Asana Focus: Dancer's Pose

(not-ah-raj-AHS-anna)
Nata - dancer
Raja - king

While we can all admit Dancer's Pose is one of the prettiest asanas out there, it's one of those poses that teachers always seem to pop at the end of a class when you're not feeling pretty at all - sweaty, short of breath and mildly concerned about standing on one leg. 

But we're here to give you a few tips on how to look graceful, even if you're not feeling it!

Not only is this pose super instagrammable, but Natarajasana stretches chest, abdomen, shoulders, thighs, hips, groin and ankles (probably quicker to mention what it doesn't stretch). Whilst standing on one leg obviously strengthens your balance, it also builds better posture, aids digestion and improves concentration. 

Moving In

Starting in tadasana, work on grounding down through all four corners of the feet and setting your gaze (your drishti) at a steady point in front of you. Start to shift your weight into your right foot until you can lift the left heel towards your buttocks. 

​Grab a hold of the inside of the left foot with the left hand, and extend your right hand up towards the sky. Keep reaching through the crown of the head as you hinge through the hips to kick the back foot into the left hand. Keep lifting the heart forwards and upwards as you start to arch through the spine, making sure to stay actively kicking the left foot into the left hand as you pull the left shoulder forwards.

Engage through the right quadriceps to stabilise the standing leg, and make sure to stay active in the core to protect the lower back. Once you're ready to come back to tadasana, lift the torso back to an upright position as you draw the left knee back besides the right. Slowly release the foot from the hand (try not to slingshot it!) and redistribute your weight evenly between your two feet.

Moving In

​The most common misalignments that pop up in this pose tend to be opening the lifted leg out to the side or letting the hip and shoulder follow the lifted leg behind you. Try to think square thoughts - traffic lights are all facing forwards, both shoulders and both hips evenly pointing to the front of the mat. If you find that your shoulder still wants to drag backwards, use a strap while you're working on your shoulder and chest flexibility. 

If you notice that your limbs are flailing to the side or you're nosediving down to the floor, there's no shame in using a wall or chair to keep your balance while you focus on your other key points of alignment!​​