Peaceful and Postive Mindset

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How Yoga Improves Balance

Balance does your body good :)

How Yoga Improves Balance

Yoga is great for your body's health and vitality. Yoga is a series of poses called Asanas which includes monitored breathing practices and regulations.

There are many of poses you can work on and gradually add in new poses. It is important that you focus on the quality of your poses rather than how many poses you can do, etc.

The science of yoga has been proven to have enormous health benefits, including:

• Flexibility
• Strength
• Muscle and bone health
• Cardiovascular and prevention of heart disease
• Increasing the longevity of life
• Developing balance skills that help avoid falls as we age.
• Meditation to soothe the soul and give one focus and clarity of mind.
• Pain relief
• Weight loss
• Alertness, concentration and focus
• Posture
• And many more

So How Does Yoga Improve Your Balance?

First off, it helps target your core strength of your muscles and requires much concentration on your part.

Depending on your health and strength, it could take time to build up your strength to do it well for the best benefits. I for one have terrible balance due to tinnitus, so it requires extra efforts on my part :) But when I do have a great session with balance poses, it feels really great!

There are plenty of poses which aid in improving the balance. They are usually poses to be attempted standing up, although if you're like me, you can be challenged on the ground as well.

The easiest of them is the chair pose where the knees are bent and the body is bent slightly forward. One has to hold the pose for some time and revert back to the normal position. This must be repeated a few times in each sitting.  Just think of how you might look as you start to sit down in a chair. The picture to the left is a slightly more advanced version with her on her toes and in a deeper bend.

A more difficult version emanating from this pose is the eagle pose or the Garudasana. In this, one leg wraps around the other one in the bent position. After balance is attained, the arms too wrap around each till the palms face each other and touch. Hold that position till you finishing slow breathing five times. This pose is one of the most difficult, but, can reap enormous rewards in the long run. It exercises many body parts, increases concentration and improves balance.
 

Additional Poses For Balance

A common balance position is the tree pose which many are familiar with. It includes bringing one
 

leg up the inner thigh of the other, preferably without the use of hands and joining the palms together in front of your body. A possible variant of this has the hands stretched upward and the palms touching there.

Whichever version you try, you should to hold the position for 10 seconds or five breaths, whichever is more. This not only improves balance but also gives you flexibility and agility. The thigh muscles are also exercised and core strength is built.

No balance exercise is complete without attempting any of the three poses mentioned below. 

One is the king dancer pose or the Natarajasana where one stretches both hands and legs on an outward position and retains the balance, while targeting the core muscles or arms, hips, belly, and thighs.
 

Another version of this is the warrior III pose which though requiring less balance, eats up more on the core muscles building part.
 

The last is the standing split wherein the body and hands are bent forward trying to touch the ground and then the foot followed with the knee, but having one leg up in the air.
 

Needless to say, all the poses required above require practice and patience and the proper guidance from a qualified yoga teacher.  And there are several more Balancing poses that you can do.
 

Doing yoga on a regular basis is the only way to nurture and perfect balance skills that will go on to serve you in everyday life.
 

Take a moment to research images of advanced yoga poses and you will be amazed at what some of the experts can do!
 

You never know when you might feel inspired to work on your yoga :)

How To Get Started With Working On Your Balance

One can look up all the poses online as there are plenty of videos available for beginners and enthusiasts.
 

There are also many yoga DVD workout programs for sale that you can use in the comfort of your own home.
 

Also, there are yoga studios all over the country where classes offer the opportunity to do yoga in a setting with a live teacher and other participants.

While attempting the various poses (asanas), remember to go slow and to breathe in slow and deep. it will help you during your yoga session. These poses definitely will improve your balance and lead you on your personal journey of discovery and balance.

Happy balancing!

Renee'