Working the Weaker side of Our Body

It is quite normal for us to have a stronger or more dominant side of our body. This is very noticeable when doing Yoga poses; there is usually one side that seems “easier” than the other. We may be stronger or have more balance, even be a bit more flexible one the right side in comparison with the left, for example.

During our Kid Yogis class last Monday we did some fun exercises meant to work on our “weaker” side of the body.  An exercise as simple as throw and catch suddenly became quite a challenge for the kids!  At the beginning when we started throwing and catching the ball the kids didn’t seem to understand what we were doing since an activity such as this one is fairly easy for 9 to 12 year olds. But everything suddenly changed when we asked them to pay close attention to which side they were using to throw and catch. Was their dominant hand the right or the left? We asked them to change hands, to use the hand that they would not normally use in an activity such as this!

As you can imagine, their first reaction was to laugh when they noticed how clumsy they suddenly felt. They realized that they did not have the same control or direction in this arm and hand. And all of a sudden this simple game became a real challenge, as they tried to gain control of the ball and their bodies, requiring them to concentrate a little bit more than usual!

Try throwing and catching the ball with a partner, or throwing the ball into a basket with your “weaker” arm, it is amazing how much fun you can have while concentrating on a simple game of catch!