Balance in both body and mind is a key part of yoga. We try to juggle so much in our daily lives and end up stretching ourselves too thin. To reduce stress, we need to find a healthy balance between work, family, and personal time. Yoga can help with this by teaching us how to find our center, calm our minds, and focus on one thing at a time.
Find balance within yourself with these 5 poses:
Tree Pose
Start in Mountain and firmly ground your feet into the floor. Begin to shift your weight to one foot, engaging your core and keeping your foot as stable as possible. Bring the foot your weight is not on to your calf, then slowly higher if possible. The optimum placement for your foot is against the inner thigh close to the pelvis. Do not rest your foot on the side of your knee, only above or below it. Bring your hands into a prayer position in front of your chest and focus on an unmoving spot in front of you.
Chair Pose
Start in a mountain pose with your feet together. Raise your arms above your head, bend your knees, and bring your thighs as parallel to the floor as possible. Be careful not to let your knees go past your toes, as this puts too much stress on the knees and can lead to injury. Hold this position for up to a minute.
Dancer Pose
Stand in Mountain pose and shift your weight to your right leg, making sure you are firmly rooted. Lift your left leg up behind you, keeping a slight bend in the right leg to avoid hyperextension. Grab the inside arch of your left foot with your left hand and stretch your leg up and back, making your thigh parallel to the floor. Reach your right arm out in front of you and try to lift your torso up rather than letting it fall forward. Try to hold this pose for 20-30 seconds.
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Eagle Pose
Starting in Mountain, bend your knees and shift your balance to the right foot. Lift left leg and cross it over the right, hooking your left foot around your right calf. Next, hook your right arm under the left and bring your palms together. Hold this pose for up to a minute, then release and switch sides.
Warrior III Pose
Step your feet 4-5 feet apart, front foot pointed towards the front of the mat and back foot at a 45-degree angle. Face your hips to the front of the mat. Press into your right foot, your left leg, and lower your torso until it is parallel with the floor. Reach forward with both hands and make sure to keep your left foot engaged by flexing it.
Half Moon Pose
Go into triangle – feet shoulder width apart, right foot pointed forward, bent at the hip and arms perpendicular to the floor. Bend your right knee slightly and lift your left leg, keeping your toes pointed out to one side of your mat. Straighten your right leg as you extend the left and keep your arms outstretched.
