Yoga Basics - Standing Balance Poses for Beginners!
Welcome to Standing Balance Poses for Beginners!
If you are new to yoga or just want to work on your balance... practice these yoga poses! Incorporate these into your daily morning or evening routine. Attempt to hold them for 15-30 seconds each side. Play with what poses are most challenging for you, and remember you can always use a chair, countertop or wall to assist you!
As always, be patient with yourself. Even the most advanced yogis have days (or weeks) when they’re wobbling and stumbling. And it’s ok! That’s why it’s call “a yoga practice.”Enjoy!
Jessica
Tree Pose
Sanskrit Name: Vrksasana
How to do it?
Foundation Tips: Ensure your standing foot is planted firmly into your mat. Push through all four corners of your planted foot. Allow a very slight bend in your standing knee. Keep your gaze on a non-moving spot in front of you.
Getting into the Shape: Begin standing on both feet, steady and tall. Bring your other foot to either your inner calf muscle or your inner thigh muscle (always avoid the your knee joint). Open your floating knee to the side. Arms can come to either prayer at the center of your chest, or for an added challenge, raise your arms to the sky like tree branches!
Finding Your Balance: Lengthen your spine from your tailbone through the crown of your head. Pull in your belly. Focus on a fixed point or object in front of you.
What does it do?
Holding Tree Pose encourages you to simultaneously press down to feel rooted as you reach the crown of your head to the sky to feel light and airy, elongating your spine. Just think, you're stretching from your roots to sky like a tree! If you've had a chaotic day come to this pose (with patience and humility) and try re-grounding yourself through your root (your foot). Tree Pose is also a strong posture that can help build confidence. This pose can improve your posture and counteract the effects of prolonged sitting. On your standing leg, this pose strengthens your thighs, glutes, and ankle. On your floating leg you're strengthening your hip flexors and opening your hip joint. And all of this is held together by a strong core. 
One Legged Mountain Pose
Sanskrit Name: 1-Legged Tadasana
How to do it?
Foundation Tips: Ensure your standing foot is firmly planted onto your mat. Push through all four corners of your planted foot. Allow a very slight bend in your standing knee. Keep your gaze on a non-moving spot in front of you.
Getting into the Shape: Begin standing tall with both feet firmly planted into your mat. Shift your weight to one foot, and ground down, solid with the Earth. Bring the opposite knee up in front of you. Keep your front, floating knee bent in a 90 degree angle - your thigh should be parallel to the floor. Keep the hips squared to the floor. Chin parallel to your mat.
Finding Your Balance: Lengthen your spine from your tailbone through the crown of your head (remember to keep your hip bones level to your mat). Pull in your belly. Focus on a fixed point or object in front of you. Place one or both hands at your knee for extra support.
What does it do?
Holding a One Legged Mountain Pose not only encourages core strength, balance and good posture, it also increases flexibility in your hip joints, and strengthens in your knees, ankles and legs. And to top it all off you will need to utilize your good focus to maintain balance, which can help clear your mind. There's no room for anything else! Royal Dancer
Sanskrit Name: Natarajasana
How to do it?
Foundation Tips: Ensure your standing foot is firmly planted onto your mat. Push through all four corners of your planted foot. Allow a very slight bend in your standing knee. Keep your gaze on a non-moving spot in front of you.
Getting into the Shape: Begin standing tall with both feet firmly planted into your mat. Shift your weight to one foot and rest your toes of the other foot lightly on your mat. Find your balance here first. Keep a slight bend in your standing leg ALWAYS. Then, with your floating leg, bend your knee bringing the back of your heel to your glutes. Reach your same-side arm back to grab the INSIDE of your foot or ankle. In opposition raise your other arm to the sky. You’re your dancing with royalty! As you get more advanced in this pose you can start to lower your chest to the ground, simultaneously lifting your back leg to the sky. But that's advanced! Just focus on this for now - you are still receiving all the same benefits!
Finding Your Balance: Lengthen your spine from your tailbone through the crown of your head. Pull in your belly. Focus on a fixed point or object in front of you. Remember to keep actively pressing all four corners of your sanding food firmly onto the ground.
Tip: This can be an intense pose for some, so grab a chair or a wall to help start your balance if needed!
What does it do?
Holding a Royal Dancer pose has many benefits. Your back leg encourages a stretch in our chest, shoulders, hamstrings, quads, hip flexors, abs and spine. At the same time, your standing leg encourages strength in your ankles, shoulders, core, and larger leg muscles. Royal Dancer also improves concentration...Dancing Shiva Pose
Sanskrit Name: Parivrtta Hasta Padangusthasana
How to do it?
Foundation Tips: Ensure your standing foot is firmly planted onto your mat. Push through all four corners of your foot. Allow a very slight bend in your standing knee. Keep your gaze on a non-moving spot in front of you TO START. Then you will slowly shift your gaze to a non-moving spot behind you!
Getting into the Shape: Begin as you would getting into a One Legged Mountain Pose. Stand tall with both feet firmly planted into your mat. Shift your weight to one foot, and ground down firmly. Bring the opposite knee up in front of you. Keep your front, floating knee bent in a 90 degree angle. Your thigh should be parallel to the floor. Keep the hips squared to the floor. Flex your raised foot. Lastly, grab your floating knee with your opposite hand and then gently reach towards the back wall with your other hand. Your gaze should eventually meet the back wall.
Finding Your Balance: Lengthen your spine from your tailbone through the crown of your head. Pull in your belly. Focus on a fixed point or object in front of you, and then BEHIND YOU. Remember to keep actively pressing all four corner of your standing foot firmly onto the ground.
What does it do?
Holding a Dancing Shiva Pose has many benefits. My favorite is detoxification. As you're twisting your spine you are compressing, and therefore rinsing, internal organs such as your kidneys and liver. Other great benefits include strengthening of your legs, abs and back muscles. Stretches and improves spinal flexibility. Opens your hips. Energizes your body and mind. And of course... improves balance and coordination!One Legged Chair Pose
Sanskrit Name: Eka Pada Utkatasana
Note: This is also sometimes referred to as a “Figure Four Chair Pose.”
How to do it?
Foundation Tips: Ensure your standing foot is firmly planted onto your mat. Push through all four corners of your foot. Allow a slight bend in your standing knee to begin. Keep your gaze on a non-moving spot in 4 feet in front of you.
Getting into the Shape: Begin by standing tall and confident. Plant both feet firmly onto your mat. Sit your hips back as if you’re sitting in a chair or bar stool. Then shift your weight to one foot. Keep your standing leg bent as you cross your other ankle over to rest on your left thigh. Flex your right foot. If you look down, you should see a triangle shape formed by crossed leg. Bring your hands to heart center in prayer. Allow a slight hinge at your hips, however continuously draw in your belly towards your spine.
Tip: If you can’t get your ankle up to your thigh, try sitting lower. If that’s still not feeling right, then just hold your knee up like you would in a One Legged Mountain Pose, but of course remain seated in Chair Pose.
Finding Your Balance: Relax your tailbone to your mat. Lengthen your spine from your tailbone through the crown of your head. Keep your belly pulled in. Remember to keep actively pressing all four corner of your sanding food firmly onto your mat, and to flex your crossed foot. This time, it may be best to focus on an un-moving spot just 4 feet in front of you.
What does it do?
Holding a One Legged Chair Pose (or a Figure Four Chair Pose) you are stretching your outer hips and gluteal muscles while strengthening the hamstrings, quadriceps, and glutes. You are learning to hold your core with strength and poise, while maintaining a strong, straight spine.Warrior III
Sanskrit Name: Virabhadrasana III
Note: This is also sometimes referred to as “Airplane Pose.”
How to do it?
Foundation Tips: Ensure your standing foot is firmly planted onto your mat. Push through all four corners of your foot. Allow a very slight bend in your standing knee to begin. Keep your gaze on a non-moving spot in 4 feet in front of you.
Getting into the Shape: Begin by standing tall and motivated. Reach your hands towards the sky, palms facing each other. Shift your weight to your standing leg. While keeping your core tight, begin to hinge forward from your hips, simultaneously lifting your back leg behind you. Arms can remain above your head for a more intense sensation or you can bring them to your side (as shown above). Try to keep a straight line from the crown of your head through your spine all the way to the back of your heel. Keep a slight bend in your standing leg AT ALL TIMES!
Finding Your Balance: Ground all four corners of your standing foot into your mat. Pull in your belly. Keep your hips square to the front wall and level to your mat. Flex or point your floating foot (whatever feels natural). This time, it may be best to focus on an unmoving spot just 4 feet in front of you. Try to keep a straight line from the crown of your head through your spine all the way to the back of your heel.
What does it do?
Holding a Warrior III Pose (or Airplane Pose) stretches your hips, groins and shoulders. Strengthens your feet, legs and back. It also encourages an opening of your chest and lungs while engaging your upper back muscles improve your posture. Improves your circulation and respiration. Also you may experience that holding this pose, energizes you.
Once you’re feeling good about all of the above… then try THIS!
Half Moon Pose
Sanskrit Name: Ardha Chandrasana
How to do it?
Foundation Tips: Ensure your standing foot is firmly planted onto your mat. Push through all four corners of your foot. Allow a very slight bend in your standing knee to begin. Keep your gaze on a non-moving spot in 2-4 feet in front of you.
Getting into the Shape: Begin by standing tall, calm, yet excited. Then proceed as you would coming into a Warrior III Pose. Once parallel with your mat then reach one arm towards your mat directly below your face, and in opposition, reach your other arm towards the sky. This will naturally open your chest to the side of your space. Keep a slight bend in your knee AT ALL TIMES. You can either point or flex your back foot.
Finding Your Balance: Ground all four corners of your standing foot into your mat. Pull in your belly. This time, it may be best to focus on an un-moving spot just 2-4 feet in front of you.
Beginner Tip: For added stability and support, bring the ground closer to your reaching hand by adding a yoga block, water bottle, foot stool or chair to land on.
What does it do?
First and foremost, it shoots confidence through your entire body. This pose also, strengthens your ankles, thighs, glutes, abs and back muscles. Improves digestion. Helps alleviate back pain. Opens your chest and shoulders. Reduces anxiety and stressThis pose also makes for a cool yoga photo! Don't forget to tag @hammerandflowyoga on Instagram so I can see!