Like many other Indian dance forms Bharatanatyam too has different postures and poses. A performer needs to elegantly maintain balance throughout the performance. The different body movements called Karanas are beneficial to improve balance. While performing Karana a performer needs to stay in one posture for a few seconds. The posture can be compared to standing on one foot for few seconds without losing balance.
Improves flexibility
Bharatanatyam is associated with facial expressions and non verbal communication. In this dance form hand gestures and facial expressions are used to communicate and express feelings. Sometimes even props are used to add to the visual element. Various Mudras (symbols and positions) formulate the dance form. The Mudras work out various body parts and improve flexibility.
Improves stamina
Bharatanatyam movements make use of various muscles tissues. Few hours of practice can give you a good exercise and improve your stamina. Practicing Bharatanatyam boosts endurance. Moving all limbs together at the same time, while the eyes follow whatever the hands do, requires a lot of stamina. Getting a single step perfectly correct slowly can take time but it builds stamina.
Increases aerobics fitness
Practicing Bharatanatyam can give you all the benefits that you get by doing aerobics. Dancing is good for your overall physical fitness. The rapid body movements in this dance form boosts blood circulation thus helping you live a long and healthy life.
Improves concentration
Bharatanatyam makes the body and even the mind agile. For any dancer it is very important to remember the Mudras, Hastas and Karnas to perform the dance well. A performer needs to remember steps, names of the various steps, different moves, the beats and rhythm of the song. With all this a dancer has to pay attention if the body movements are in sync. This hones the mental skills and builds mental alertness.
Healthy heart
Dance and fitness always go hand in hand. Not only Bharatanatyam but any form of dance is beneficial for the heart. Dancing boosts blood circulation, pumps blood faster and gets you closer to a healthy heart.
Builds endurance
Every student of Bharatanatyam understands the value of practice. With the lessons of Bharatanatyam comes a very important lesson of life that 'Practice makes a man Perfect'. It is only regular dance practice that helps a student rise to a higher degree of performance. This builds endurance in a person and makes him ready to pursue perfection. This can even translate to an everyday life value. Whether, it is making an egg, achieving better grades or making a presentation, getting better becomes a habit.
Controls weight
Dance forms like Bharatanatyam makes muscles active. A good performance of Bharatanatyam requires good practice. Practicing dance regularly helps lose and control weight. The complex movements, jumps and taut hand gestures use energy. So while you may be focused in getting a particular step right you are burning calories and controlling weight.
Healthy and glowing skin
A Bharatanatyam performer uses his eyebrows, eyes, neck and lips to convey an expression. Bharatanatyam performer put forward different expressions such as happiness, anger, surprise, sadness, jealousy and love. The constant movement of facial muscles makes facial tissues strong thus improving the complexion. Regular Bharatanatyam performers have glowing and healthy skin. They even have graceful eyes. The movements of eyes strengthen the eye muscles which in turn makes vision clear and healthy.
This classical Indian dance form is full of health benefits. If you want to trim those flabby arms and shape-up the thunder thighs then get yourself a pair of ghungroos (feet bells) and get on the floor with your instructor. You will surely dance your way to a lighter and healthier you.
Improve Your Posture
Most of us tend to hunch as though we are carrying the weight of the entire world on our shoulders. When we hunch we compress our lungs which inhibits oxygen from circulating around our body.
Most of us tend to hunch as though we are carrying the weight of the entire world on our shoulders. When we hunch, we compress our lungs, which inhibits oxygen from circulating around our body. The result? A curved spine, insufficient intake of oxygen and a veritable collapsed chest, leading to general fatigue, a feeling of sluggishness and mental apathy. Not a very pretty picture, is it?
If people who slouch conjure up an image of laziness, it is probably true. Such people turn out to be less go-getting and less dynamic than their straight backed friends. Of course, this need not always be the case and other aspects of personality do play an important role, but in general, if a person that slouches stops doing so, he will in all probability perform better! So sit up straight and read on for some great yoga and pilates poses and stretches that will have you straight backed before long.
- Get down on your knees, with your feet shoulder-width apart, and toes stretched outwards, flat on the floor.
- Raise yourself up from the knees, and rest your hands on your hips, just above your buttocks.
- Gradually, bend backwards, as far as you can comfortably go, and hold this position.
- Inhale and exhale deeply, and focus on expanding your chest with each inhalation and exhalation.
- Come back slowly to starting position.
This is called Ardha Ustrasana, or half camel pose. In the camel pose or Ustrasana, you bend further backwards, and rest your hands on your feet instead of on your hips. This requires greater flexibility, and it opens out the chest to a greater extent. If your back is weak, you may not be able to hold these poses for very long. Hold them for as long as you are able, and repeat after some time. Gradually, your back will strengthen and your posture will improve.
Once again, do the Ustrasana pose. Lift one arm straight up in the air, and push your chest and pelvis forward. Hold this pose for 3 deep breaths, and then switch hands. This serves to open up your chest to a much greater extent. It has the effect of literally expanding your lungs and your rib cage, increasing your body's mental and physical capacity to a great extent.
Sit up straight in your chair, raise your arms up, interlock your fingers and stretch towards the ceiling. This is a quick fix for a slouch.
Here is a quick pilates exercise that you can do to help improve your posture. Pilates is easy to perform, and if the technique is correct, the benefits are manifold.
- Lie on the floor on your back, with your arms at your sides.
- Keep your knees bent, and your feet flat on the floor.
- Your lower back will be just slightly above the floor.
- Exhale, and pull your navel deep down into your spine.
- Expand your chest and flatten your abdominal muscles. While you do this, you may feel your back or shoulders lift off the floor. Press them down again. Remember, you entire body must be pressed down, except for the small of your back.
- Breathe in through your nose, and exhale through your mouth.
Do this simple exercise everyday, for just five minutes a day, and you will soon start noticing an improvement in your posture.
