Water yoga can be as vigorous or as relaxing as you want when you’re on dry land, but water yoga, also known as water yoga or pool woga, can be an exciting way to shake things up with a little practice. If you have access to a pool or natural body of water that’s safe for swimming, try this form of yoga.
Water yoga or woga is ideal for all body types and abilities, students who may benefit from this practice are stroke and cancer survivors, pregnant women, people with arthritis, muscle or joint limitations or wheelchair users, overweight people and obviously older adults as well.
The instructor can begin by leading you through breathing exercises and a variation of the Sun Salutation in the shallow end, from there you can move into basic postures such as Cat, Cow and Warrior.
You may be surprised by what you can learn and discover when you apply your practice to the pool or beach, these are some of the main benefits to expect just by experimenting with the different sensations of body weight and movement underwater.
Practice your balance with Water Yoga
It can be frustrating at first and even downright frightening to try to master certain balancing poses such as garudasana or eagle or chandrasana pose, when you are constantly feeling that you could fall at any moment.
Performing poses like these in the water is much easier and can help you build your confidence next time you try it on dry land. It is also a great way to practice inversions like samsasana salami, as long as you don’t mind holding your breath for a while.
The nurturing environment of water provides little or no impact on the joints, especially the knees, hips and ankles, improving balance problems, improving confidence and awareness
The lack of weight in the water allows for full movement, muscle lengthening and muscle tone.
It strengthens the pelvic area and the muscles of the abdomen.
Recovery and pain relief
Like most forms of water exercise, water yoga is very low impact and gentle on the body, making it a great alternative to other types of exercise that put more stress on muscles and joints.
You don’t even have to maintain your body weight when performing certain poses, which can be a great relief for those who may be recovering from joint pain or injury.
Focus on body alignment
One of the best things about a water yoga practice is that it takes all the effort of having to hold your body weight as you would on land.
It’s also that you can place your awareness on maintaining proper form and alignment, for example, you may be completely preoccupied with standing upright and extending your leg out in a virabhadrasana, but in the water you float and will be able to focus on other components of the posture, such as aligning your hip and maintaining your center of mass or your body with your arms outstretched behind or in front of you.
Discovering new challenges
While water yoga or Woga makes it much easier to preform certain attitudes, it can present new challenges for others.
When it comes to poses such as vasisthasana or called side plank, parsvottonasana also called pyramid, or trikoasana or triangle, gravity is typically our friend.
Even in shallow water, however, it is normal to experience problems staying in poses like these, you may feel the need to use your hands to touch the water a little and engage your body much more than usual to hold the poses.
Finding peace underwater
Going underwater is a great way to bring stillness to your mind and even meditate for a few moments until you need to get or get back into the atmosphere.
Take a big breath and allow yourself to sink deep into a cross-legged position or half-lotus pose.
Embrace the tranquility of being completely submerged while slowly exhaling the air you are holding, just remember not to force yourself to stay underwater any longer if you feel uncomfortable.
Practice can be enhanced with pool accessories such as floats and water bells, the wall can provide assistance and resistance, the use of a walker is recommended for some students
Supports inclusion, as a variety of body types and physical abilities can safely practice alongside each other
Water yoga is a great medium for a restorative or meditation practice, over time, students can see an improvement in the stability of their shoulder, knee and hip joints, as well as minor joints.
Increased range of motion, greater awareness of how to improve breathing and correct erroneous breathing patterns, improve balance and basic awareness, quiet the mind and calm the nervous system, release tension and stress and improve sleep.
Since taking your first water yoga class, you will consider becoming a Woga fan, as it is easier on your body due to the buoyancy effect, but more difficult when it comes to balance, due to the movement of the water.
Apart from the fact that the water temperature will be pleasant, taking a warm bath will instantly make you feel more at ease.
If you look around or do some research in your local area, you may be able to find water yoga classes that actually show you how to enjoy some of these benefits.
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I hope you liked the publication of this article emphasizing «Knowing the Amazing Benefits of Water Yoga or Woga». You can share your opinions and experiences with me in the comments section.