Yoga for Dancers

Benefits of yoga for dancers

Dance and yoga have been related for ages in Indian culture. Doing yoga brings stability, balance, ease of movement, and flexibility, among other things, all of which are wonderfully beneficial as a dancer. Yoga can help dancers bring poise and elegance to their movements.

Benefits of Yoga for Dancers

  • Minimizes the risks of dance-related injuries
  • Aids dancers in maintaining flexibility and tests their focus constantly with challenging sequences of movement
  • Gives confidence a boost
  • Can assist in getting you back to dancing after a long break
  • Its breathing techniques will keep you calm
  • Helps deal with pre-showcase jitters
  • Gives you more energy and stamina to perform long hours
  • Allows you to execute energetic dance sequences with more respiratory ease.
  • Tones muscles and keeps joints flexible

 

yoga instructor

Yoga Poses for Dancers

Here are a few postures that can assist you in gaining agility and translating that into your movements:

Legs Up the Wall Pose

It will help take the pressure off of your legs and feet. Great for after high-intensity practices, as it will calm your nervous system.

Upward Plank Franks

Strengthens wrists, arms, shoulders, spine, and back.

Downward Dog Pose

This is a good one. It brings strength all over (arms, shoulders, legs, feet…), increases blood flow to the brain and lengthens the spine.

Bridge Pose

Great for building strength in the legs and butt. It also encourages you to open up your chest, just like in dance class.

Boat Pose

Dancing requires great core strength, and this pose provides just that.

Chair Pose

This pose will assist dancers in balancing the body and also tones thighs, ankles, leg, and knee muscles.

yoga pigeon pose stretcg

You dance? Now Yoga!

Bella Diva Dance’s new “Yoga For Dancers” class in Denver will enable dancers to effectively cross-train, equipping them with greater breath awareness, increased strength & flexibility, injury prevention, & recovery techniques needed to maintain optimal mobility. The emphasis on proper alignment, balance, & agility will make even someone with two left feet look & feel like a dancer! This class is suitable for both dancers & non-dancers alike, male & female, all ages, & from any background. Come check us out and get your Yoga on!

Our studio is going to be closed Thursday, December 22, through Thursday Jan 5, with all classes resuming Sunday, January 8, 2017.

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].