We’re sure you’re wondering how yoga is beneficial to dancers. After all, dancers leap and turn and let’s not get started on the footwork, while yoga is all about relaxation and poses and physical and mental well being. Well, we’ve composed a list of reasons why you should consider doing yoga if you love dancing.
It Improves Flexibility and Strength
Yoga and dance, especially ballet, have more similarities than you realize. Both are about elongating and aligning the body and emphasize the importance of symmetry, balance, and strength. Some of yoga’s traditional standing poses like Standing Bow/Standing Dancer or Standing Head to Knee target muscles used for dancing. Other yoga poses like Downward Dog and Plank are beneficial for dancers when partnering because it requires upper arm strength.
It Connects You With Your Body
Yoga helps dancers listen to their bodies. When practicing yoga, dancers start to get more connected to their breathing, feelings, and sensations. The more a dancer is connected to their mind, body, and spirit, the more they respect their physical bodies. When a dancer connects how they feel with a movement rather than just catering to technique, it opens doors to their dance development.
It Helps You Love and Accept Your Body
Many people have a love-hate relationship with their bodies. Some dancers think if they don’t have a thin body, they’ll never be good enough. As a result, they sometimes ignore their natural body weight and resort to unhealthy habits. Yoga teaches practitioners that you don’t have to be a particular height, weight or shape because it’s designed for everyone. Through yoga, dancers learn to love and accept their bodies more every day.
Dance With Us
Although yoga is a great sport for dancers to take up, it might not be for you. Maybe you don’t consider yourself a dancer and just love to dance. If that’s the case, you might just want to jump right on the dancefloor and get your body moving. We offer many programs that can help you get straight to it! For more information about the programs we offer, click here.