Part two of my series in response to PsyBlog’s article on 10 Postures the Boost Performance! Check out part one here, and now read on to find more yoga poses that correspond with the research.

Persistence

Research shows that crossing your arms can help fuel persistence – participants who crossed their arms while solving a problem spent up to double the amount of time working on solving it than people who didn’t cross their arms. So, a good arm-crossy yoga pose for you? Try Eagle Pose (Garudasana).

Photo by lululemon athletica (Flickr)

To get your arms tangled in this position, extend them straight out to the sides, then sweep them in front of you, with the same arm crossed underneath as the leg that is crossed on top. Then, keeping your elbows together, turn your forearms up and cross your hands. See? Clear as mud! You can bring “Eagle Arms” into other poses as well, from a seated easy pose, to shoestring, warrior 3, and more. If your arms are free in a pose, see what happens if you twist them up a little. Just make sure you keep your shoulders down and together on your back.

Insight

This is an easy one – lie down! What’s the best lying-down pose around? Savasana.

A group savasana. Photo by Lululemon Athletica (Flickr)

Lie down. Relax.