This week’s pose of the week invites you to find your Warrior Strength as your practice balancing on one leg! Spread your wings and let’s fly!
Benefits:
Strengthens the ankles, legs, shoulders and muscles of the back. Improves balance, coordination and posture. Contributes to core strength and stability!
How to:
- Begin in standing with your feet about hip distance apart and your hands on your hips.
- Shift your weight into the balancing leg, pressing down through all 4 corners of the foot.
- Keep the balancing leg extended long with a microbend at the knee and engage the quad.
- Reach back through the floating leg heel and lift the leg as you hinge from the hips towards a T-shape position.
- If the hamstrings (back of balancing leg) feel tight, then keep the body closer to a 45 degree angle, rather than the T-shape.
- Align your hips side by side and engage the core by drawing the belly in.
- Imagine that your floating heel is pressing into a wall, while reaching out through the crown of your head.
- If you’re feeling stable, an option to extend the arms forward with the biceps beside the ears.
- Remember to breathe!
- If you are feeling wobbly at the ankle, root back down through all 4 corners of the feet.
- Remember it is just practice and just for fun, if you fall over, it’s all part of the play!
Modify it:
Practice in standing to balance on 1 leg to build stability in the ankles before hinging from the hips. To modify, try holding on to the back of a chair, or hold onto a wall or counter top! If possible, try holding onto a chair, while pressing the floated leg heel into a wall.