There is nothing more important than taking care of your body and mind. As dancers, we know that our bodies are put through quite a lot,
Make sure your hips and pelvis are still on the floor and keep your head up with a long neck, facing forwards. Lift your chest until your arms are straight. Another great stretch for Back and Shoulder Flexibility is to get yourself into a bridge with your chest/face toward a wall, make contact with the wall with the heels of your hands (in the bridge), and press your chest to the wall. Your head should be as far back as possible and your arms should be straight. Your hands and feet should be parallel, and your hips as high as possible. For an ultimate stretch, take this bridge down to your elbows, keeping your forearms parallel (no wings!), and continue to press your chest to the wall. Bridges themselves are brilliant to practise at home using the same amount of space.Make sure you are focusing on the positioning of your hands and feet.Do these movements slowly to allow your back and shoulders to open and relax, so you are less likely to injure yourself.You can find a variety of back and shoulder stretches on YouTube, however, we would advise asking your teacher for approval before attempting to follow their instruction in case they are not qualified instructors who are giving incorrect directions, potentially leading to injury. Acrobatic Arts and Alixa Flexibility are trusted professional resources which could be helpful to you. Stretching a few times per week can vastly improve flexibility. You should also see improvements in your lines and posture. Believe me, your teachers can tell when you stretch at home and when you don't! Stretching at home is also good for your mind and your mood.We should never forget to make time for our own mental health. You dance because you love it! Therefore, why just limit your dance time to classes? To help you improve, you must focus on your body. This, in turn, will improve your mood and your mindset. Stretching will help you to relax and reset. Try these tips and you could see improvement in your sleep and stress levels. More sleep also means a whole lot of energy throughout the day, and who doesn’t want to sleep better!!5 minutes a day a few times a week is all it takes to improve.
