Hello everyone, great news has arrived, we have launched a charity yoga class, every day at 6 am and 7 pm, we welcome you to join our live broadcasts to practice yoga with us!
Recently, Zhou Yangqing has attracted much attention as she appeared on the stage of “Sisters Who Make Waves Season 5,” sparking considerable discussion. Faced with public doubts about her participation, Zhou Yangqing confidently responded that she is indeed qualified, as the show is an incredibly inclusive platform. In the show, she seemingly launched a veiled attack on her ex-boyfriend through her lyrics, which inevitably made people think of Luo Zhixiang. Even though her intentions might be to generate buzz, on the surface, she encourages girls to face breakups bravely and to learn to love themselves first. Nonetheless, her actions might still be perceived as leveraging past relationships for attention, likely attracting lots of public commentary.
Despite varied opinions, let’s treat these as light-hearted gossip. Of course, what’s most important is that we cannot overlook the importance of a healthy lifestyle every day, especially yoga and daily exercise.
Today, I want to introduce a yoga pose to everyone—the Bird Dog pose. This move is a full-body bodyweight exercise that is beneficial in strengthening core muscles and activating the muscles on the back of the body, making it a comprehensive physical workout. Practicing the Bird Dog pose works the muscles in the abdomen, buttocks, back, shoulders, and legs.
The benefits of Bird Dog pose include:
- Strengthening the core muscles, enhancing body stability, and improving balance and coordination;
- Improving balance and enhancing bodily coordination, reducing the risk of injuries caused by insufficient balance;
- Relieving pressure on shoulders and neck, especially beneficial for those who often sit or lean over their phones and computers;
- Stretching the muscles of the back and legs, shaping beautiful muscle lines.
Below is a brief explanation on how to practice the Bird Dog pose:
- Kneel on the yoga mat, with your wrists right under your shoulders, and your knees under your hips, ready for the initial position;
- Extend your right arm forward while extending your left leg back, keeping your back straight and hips parallel to the floor;
- Imagine pushing your toes against the back wall, and hold the position for a moment;
- Contract your abdominal muscles, and smoothly return your arm and leg to the initial position;
- Repeat several times using the same method, and switch to the other arm and leg to perform the exercise.
Key points to note when practicing the Bird Dog pose:
- Maintain core stability, imagine that you have a brick on your abdomen, and do not let it fall;
- Keep the overall balance, keep your body as straight as possible to prevent wobbling and imbalance;
- Your breathing should be controlled, stable, and deep, to promote relaxation and focus.
When doing the bird-dog exercise, one should inhale when lifting the hands and feet, and exhale when putting them down. To increase the difficulty and coordination of the exercise, try the alternating bird-dog variant, which requires swapping the positions of the limbs with each movement, completing one side before switching to the other side to continue practicing.
Furthermore, by performing the bird-dog in a high plank position, core stability can be further enhanced. In this plank variation, step back with both feet until the legs are straight, keep the shoulders and hips tense, and while maintaining a stable torso, lift one hand and the opposite leg, then return to the starting position and switch to the other hand-leg combination.
You can also try the following bird-dog variations to strengthen different muscle groups:
- External Rotation Bird-Dog: Mainly targets the external rotator muscles of the shoulder and hip joints, extending bent elbows and knees to the side.
- Thoracic Rotation Bird-Dog: Enhances the flexibility of the thoracic spine through a twisting action, while keeping the pelvis and lumbar spine stable with one leg extended.
- Side Plank Bird-Dog: Increases the endurance of the supporting shoulder and enhances core stability between the upper and lower body.
- Dynamic Bird-Dog: Raises the difficulty of training for the upper body and core with the dynamic version, and includes eccentric exercises for the quadriceps.
In summary, the bird-dog and its variants offer comprehensive training by changing the movement of the limbs and the demands on core stability, increasing the diversity and efficacy of the workouts.
