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A Sequence to Help You Dance Away Your Stress

April 11, 2020
These poses will help you prep for your next Zoom dance party (who doesn't need a good energetic release right now?)

Dancing is a great way to lighten things up and maintain mobility, especially after sitting at a desk all day. Here, enjoy two sequences: one for loosening up your body so you can comfortably flow with the music when you do take a dance break, and another sequence that can help you ground yourself after your funky dance sesh. COVID-19 has us all cooped up and on edge, so take this moment to have fun and let your body radiate joy.

Use this sequence below to warm up before dancing:

Square Breathing will help develop your lung capacity to cope with fast-paced movement. 

See also Yoga For Weak Knees

" data-full-src="https://www.yogajournal.com/.image/ar_3:2%2Cc_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTcxNzEyOTQ2MDM5MTcwOTky/knee-to-chest---diana1.jpg" data-image-id="ci02620c03d000244f" data-image-slug="Knee-to-Chest---Diana1" data-public-id="MTcxNzEyOTQ2MDM5MTcwOTky" data-srcset="https://www.yogajournal.com/.image/ar_3:2%2Cc_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_320/MTcxNzEyOTQ2MDM5MTcwOTky/knee-to-chest---diana1.jpg 320w, https://www.yogajournal.com/.image/ar_3:2%2Cc_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_700/MTcxNzEyOTQ2MDM5MTcwOTky/knee-to-chest---diana1.jpg 700w, https://www.yogajournal.com/.image/ar_3:2%2Cc_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_960/MTcxNzEyOTQ2MDM5MTcwOTky/knee-to-chest---diana1.jpg 960w, https://www.yogajournal.com/.image/ar_3:2%2Cc_limit%2Ccs_srgb%2Cfl_progressive%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_1400/MTcxNzEyOTQ2MDM5MTcwOTky/knee-to-chest---diana1.jpg 1400w" data-sizes="(min-width: 675px) 700px, 100vw" data-thumbnail="https://www.yogajournal.com/.image/c_fill%2Ccs_srgb%2Cg_face%2Ch_80%2Cq_auto:good%2Cw_80/MTcxNzEyOTQ2MDM5MTcwOTky/knee-to-chest---diana1.jpg" data-title="Tadasana Pavanmuktasana (Standing Knee-to-Chest Pose)">
1. Begin on your hands and knees with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and your hips stacked over your knees. 2. Inhale. Lift your tailbone to arch your back, letting your stomach hang towards the floor, drawing your shoulders away from your ears and lifting your head. This is Cow. 3. Exhale. Tuck in your tailbone to round your spine, pushing your mid-back to the sky, broadening your shoulder blades and tucking in your chin. This is Cat. 4. Repeat this flow 5–10 times, deepening each inhalation and lengthening each exhalation, and matching your movement with your breath.See also Yoga Sequence for Scoliosis

Marjaryasana-Bitilasana (Cat-Cow Pose)

1. Begin on your hands and knees with your shoulders stacked over your wrists and your hips stacked over your knees. 2. Inhale. Lift your tailbone to arch your back, letting your stomach hang towards the floor, drawing your shoulders away from your ears and lifting your head. This is Cow. 3. Exhale. Tuck in your tailbone to round your spine, pushing your mid-back to the sky, broadening your shoulder blades and tucking in your chin. This is Cat. 4. Repeat this flow 5–10 times, deepening each inhalation and lengthening each exhalation, and matching your movement with your breath.

See also Yoga Sequence for Scoliosis

Great job on letting your body flow! We can all use a reminder to find happiness when everything else feels stressful and overwhelming. Try this next sequence to balance and find your center after that rapturous moment.

See also YJ Tried It: Ecstatic Dance

1. Stand with your feet hip distance apart so the outside edges of your feet are parallel. 2. Bring your hands to your hips, inhale deeply and lengthen your spine. 3. As you exhale, hinge from your hips to fold forwards. 4 Once you start feeling a stretch, release your hands down to the floor, or take hold of your shins, ankles or big toes. On each inhale, lengthen your spine, and as you exhale, fold deeper into the pose to intensify the stretch. 5. Hold 10 breaths.See also More Forward Bend Poses

Ardha Uttanasana (Standing Forward Bend)

1. Stand with your feet hip distance apart so the outside edges of your feet are parallel. 2. Bring your hands to your hips, inhale deeply and lengthen your spine. 3. As you exhale, hinge from your hips to fold forwards. 4 Once you start feeling a stretch, release your hands down to the floor, or take hold of your shins, ankles or big toes. On each inhale, lengthen your spine, and as you exhale, fold deeper into the pose to intensify the stretch. 5. Hold 10 breaths.

See also More Forward Bend Poses

See also Find Your Inner Cosmic Dancer

This excerpt is reprinted with permission by: Green Tree; Bloomsbury Publishing Plc; Bedford Square, London, UK; First published in Great Britain 2020; Text copyright © Nicola Jane Hobbs 2020; Original photography © Glen Burrows, 2020; Illustrations by Matt Windsor

Stay Young With Yoga

This excerpt of Stay Young With Yoga is reprinted with permission by: Green Tree; Bloomsbury Publishing Plc; Bedford Square, London, UK; First published in Great Britain 2020; Text copyright © Nicola Jane Hobbs 2020; Original photography © Glen Burrows, 2020; Illustrations by Matt Windsor

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