6 Great Yoga Poses for Improving Focus and Concentration
Yoga is a great tool for improving your focus and concentration. Practicing the poses below can help you ground, calm the nervous system, and as a result improve your focus and concentration. For best results, practice these poses on a regular basis. In order to make it more effective, ensure that you are consciously focusing on your breath while you are in each pose. It is best to practice ujjayi breathing, while you are in each pose, as it helps to stabilize your muscles and builds focus. Keep reading below to find out which 6 yoga poses are best for focus and concentration!
Dancer’s Pose – Natarajasana
Dancer’s Pose (Natarajasana) is a great pose for building mental focus and concentration, as it requires one to remain concentrated on a dristhi (focused gaze). In other words, this means that in order to get into this pose properly, one should consciously focus their attention on a specific point, in order to remain balanced. On this note, on a general note, any yoga pose that requires one to remain focused on a drishti point, is a great pose for building focus and concentration.
How to Get into this pose:
- Start in mountain pose, at the top of your mat
- Bring your left arm up, and your right arm back towards your foot.
- Bend your right knee, and grab your right ankle with your right hand
- keep your hips squaring forward and your shoulders relaxing down
- On your inhale, lengthen and kick your right leg further up.
- As you exhale, begin to lean more forward.
- Keep your gaze forward on one spot (this will help you stay balanced).
- Continue to kick your right leg back, while reaching your left arm forward.
- To come out, slowly release your leg down and return back to standing.
- Repeat the same steps on the opposite side.
Modifications:
- Use a wall for extra support
- Don’t kick up your back leg – keep it aligned with your standing knee
- Use a strap or rolled up towel for extra length
Benefits of this Pose:
- Helps to build mental focus and concentration
- Builds full-body strength and helps with flexibility and coordination
- Stretches the shoulders, hips, chest, thighs, ankles and the abdominal muscles.
- Creates greater mobility in the spine and hamstrings.
Half Moon Pose – Ardha Chandrasana
This is a challenging pose that requires full concentration and focus. For this reason, this is a great pose to practice for building and improving focus and concentration. If your balance is off, and you are unable to stay in it for too long. Don’t worry, just slow down your breathing and keep trying your best!
How to Get into this Pose:
- Start in mountain pose at the top of your mat.
- Step your left leg back, and rotate your front toes to face forward.
- Place a block 2-3 feet in front of you at the top of your mat
- Bend your right knee, and place your right hand on top of your block.
- Shift your weight forward, and with control lift your left leg off the mat.
- Squeeze your belly in, rotate the chest outward and imagine as though your standing in between two walls. This means rotating your left leg back, your right hip forward, tucking the tailbone under and squeezing the belly in.
- Stack your shoulders on top of one another, and bring your gaze up towards your left palm.
- Stay in this pose for 5-8 breaths through the nose.
- To come out of this pose, bend your front knee first and slowly return into a standing position.
- Repeat the same steps on the opposite side.
Modifications:
- Keep your gaze down if you are having trouble with balance
- Bring your left hand on your left hip, if you are unable to extend the palm up.
- Practice this pose against a wall, for extra support.
Benefits of this Pose:
- Helps with building mental focus and concentration
- Teaches better coordination
- Strengthens legs, knees, ankles, calves, core.
- Stretches the chest, arms, hips, groins and thighs.
Eagle Pose- Garudasana
Eagle pose is a great posture for building focus and concentration. It requires you to remained focused in order to stay balanced. For this reason, it is a wonderful pose to practice on a regular basis to improve focus and concentration. Stay in this pose for 8-10 deep breaths, and repeat the same steps on the opposite side.
How to Get into this Pose:
- Start in mountain pose, with your legs hip distance apart.
- Take a deep inhale and bring your arms up. On your exhale, bring your right arm under your left arm. Interlace your fingers if you can.
- Keep your hips facing forward. Take another deep inhale, lengthen and on your exhale, bend your knees, bringing your right leg over your left.
- Squeeze the thighs together, engage your core and tighten your arms. If you can tuck your right foot behind your left, go ahead and do so.
- Keep your gaze forward on a drishti (one specific point of focus).
- Relax the shoulders away from the ears. Stay in this pose for 10-15 deep breaths through the nose.
- To come out, release your legs down first followed by your arms. Repeat the same steps on the opposite side.
Modifications:
- If you can’t link your arms, simply reach for your opposite shoulders.
- Cross your legs, but keep both feet on the ground if your balance is off and if you can’t tuck your foot behind your ankle.
- Use a wall for extra support, if balance is off.
Benefits of this Pose:
- Strengthens the legs, ankles, arms and knees
- Opens shoulder joints
- Promotes better digestion
- Massages internal organs and helps with detoxification
- Improves balance, focus and concentration
Side Plank – Vasisthasana
This is a challenging pose and requires balance and concentration. Keep your gaze focused on one spot, and stay this position for 8-10 breaths on each side. If you would like to make this more challenging, feel free to go into full side plank, pressing into your palm (instead of your forearm), and lifting the upper hand up towards the ceiling.
How to Get into this Pose:
- Start in a table top position
- Lower your forearms on the ground (keep them at shoulder distance)
- Extend both legs back, keeping your toes curled and heels stacked right on top of your toes.
- Engage your core, glutes, thighs, and shoulders. Try to keep your back as straight as you can.
- Move your shoulders away from your ears, and keeping your head aligned with your spine.
- Begin to shift your weight to your right, and bring your elbow to the center and parallel to the front of your mat.
- Rotate your feet to the outer edge of your mat (on your right foot), and stack your feet on top of each other.
- Keep your head aligned with the spine, and bring your gaze down or in front of you.
- Make sure your core and buttocks are engaged
- Stay in this position for 1-3 min.
- Return back to center, and repeat the same steps on the opposite side.
Modifications:
Bring your left leg in front of you, with the palm of the foot touching the ground (if you are on your right elbow). This will give you a more stable foundation and help with balance
Benefits of this Pose:
- Protects and strengthens your spine
- Strengthens the core, arms, legs, and oblique muscles
- Improve your balance, and posture.
Headstand- Sirsasana
Headstand pose is an advanced posture and requires much practice, focus and concentration. It helps to build strength and develop further focus and concentration. All in all, it is a wonderful posture to practice on a regular basis, as it has many great benefits!
How to Get into this Pose:
- Start in a table top position
- Interlace your fingers and place them on the ground
- Lower your forearms on the floor and tuck the crown of your head in-between your fingers
- Engage your core, and lift your hips off the ground
- Walk your feet closer towards your head and begin by lifting one leg up towards the ceiling
- Use your other foot with control to kick up – this will give both legs an ability to lift up to the air
- Keep focusing on your breath – breathing in and out through your nose
- Keep your gaze steady and core engaged
- Stay here for 8-10 deep breaths and slowly lower your legs down
- Stay in child’s pose for 5-8 breaths to ensure that the blood is flowing properly throughout your body.
Modifications:
- Use a wall for extra support
- Keep one leg down, and work on lifting one leg up towards the ceiling until you are ready to lift both.
For a more in-depth break down of this pose – follow the video tutorial below
Benefits of this Pose:
- Build mental focus and concentration
- Helps with coordination
- Calms the mind, and alleviates stress and depression
- Stimulates lymphatic system
- Boosts digestion and stimulates abdominal organs
- Strengthens the upper body, spine, and core
Seated Forward Bend – (Paschimottanasana)
How to Get into this Pose:
- Start in a seated position, with your legs extending forward.
- Place a block under your hips (vertically or horizontally, depending on how much extra length you require).
- Keep you back straight, take a deep inhale and reach your arms up.
- On your exhale, reach the arms forward and reach for your toes.
- Stay in this pose for 8-10 breaths through the nose, and slowly roll yourself back up.
Modifications:
- If you are unable to reach your toes, bend your knees as much as you need to. The important part here is to keep your back straight.
- You may also choose to use a strap in addition to the block. Place it on the arches of your feet, and reach forward while keeping your back straight.
Benefits of this Pose:
- Deeply stretches the entire back side of your body (from the heels to the neck)
- Calms the nervous system and helps to build focus and concentration
- Relieves lower back stiffness and tension
- Stimulates the internal organs
- Increases circulation to the pelvic organs
To Conclude
Focus and concentration enable us to stay productive, and be in the flow. In addition to practicing these poses on a regular basis, I would also recommend to be mindful of your diet (avoid excess consumption of caffeine, sugar, and alcohol). To further read about what foods are best to consume before your yoga practice, be sure to check out our Best Foods to Eat Before your Yoga Practice article.
Lastly, I hope you find this article helpful! Please let me know in the comments section if there are any other specific topics your would like for me to cover in the next few blog posts.
With Love,
Yana Thompson