Do you find yourself getting angry or frustrated when you can’t get stable in a balance pose? If so, read on as MSY YTT trainee Alex White gives us her best tips and tricks for building a strong core and a strong mind.
Hey ya’ll! It’s Alex again. During yoga teacher training at MSY, we’ve been learning how to practice and instruct balance poses (it’s actually easier said than done . . . at least the teaching part). Many yogis struggle with and even fear balance poses. Their inner dialogue obsesses: “Will we practice balance poses today in yoga class? I hope not!” If this is you, or if you simply want to improve your balance practice, read on!
Balance poses can range from one legged stability asanas (like tree) to arm balances (like crow). It’s easy to assume that strengthening leg muscles or arm muscles is the key to conquering balance poses. We forget that muscles don’t work in isolation. If we want to become more stable in our yoga poses, we need to strengthen our core . . . the entire core, which is much more than just the abdominal muscles.
Core strength comes from of the front, back, and sides of the trunk as well as the glutes. So you might ask, “Which should I focus on first?” The answer is: all of it! In order to improve your balance poses, and your all-around yoga practice, the main focus should be on strengthening and stabilizing the ENTIRE core. A well-rounded plan is ideal. Let’s start with what do to at home.
If you’re a big fan of the KISS approach (keep it simple, sister), here are three poses you should practice on a daily basis:
· Plank
· Locust
The combination of these three poses strengthens and stabilizes the entire “corset” of the core. (Bonus: these poses can help alleviate chronic low back pain.)
If you want some variety, try a combination of traditional exercises and yoga poses (asanas). The front of the core can be strengthened from movements like Russian twists, planks, leg lowers, reverse crunches, and sit-ups. Asanas to incorporate into your practice include boat, chair, and lying twisting flow from side to side.
Exercises to strengthen the back of the core include superman (a variation of locust pose), sea turtles, good mornings, and bird dogs (aka “spinal balance”). In yoga, flowing from five-pointed star to goddess will assist with increased back stability.
The last (but super important) part of the core to enhance is to focus on the glutes. Low back pain is often caused by weak glute muscles that force us to recruit deep muscles, like psoas major, to assist with core stability. A tight psoas = an unhappy low back. Exercises that strengthen the glutes include squats, donkey kicks, curtseys, high knees, and step ups. Yoga poses to practice are chair, spinal balance, and goddess.
How many times a week should you be performing these exercises? Glad you asked! Two to three times a week is optimal for maximum results. One to two times a week will certainly help, although it may take longer to see results.
While strengthening the core will undoubtedly improve your success with balance poses, sometimes the biggest obstacle to overcome only exists in the mind. Case in point: one of my mates in yoga teacher training becomes angry and frustrated when she is unable to hold a balance pose. Sound familiar?
If so, it might help you to bear in mind that there are a lot of factors that play into how successful we are with our balance poses: the quality of our breath and our coordination of breath with movement, our level of focus (Are you focusing too intently or is your mind elsewhere?), how well we slept the night before, hormone fluctuations, sinus trouble, . . . the list goes on. And while we don’t want to make excuses for our practice, we don’t want to beat ourselves up either. Because the fact of the matter is, “nailing” a balance pose doesn’t make you a better person. But consistent (and, dare I say, even playful) practice that includes honest and compassionate self-awareness just might.
So I greatly encourage you, no matter what your practice looks like, that you do your best to see the beautiful truth of who you regardless of the poses chosen in your yoga class.
Of course, a strong physical core is great asset that can help us live longer and healthier lives, and balance poses can be fun when you’re not so busy being hard on yourself. So try some of the exercises listed above, and don’t forget to practice with an open and gracious mind while you’re working hard.
Namaste,
Alex