Can’t concentrate? Try these 10 poses.
Practice these yoga poses to improve your concentration.
These days it’s so easy to be distracted, whether it’s by your cell phone, TV, long to-do list or something else. There are so many outside distractions that affect our ability to concentrate on one sole task at a time or be fully present for one single moment. Fortunately, yoga can help us to bring our focus to the present moment and, in turn, improve our concentration. Balancing poses in particular are a great way to improve concentration, since they literally force us to focus on the present moment and the task at hand.
Try out the ten yoga poses below to see how your overall concentration improves.
Tree Pose (Vrksasana)
The quintessential yoga balance, and a posture in which you’re standing on one leg, Tree Pose really requires attention and concentration to stabilize.
Eagle Pose (Garudasana)
Another balance posture that requires you to stand on one leg, Eagle Pose twists and binds your entire body, forcing you to concentrate on the present moment.
Warrior III (Virabhadrasana III)
This flying warrior pose requires focus and concentration as you stabilize your body on one leg and draw your torso parallel to the floor. Just like your gaze, if your thoughts start to wander, you may lose your balance. Find a mental and visual drishti (a focus point to set your gaze/thoughts on).
Half Moon Pose (Ardha Chandrasana)
Another one-legged balance, Half Moon works the hips in the opposite direction of Warrior III, creating openness within the hip joint and concentration of the mind.
Dancer’s Pose (Natarajasana)
This balancing backbend takes a whole lot of focus and attention to detail to create openness and expansion while maintaining balance on one leg. Needless to say, concentration is essential to practice this pose.
Extended Hand-to-Big Toe Pose (Utthita Hasta Padangusthasana)
As if balancing on one leg isn’t hard enough, this posture kicks it up a notch requiring strength, flexibility, and a big dose of concentration.
Side Plank (Vasisthasana)
This balance pose has two points of contact with the floor (the feet and one hand), but that doesn’t make it any easier. Requiring lots of concentration to stabilize and align, this pose is a true test of awareness.
Crow Pose (Bakasana)
This challenging yet accessible arm balance requires attention to many details of alignment within the body, forcing concentration and complete presence within the moment.
Headstand (Salamba Sirsasana)
Turning upside down and balancing on your head is a true test of concentration and present moment awareness (the key to concentration!) since you need to steadily focus your attention fully on the task at hand.
Forearm Stand (Pincha Mayurasana)
Likely one of the most challenging of all balance postures, inverting and balancing solely on your forearms definitely requires intense concentration to be able to achieve.
All images courtesy of Leah Sugerman.
