admin Cheerleaders are some of the most flexible, courageous athletes out there. But with so many yoga poses to choose from, it’s not always easy to know where to start.
Here are seven yoga poses that will help you build agility, flexibility, and strength in your arms and legs.
Chaturanga
Most people know Chaturanga is one of the positions of the Sun Salutations. This pose can be done for up to 30 seconds.
Exhale and push back into Downward Dog.
Chaturanga may be a pose that you love or hate, but it serves its purpose of toning your abdomen and strengthening your arms and shoulders.
Downward Facing dog
A downward-facing dog is an excellent pose to strengthen the spine and build strength in your arms, shoulders, and back. This pose will help stretch out your hamstrings and calves as well as the arches in your feet, hands, wrists, and fingers.
Downward Dog also helps to improve digestion, relieve headaches, fatigue, and stress, and calm the nervous system. This is a great yoga pose for before and after exercise.
Chair Pose
This position will stretch your chest muscles and work your shoulder muscles. This pose is great for strengthening the hip flexors and calves as well as your back. The Chair Pose helps to reduce flat feet and stimulates your abdominals, heart, and diaphragm.
This is similar to a squat but more difficult because you hold the pose for several breaths before releasing. You’ll also work out your gluteus maximus!
Warrior III
Warrior III will help you reach your highest performance.
This pose affects not only your hamstrings, outer thighs, and back muscles but also your chest and lungs. This pose improves concentration, balance, memory, and body awareness.
Warrior III is also a great way to reduce anxiety and calm the mind.
Camel
This is a chest opening and heart opening position that feels like an entire frontal stretch with a slight spine backbend. Camel Pose stretches your neck, throat, and thighs. It also stretches out your hip flexors. This pose also helps to build strength in your triceps and glutes, as well as back muscles and thighs. Even your posture will improve!
Try a Seated Forward Fold or descend into a Child’s Pose.
Tree Pose
Whoever thought that standing still could be challenging? You don’t have to worry about falling out, as the benefits are worth it. They include improved balance, focus, and concentration, reduced flat feet, and stretching of the groins, inner thighs, chest, and shoulders.
The Tree Pose will also help to strengthen your ankles, calves, and thighs. It can also be used to create a stable base. Try Half Lotus Tree Pose for a hip-opening variation.
The Upward Plank Pose
Upward Plank, also known as Reverse Plank pose, will stretch your entire frontal area.
This pose is excellent for strengthening and warming up the glutes and thighs, as well as the wrists and arms. This particular pose helps to stretch the shoulders, chest, and biceps, as well as the front of the ankles. This is a great yoga pose to help with fatigue and depression.
Know your limits and stay within them. Sun Salutations can be a great way to warm up before you dive into more specific poses.
