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 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.
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.