Yoga encompasses various types of poses, including inverted, twisting and supine poses. Standing poses, which offer a number of health benefits, are the foundation of yoga. Popular postures such as Mountain pose, Warrior poses, Chair pose, Standing Forward Bend and Tree Pose are all standing poses. To learn the proper technique of each pose, consult a certified yoga instructor.
Strength
Many standing poses strengthen your legs, including your joints and your muscles, which will increase your balance as well. Mountain pose, Standing Forward Bend and Eagle pose are included in the poses that strengthen your legs. Each of the poses strengthens specific additional muscles as well. For instance, Mountain pose strengthens your abdominal muscles and buttocks. Instead of standing limp during a simple standing pose like Mountain pose, engage all your muscles to get the most out of the pose. Begin by using the wall or a secure piece of furniture for balance and gradually build your muscles until you can do the poses without the support.
Flexibility
In addition to strengthening your legs and other muscles, many standing poses add flexibility to those muscles. Tree pose stretches your groin, inner thigh, shoulders and chest. Eagle pose limbers your upper back and shoulders, thighs and hips. Standing Forward Bend loosens your hips, calves and hamstrings. Each standing poses stretches different areas of the body, increasing your overall flexibility.
Feet
It is very important to have strong feet as they are the base for your whole body. If your feet are weak, it can cause strain and injuries to the rest of your body and lead to poor posture. Standing poses in yoga significantly improve your feet, perhaps more than any other yoga poses. In modern American society, we tend to have weak, inflexible feet due to the shoes we wear and the lack of emphasis we put on taking care of our feet. Standing poses in yoga strengthen and stretch weakened areas of the feet to create a stronger body overall. Particularly useful poses are Tree pose and Chair pose, which both improve flat feet.
Posture
Standing poses are extremely beneficial for improving posture. A main way they accomplish this goal is by creating awareness. Through standing poses, you pay attention to the way you are standing, whether you are hunching forward and whether you are leaning. You learn to stand straight and tall and to balance weight equally. You focus on opening your chest and bringing your shoulders down. You work on hip alignment, especially during poses such as Warrior II. You learn to engage your whole body to improve your strength and posture. By creating an awareness during yoga class, you inevitably focus more on your posture when off the mat. Mountain pose and Palm Tree pose are helpful in creating awareness of your posture.
References
- Yoga Journal: Standing Poses
- "Yoga Anatomy"; Leslie Kaminoff; 2007
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