photo from flickr: Andrew Meyers Photography
Benefits:
Practice the Dance
1) Dancer’s Pose is a tonic for the shoulders, chest, abdomen, spine, hips, thighs, knees and calf muscles. Practicing a warm-up series such as Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) before this pose will assist in a deeper exploration of the asana and prevent any unwanted injuries.
2) Begin in Tadasana, rooting your feet into the earth. Connect with the divine energy that rises from the ground through your feet, climbs the spine and reaches for the heavens from your crown. Feel your entire body engage with the subtle strength of your creative source that surges through the core of your being. Focus on the breath. Breathe in this life force, and breathe out the dissolution of negativity and other obstacles in your awareness that no longer serve your path or purpose. Open your heart as you inhale, reaching courageously to the heavens. When you arrive on an exhale at a still and focused mind, settle your dristi (gaze) on an unmoving object. A flower, tree branch, house plant or candle flame works well for this, or anything else you find that embodies the cosmic stillness residing within motion.
2) When your awareness is present, inhale your right arm to the sky and your left hand to the inside of your left ankle (with your inner arm facing outward). This marks the universal cycle of life and death as you connect the circle at hand and foot, and makes the cosmic connection when you reach for the heavens. Exhale into your center of stillness again, keeping your hips and shoulders evenly parallel to each other and your tailbone anchored into the earth.
3) On an inhale, open your heart to the heavens once more, allowing it to guide you through a forward and uplifting motion. At the same time, begin moving your left knee behind you, being mindful of the hips as they work together to stay centered while in motion.
4) As you exhale, radiate your divine creative and destructive forces out of your heart, your solar plexus, your sacrum, your left knee and foot, and extend your right arm forward from your heart-center. Focus your dristi on the stillness of being, on your anchor to earth in your standing foot, and your divine reach toward your higher self from the heart and the crown. Allow any mental obstacles that arise to fall to the wayside as you remain poised in your divine center. A mudra of index finger and thumb together in your right hand may help with this. Notice the introspection and stillness of the mind necessary for this pose to deepen. When we move gracefully from the center, we find stillness amidst the movement. Here is where we can also find playfulness naturally arising in an open heart.
5) When you deepen your pose, be mindful of the hips and shoulders. Keeping them facing forward (rather than opening out to the side) will assist in centering your balance. Place your right hand onto a wall if you find yourself teetering. Use the buttock (gluteus) muscle of the left leg to lift the knee and thigh parallel to the ground, and the front of the left thigh (quadricep) to draw your heart open at the foot. Resist the temptation to pull back the left shoulder; keep your shoulders and heart centered to guide you through the challenge. Lengthening your lower back into the tailbone and engaging your inner thighs (adductors) and lower abdominal muscles will also prevent any impingement of the lumbar spine.
6) Repeat 2-5 on the other side.
- Teaches balance
- Strengthens legs
- Builds stamina
- Opens chest/heart and shoulders
- Strengthens and promotes the health of the spine
Practice the Dance
1) Dancer’s Pose is a tonic for the shoulders, chest, abdomen, spine, hips, thighs, knees and calf muscles. Practicing a warm-up series such as Surya Namaskar (sun salutation) before this pose will assist in a deeper exploration of the asana and prevent any unwanted injuries.
2) Begin in Tadasana, rooting your feet into the earth. Connect with the divine energy that rises from the ground through your feet, climbs the spine and reaches for the heavens from your crown. Feel your entire body engage with the subtle strength of your creative source that surges through the core of your being. Focus on the breath. Breathe in this life force, and breathe out the dissolution of negativity and other obstacles in your awareness that no longer serve your path or purpose. Open your heart as you inhale, reaching courageously to the heavens. When you arrive on an exhale at a still and focused mind, settle your dristi (gaze) on an unmoving object. A flower, tree branch, house plant or candle flame works well for this, or anything else you find that embodies the cosmic stillness residing within motion.
2) When your awareness is present, inhale your right arm to the sky and your left hand to the inside of your left ankle (with your inner arm facing outward). This marks the universal cycle of life and death as you connect the circle at hand and foot, and makes the cosmic connection when you reach for the heavens. Exhale into your center of stillness again, keeping your hips and shoulders evenly parallel to each other and your tailbone anchored into the earth.
3) On an inhale, open your heart to the heavens once more, allowing it to guide you through a forward and uplifting motion. At the same time, begin moving your left knee behind you, being mindful of the hips as they work together to stay centered while in motion.
4) As you exhale, radiate your divine creative and destructive forces out of your heart, your solar plexus, your sacrum, your left knee and foot, and extend your right arm forward from your heart-center. Focus your dristi on the stillness of being, on your anchor to earth in your standing foot, and your divine reach toward your higher self from the heart and the crown. Allow any mental obstacles that arise to fall to the wayside as you remain poised in your divine center. A mudra of index finger and thumb together in your right hand may help with this. Notice the introspection and stillness of the mind necessary for this pose to deepen. When we move gracefully from the center, we find stillness amidst the movement. Here is where we can also find playfulness naturally arising in an open heart.
5) When you deepen your pose, be mindful of the hips and shoulders. Keeping them facing forward (rather than opening out to the side) will assist in centering your balance. Place your right hand onto a wall if you find yourself teetering. Use the buttock (gluteus) muscle of the left leg to lift the knee and thigh parallel to the ground, and the front of the left thigh (quadricep) to draw your heart open at the foot. Resist the temptation to pull back the left shoulder; keep your shoulders and heart centered to guide you through the challenge. Lengthening your lower back into the tailbone and engaging your inner thighs (adductors) and lower abdominal muscles will also prevent any impingement of the lumbar spine.
6) Repeat 2-5 on the other side.
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