Water' way to stay fit

Doing yoga asanas in warm water can help in developing and strengthening muscles and mobility. Aqua yoga helps in releasing and maintaining body heat, thus increasing your metabolic rate. The body and the weight of the water helps isolate muscle routine and maintains blood pressure. As the water helps you stretch, people with weak leg strength can easily perform yoga asanas inside the water. Water is not only helpful with buoyancy; it is also helpful for relieving joint and bone stress. So, a lot of standing postures like the tree and warrior poses are done in the pool, and this improves balance.

Another great advantage of aqua yoga is since water is 13 times thicker than air, the calorie burn out rate goes up to 700 calories an hour, which is no mean feat, leading to weight loss, with no risk of injury thanks to water cushioning one like a protective corset.

Water yoga is low impact and gentle on the muscles and joints, making it perfect for the elderly, pregnant women and people with injuries or chronic conditions. Body and water’s density helps isolate muscles, it also helps maintain heart rate. Water helps in stretching the body and our muscles work better with less risk of injury.

There are numerous poses that can easily be adapted for water, however a few that seem to be difficult on land can be easily adapted with a couple of noodles (a swimming aid). As you try more balance postures, try moving away from the wall or using noodles. Eventually, you will find yourself “literally” floating into a pose with grace and ease, instead of sweat and jittering muscles.

—  The writer is a fitness expert

Sugarcane pose
Breathe deeply and shift your weight onto one foot. Gain stability, letting your other leg float effortlessly in the water, coming into the half moon pose. Reach again and hold your lifted foot in your palm and uncover the connection between the moon and water that flows through your backbone.

North star pose
Stand with your feet more than hip-width apart; bring your hands together in prayer over your head.

North star pose

Big toe pose
Stand with an erect spine, with one arm extended, holding a noodle or the wall to your left or right. You can also fold the arm and rest it on your waist. Grab the big toe or the outer edge of the foot, and straighten the leg as much as possible without losing the straightness of your back. Slowly take the leg to the side, ensure the hips are forward facing, and the back is straight. Feel the water support your balance. Stand tall and balance. Repeat on the other side.

Big toe pose

Floating forward bend
In shallow water, hold on to the edge of the pool and place the soles of your feet against the side of the pool, with your knees bent. Slowly straighten your legs and rest your torso on your thighs. Hold the pose for 10 seconds. Repeat thrice.

Handstand

You may have tried this many times — and also seen a number of kids doing handstands in the pool, but have simply forgotten what fun it is — or not realised that it’s a good way to practise this pose. The only prop you’ll need here is water.

You may need to venture in to slightly deeper water to start with, then work your way to the shallow end as you gain balance. It’s also imperative that you are comfortable holding your breath for a short time underwater. Simply dive down, place your hands on the bottom and let your feet face the sky — and, of course, hold your breath.