ease pain, increase the fluidity of mobility and decrease chances of serious injuries to occur in the lower region of our bodies. let’s take a look at some yoga stretches to start practicing today!

Lizard Lounge yoga stretch
Lizard-Lower Lunge pose

 

 

  1. Lizard-Lower Lunge: Step your left foot forward several feet in front of the right foot. Bend the left knee until it lines up perfectly with the ankle. Drop the right knee to the ground and keep the toes curled under on that foot to stretch the calf muscle. Walk the left foot out to the side and place both elbows on top of blocks on the inside edge of the left foot. Keep hips lined up parallel to each other. You are opening the right psoas muscle and the left inner thigh.
    bound Ankle yoga pose
    Bound Ankle Pose

     

  2. Bound Ankle Pose: This stretch requires you to bind your ankles which will unbind your hips. Bring the soles of your feet together, pulling the heels close to your groin, bending the knees, and butterfly flare the legs open.If you see the knees too high, place a blanket under the sit bones to prop the hips up.Keeping your spine straight, lead with the chest, pull your shoulders back, and fold toward your feet. This pose will open and relax the inner thighs and groin.
  3. Yoga Cow face pose
    Cow Face Pose

    Cow Face Pose: Begin by threading the left leg under your right leg. Work toward stacking the knees, while keeping both sit bones on the ground. Tuck the toes in to protect the knees. Sit in the pose for several minutes.

  4. yoga pigeon pose stretcg
    Pigeon Pose

    Pigeon Pose: Starting in downward facing dog, lift the right leg and step it forward between the hands. Drop the left knee down and untuck the toes. Slide the right foot over toward your left pelvic bone placing the outside edge of the right leg on the floor. Tuck the right toes in (flexing the foot). Line up hips parallel to each other, continually pressing the left hip toward the floor.

  5. Happy Baby: Lie flat on your back, grab hold of both feet with each hand, bend the knees and pull them toward your armpits. Once in the proper position rock side to side, keeping your head on the floor. This will externally rotate and stretch the hips, loosen the inner groin muscles, and help realign the spine.
Happy Baby pose
We found no better way to explain the Happy Baby Pose… This is EXACTLY what it should look like 🙂

 

We’ll keep sharing more yoga stretches and other health tips in our future posts. Stay tuned!

JOIN US FOR YOGA AND WORLD DANCE CLASSES IN DENVER

Denver Yoga DancersYes, Yoga for Dancers in Denver! At Bella Diva Dance’s  new studio, located in the Glendale Center on E. Mississippi Ave and Birch St, near Colorado Blvd.  We offer you: Belly Dance, Samba, Yoga, Bollywood, Hot Hula® Fitness, Afro-Caribe and Kids’ World Dance. Contact Caitlin for more information about classes: 303.359.9414 or email us at [email protected].