Yoga enhances dancers’ wellness and performance
Yoga offers numerous advantages to dancers seeking to supplement their training for overall well-being. The advantages encompass learning breathwork, enhancing body alignment and awareness, cultivating strength and flexibility, honing mental skills, and fostering a non-judgmental attitude towards the body. Fundamental to all styles of Yoga is the deliberate engagement, regulation, and utilization of breath. Any deliberate breath practice profoundly influences an individual’s expressiveness and provides a solid foundation of support. On this International Yoga Day, we shall explore the benefits of three sitting poses: Badhakonasana, Gomukhasana and Upavishtakonasana.
Badhakonasana: (Badhdha-held, Kona-angle)
Objective: Mainly to stretch the Adductor muscles of the thigh which flex the hip. These muscles form the flesh on the inside thigh and are muscles by which the hip is adducted. Unless these muscles are well stretched, even some of the very basic postures like ardhamandi pose much difficulty in matters of acuteness and stability.
Method: Sit on the mat keeping the back straight with the lower limbs stretched away in front of the body.
Draw the feet towards the perineum, joint them together and press the perineum with the heels, holding them together by the hands. The back should be straight. With the elbows placed on the thighs, press down the thighs until the thighs getr close to the floor. During all these adjustments the breathing should be quite relaxed and normal.
Now while exhaling, bend the back forward to bring the forehead or the chin to touch the floor. Keep the back as straight as possible. Breathe five times. While exhaling straighten up the back to the usual sitting position, the legs still in the flexed position. Slowly straighten up the lower limbs and relax.
This pose should be invariably practiced regularly to achieve wider movements of the hip and knee joints.
Gomukhasana: (Cow Pose)
In the sitting position, fold the right leg at the knee to bring the foot to place by the left side of the hips. Fold the left lef at the left knee to bring the foot to rest by the right side of the hips. In this position the legs will be crossing each other at the knees, the left knee resting over the right one.
While exhaling, raise the right arm bringing the hand on the back, and hold the right hand with the left hand on the back. Breathe five ties. Repeat on the other side.
Gomukhasana is especially useful to improve the flexibility of both the shoulder and the knee joints.
Upavishtakonasana: (Upavishta=sitting, Kona= angle)
Practicing this posture in indispensable in improving the flexibility of the hip joints the Hamstrings.
In the sitting posture, widen the stretched legs. While exhaling bend forward and hold the toes of both the legs with hands of the respective sides. Inhale once. Now while exhaling bend forward further so that the chin touches the ground. The hands should still be holding the toes. In this posture inhale and exhale for five times. While inhaling, resume the sitting position.
