Learn the best poses to help prepare you for your next bali yoga retreat. The 5 excellent asanas are a perfect way to expand yourself on your next yoga retreat in Bali.
2. There's something magical about the Indonesian island of Bali. The
perfect climate, incredible beaches and famously friendly locals all
help matters of course, but there's something more there.
Something deeper. Something that's long drawn yogis and yoginis
from all over the world to deepen their practice in this part of
paradise.
We've put together a quick rundown of five perfectly suited Yoga
Poses you should be sure to try out during your trip whether you're
relaxing on the beach or on the practice mats with your teachers.
Child's pose
Start off with an old familiar to slow your breathing, centre yourself
and open your body and mind to the lessons your practice is trying
to teach you today. Resting back on to your heels with your hands
by your hips, you'll feel the direct connection with the island
beneath you. A wonderful early pose to consider doing off the mat.
Seal pose
Resting on your knees, inhale and bring your interlaced hands up
and gently back over your head, opening up your entire body to the
warm Balinese sun as you stare calmly up at the blue with your
head relaxed. Exhale back down to connect with the ground and
then gently repeat.
3. Camel
A wonderful pose to naturally transition into from Seal for those
looking for a deeper stretch. This time the inner thighs and pelvice
floor are engaged as you gently glide up, back and over, dropping
your hands to your heels. Remember to be careful when coming
back up and support your lower back as you do so. A minute or two
back in our first position Child's Pose afterwards is a natural way to
recover and balance out your movement.
Pigeon Pose
As you soak in the tropical rays of Bali, you'll gradually feel yourself
starting to shake off the accumulated stresses and strains of your
daily grind as the island starts to work its magic on you. Now is a
great opportunity to get to work on those tight hips if you're used to
sitting all day. And Pigeon is the king of the hip-openers.
Bring the heel of one leg in towards your groin with the other leg
fully extended behind you and gently ease into the position. If
you're feeling comfortable here already, slowly lower the body
forwards and down for an even deeper stretch. Otherwise stay
where you are and breathe deeply. Then repeat on the other side.
This is one to take your time getting into. There's no bonus points
for pushing and those with knee or sacroiliac issues should proceed
very carefully here.
4. Bonus challenge: Firefly
It's not all lazy days on beaches and cocktails by night when you're
away. This is also a great chance to step outside your normal
comfort zone and experiment with something new.
You won't be effortlessly hopping into this advanced arm-balancer
straight out of the gate but it's one to add to the bucket list and
build up to with the aid of preparatory poses or variations. A good
teacher will be able to plan your approach here and maybe also help
you into a supported version of it to experience the basic form.
We hope you've enjoyed our list and feel free to connect with us at
www.blooming-lotus-yoga.com to let us know which poses you think
we should have included!
Until next time, namaste.