12 one-legged yoga poses you must do to improve balance and flexibility

You’ll be able to all the time do one-legged yoga poses to check your stability. Don’t do them only for enjoyable or to check your self. Standing on one leg to carry out yoga poses might help to attain stability and energy. Such asanas are significantly helpful for older adults as with age, folks are inclined to have stability points. Bettering stability is necessary as it may well decrease the danger of falls. In case you are a newbie, it’s possible you’ll discover such poses overly difficult. Nevertheless, with constant observe and endurance, you may be taught to grasp these poses. Keep in mind to start step by step and regulate the one-legged yoga poses to fit your health stage.

Yoga to enhance stability

As a teen, it’s possible you’ll not have stability points. A 2012 evaluation revealed in Present Gerontology And Geriatrics Analysis, confirmed that the flexibility to stability declines with age. It is best to work on it as it might be linked to your life span. In a examine, revealed within the British Journal Of Sports activities Drugs in 2022, a hyperlink was discovered between the flexibility to stability and an extended life. Researchers discovered an 84 % greater danger of dying from any trigger for individuals who weren’t capable of stand on one leg for 10 seconds.

Usually doing yoga might assist to cope with stability points. It could assist to cut back worry of falling and enhance stability in aged folks, as per analysis revealed in PM&R in 2016. One other examine, revealed in Plos One in 2023, confirmed that following a 16-week yoga intervention, the flexibility of people that carried out yoga have been capable of stability their physique higher.

12 one-legged yoga poses it is best to do

“Strive these one-legged yoga poses to boost stability and strengthen your physique,” says yoga skilled Fenil Purohit.

1. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

• Tree Pose is without doubt one of the greatest one-legged yoga poses, so stand straight, switch your weight to your left foot and bend your proper knee.
• Preserve your proper foot towards your inside left thigh or calf, avoiding your knee.
• Carry your arms collectively at your coronary heart middle or elevate them overhead.
• Preserve this pose for five to 10 breaths, then swap to the opposite facet.

2. Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)

• To do one of many Warrior poses, stand together with your proper foot positioned ahead.
• As you set extra weight onto your proper foot, lengthen your left leg straight again.
• Lean your torso ahead till it’s parallel to the bottom.
• Stretch your arms ahead or maintain them relaxed at your sides.
• Maintain it for 5-10 breaths, then change sides.

3. Dancer’s Pose (Natarajasana)

• To do one of many fashionable one-legged yoga poses, stand straight, switch your weight to your left foot and bend your proper knee.
• Grasp your proper ankle together with your proper hand.
• Lengthen your left arm ahead whereas lifting your proper leg upward.
• After holding this pose for five to 10 breaths, swap sides.

4. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

• Stand upright and barely bend each your knees.
• Cross your proper thigh over your left thigh.
• Optionally, wrap your proper foot round your left calf.
• Cross your proper arm beneath your left arm, bringing your palms collectively.
• Maintain this pose for 10 breaths, then change sides.

5. Standing Large Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

• Stand tall and carry your proper leg, bending your knee.
• Grasp your large toe together with your proper hand.
• Straighten your proper leg ahead (or maintain it bent).
• Lengthen your left arm out to assist in stability then swap sides after 10 seconds.

6. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

• Stand straight, stretch your proper leg and transfer your weight onto your proper foot.
• Place your proper hand on the ground or a yoga block.
• Increase your again leg (left) in order that it’s parallel to the bottom.
• Open your chest and stretch your left arm upwards.
• Preserve the pose for 10 breaths then swap to the alternative facet.

7. Chair Pose with One Leg (Eka Pada Utkatasana)

• Stand then decrease your physique like sitting in an invisible chair.
• Switch your weight to your left foot and elevate your proper knee.
• Discover your stability together with your arms both prolonged ahead or raised overhead.
• Maintain the place for a minimum of 5 breaths then swap to the opposite facet.

8. Warrior I with One Leg Lifted

• Stand straight, stretch your proper leg and shift your weight onto it.
• Barely carry your again leg (left one) off the bottom.
• Steadiness together with your arms in a prayer place or prolonged overhead then swap facet after 10 breaths.

9. Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana) on One Leg

• Stand then decrease your physique in a sitting place.
• Barely carry your proper leg off the bottom.
• Twist your torso and convey your left elbow to your proper thigh.
• Change facet after holding this pose for about 5 seconds.

10. Revolved Half Moon Pose (Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana)

• Begin in Warrior III.
• Place your proper hand on the ground or a yoga block.
• Twist your torso to the suitable whereas extending your left arm upward.
• Swap facet after 10 breaths.

11. One-Legged Mountain Pose (Eka Pada Tadasana)

• Stand tall.
• Carry your proper knee to hip top, guaranteeing your arms stay in your hips.
• Concentrate on sustaining your stability whereas partaking your core.
• Maintain this place for about 5 breaths then transition to the alternative facet.

12. Standing Break up (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)

• To do top-of-the-line one-legged yoga poses, deliver the entrance of your higher physique in the direction of your decrease physique like folding your physique.
• Shift your weight onto your left foot and lift your proper leg upward.
• Preserve your arms on the bottom or maintain onto your standing ankle for stability.
• Maintain this pose for five to 10 breaths, then swap sides to proceed doing top-of-the-line one-legged yoga poses.

Advantages of one-legged yoga poses

Doing one-legged yoga poses is nice on your physique:

1. Tree Pose (Vrikshasana)

• It stabilises muscle tissues within the ankles and knees, selling joint well being.
• “It additionally stimulates the pelvic flooring and decrease belly muscle tissues, aiding in spinal alignment,” Says the skilled.

2. Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)

• This is without doubt one of the greatest one-legged yoga poses because it fortifies the hamstrings, glutes, and decrease again muscle tissues which can be important for motion and spinal assist.
• Enhances core stability by partaking the transversus abdominis and erector spinae.
• Improves stability by creating proprioceptive suggestions from the ft and legs.

3. Dancer’s Pose (Natarajasana)

• Good for the quadriceps and hip flexors that may assist in contributing to improved stability.
• Stretches the psoas and iliacus muscle tissues, assuaging stress within the hip area.
• Enhances chest enlargement, which boosts lung capability and oxygen consumption.

4. Eagle Pose (Garudasana)

• The Eagle Pose improves joint mobility within the shoulders, hips, and knees.
• “It stabilises muscle tissues within the ankles and ft, decreasing the danger of accidents,” says the skilled.

5. Standing Large Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)

• Good for the muscle tissues within the ankles, ft, and core.
• Enhances flexibility within the hamstrings and hips by lengthening the posterior chain.
• Promotes hip joint mobility, decreasing stiffness and enhancing vary of movement, making it top-of-the-line one-legged yoga poses.

6. Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)

• Strengthens the gluteus medius, bettering hip stability and decreasing decrease again pressure.
• Enhances spinal alignment and rotation via lateral engagement of the physique.

7. Chair Pose with One Leg (Eka Pada Utkatasana)

• Strengthens the quadriceps and calves, enhancing joint stability.
• “It engages the core, bettering spinal alignment and firming belly muscle tissues,” says Purohit.
• Enhances useful stability by stimulating sensory suggestions from the foot.

8. Warrior I with One Leg Elevated

• Strengthens hip flexors and extensors important for sustaining stability and posture.
• Prompts decrease again muscle tissues and glutes to boost pelvic stability.

9. Revolved Chair Pose (Parivrtta Utkatasana) on One Leg

• Strengthens the indirect and multifidus muscle tissues, enhancing spinal rotation and stability.
• Stimulates digestive organs via belly compression and therapeutic massage.
• “It enhances endurance within the quadriceps and adaptability within the decrease again,” says the skilled.

10. Revolved Half Moon Pose (Parivrtta Ardha Chandrasana)

• Strengthens core muscle tissues for higher spinal rotation and stability.
• Improves flexibility within the hips and hamstrings by stretching the posterior chain.
• “It prompts the thoracic backbone, selling improved rotational mobility,” says Purohit.

11. One-Legged Mountain Pose (Eka Pada Tadasana)

• This model of Mountain Pose strengthens foot muscle tissues, enhancing arch stability and stability.
• Prompts deep core muscle tissues, together with the psoas and rectus abdominis.
• Improves postural alignment by selling an upright spinal place.

12. Standing Splits (Urdhva Prasarita Eka Padasana)

• Stretches hamstrings, calves, and gluteal muscle tissues, assuaging stiffness.
• Strengthens the standing leg and core, fostering muscular endurance.
• Enhances hip flexibility and aids in decompressing the decrease again.

Who ought to keep away from one-legged yoga poses?

• Individuals with knee accidents shouldn’t observe one-legged yoga poses.
• Individuals who underwent surgical procedure, particularly associated to hips and knees ought to keep away from them.
• One-legged yoga poses want bodily energy. Individuals with weak knees and ankles ought to skip these asanas.
• Pregnant girls might fall down whereas doing these asanas and damage themselves, so keep away from them.

One-legged yoga poses might appear to be difficult at first. Be calm and focus on a hard and fast level to keep up stability whereas doing these asanas. In case you are not assured, you may observe near a wall or incorporate blocks for added assist.

You may additionally like