6 yoga poses for better balance and coordination

Coordination is essential when you want to stay healthy and do various activities. Here's how yoga can help you.

Improving your coordination is essential to be able to perform a number of daily activities, and yoga can help you become more flexible and well coordinated. This is because when you are performing certain yoga asanas, you are required to coordinate the way your body moves, focus on the way you breathe and keep your mind calm. Synchronisation is essential and this in turn improves one s neuro-muscular coordination. There are various asanas, pranayamas, bandhas and mudras that provide this inner discipline.

Among the asanas that help improve neuromuscular coordination are those that involve the extremities and are balancing postures. By practising talasana (the palm tree pose), for instance, one can overcome we overcome unsteadiness, inertia and such other impurities. However, to attain this stage of steadiness one has to be regular and consistent.

Here are asanas that can help:

Utkatasana or the chair pose:

• Stand erect with your feet 12 inches apart and your arms resting by your side
• Inhaling, raise your heels and simultaneous raise your arms parallel to the floor with your palms facing down
• Alternatively, you can hold on to a firm chair or window sill for support while you raise your heel off the floor
• Exhaling, lower your body to the squatting position, thighs touching your calves
• Slowly, inhale and come up to the starting position

Garudasana or the eagle pose:

• Standing twist one leg around the other so that the toe touches the back of erect lower leg, while exhaling
• Maintain balance while increasing pressure of ankle lock
• Repeat on the other side. Same arm as leg twists around other arm to join palms together
• Maintain pose. While inhaling, return to the starting position

Talasana or the palm tree pose:

• Stand erect with your feet apart and keep your back straight
• Look straight ahead and keep you gaze fixed at a point
• Inhaling raise your arms up and simultaneously raise your heels balancing the weight of your body on your toes
• Ensure that your raised arms touch your ears, palms facing upwards and your fingers pointing towards the ceiling
• Stretch your body completely in this position and stay for as long as you can

Sthitaprarthanasana or the standing prayer pose:

• Stand erect with your feet together, both toes and heels touching
• Join your hands together at chest level
• Draw your abdomen slightly inwards, keep your back straight, elbows and shoulders relaxed
• Close your eyes and observe your breath
• Maintain the pose for 3-5 minutes

Ekpadasana or the one leg pose:

• Stand on the floor keeping your back erect and look at a point at your eye level
• Slowly, shift your weight on your right leg
• Bend your left leg at the knee and place it on your right thigh
• Keep your arms stretched out at shoulder level to balance yourself
• Once you are stable, lift your hands up and join them in Namaste over your head
• Hold the pose for as long as you can
• Repeat the process for your left leg

Sarvangasana or the all member pose:

• Lie down with your back on the floor
• Gradually lift your legs straight up taking care to not bend your knees
• Lift your hips off the floor
• Now, slowly lift your lower back as well and support your body by forming a stand with your arms, resting your elbows on the ground
• Your entire body should now be supported on your shoulders
• Hold this pose for as long as your are comfortable
• Return to the starting position

Photo source: Getty images

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