Yoga Is a Must For All Dancers

1. Yoga Is a Must For All Dancers If you are looking for ways to improve as a dancer, developing a regular yoga practice should be the top of your list. Out of the countless benefits, here is a list of the top five: 1. Injuries are less likely to happen. Dance is physically demanding in a way that many other physical pursuits are not. Dancers are required to move their bodies in ways that are counterintuitive and likely to put stress on joints and the spine. Any dancer will benefit from maintaining maximum flexibility and strength. 2. Become more intimately acquainted with your body. It's a dancer's job to know how to move gracefully. Agility, strength and speed are the name of the game. While you are building awareness of your body, with all of its strengths and weaknesses, you are simultaneously building the neural pathways to help you learn to control every nuance of movement. That is priceless. 3. You will learn to breathe properly. Yes, breathing is an involuntary function. Many of us don't think about it much since the body takes care of it. Learning to breath fully is an eye-opening experience. Breathing deeply brings more oxygen into the body, which means more power to your movements. 4. Learn to link breath and movement. Your breath can be a powerful tool, as previously discussed. You can use it to empower your dance by consciously inhaling

2. and exhaling when the choreography calls for it. A full inhale on a develop en point or an exhale as you curl the body in on itself add an extra bit of punch and power. 5. Peace of mind. Pass the peace, please. The life of a dancer is not only physically demanding, it also mentally demanding. It is not a job for the faint of heart. Competing for jobs and parts, or even competing against the dancer you were a year ago today is part of the picture. Every dancer needs to find tools to cope with that stress. If not, it's going to be a short career. Nadel Paris is an American citizen born and raised in France, a life coach, writer, actor and dancer. She draws on over her years of experience as a dancer, teacher and performer to create fiction and non-fiction for children. For more information and tips about dancing and singing, please visit her here: http://nadelparis.sitey.me