This entry was posted on Sep 3, 2025 by Charlotte Bell.
A few years in the past, my mom fell and broke her hip. Or perhaps her hip broke and she or he fell in consequence. Generally it’s unattainable to know which is the hen and which is the egg. At any price, the autumn was virtually the tip of her.
Lengthy story brief, after a stint within the hospital, she was progressing nicely in rehab. A day earlier than she was to return residence, she went into kidney failure. Apparently, the mix of a number of medicines was an excessive amount of. Her caregivers stopped her remedy utterly and she or he slowly recovered. However the incident made me perceive why it’s typically stated that falls might be the start of the tip for older individuals.
Greater than 800,000 persons are hospitalized annually for accidents stemming from falls. One out of 5 falls causes a critical damage corresponding to damaged bones or traumatic head damage. In truth, falls are the commonest reason for traumatic mind damage. Listed here are some extra stats on falls and their sometimes-catastrophic results.
What’s Steadiness and Why is it Necessary?
Put merely, steadiness is our capacity to acknowledge our place relative to the objects round us, together with the floor on which we’re standing or strolling. An excellent sense of steadiness permits us to carry out our every day duties with a way of stability and ease. For instance, one thing as widespread as strolling down the road and turning your head to speak to a good friend requires a wholesome sense of steadiness. With out steadiness, easy actions grow to be not solely difficult, however may even be harmful.
As we age, among the elements that contribute to good steadiness can start to lower. Eyesight can dim. Interior ear issues can disrupt the vestibular system. Neuropathy can lower proprioception.
Exterior causes corresponding to slippery or uneven surfaces, intoxication or sickness may cause falls. However they’ll additionally occur due to a scarcity of consideration or underdeveloped proprioception. The excellent news is, yoga may also help. Many asanas are particularly designed to enhance steadiness. And the centering of our minds on our our bodies sharpens mindfulness, in order that we’re extra apt to acknowledge subtler indicators of imbalance in our our bodies earlier than we fall.
There are lots of yoga poses that assist steadiness. All of the standing poses—suppose Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Virabhadrasana I and II (Warrior I and II), and so forth.—may also help strengthen our legs and domesticate steadiness. And naturally, the one-legged standing poses corresponding to Vrksasana (Tree Pose) are balancing poses.
It’s essential to problem our steadiness in numerous methods. Whereas we frequently consider standing steadiness poses once we’re hoping to domesticate proprioception, balancing in numerous orientations can be essential. That’s why I’ve a number of sorts of balancing poses within the examples beneath.
Most essential is to do not forget that balancing, like all asana, is a apply, not a efficiency. Meet your physique the place it’s. For instance, if you might want to stand near a wall in a standing steadiness pose, please accomplish that. Even with that little bit of additional assist, you’re nonetheless creating the ability of balancing.
5 Balancing Poses
- Foot Therapeutic massage: Giving consideration to our toes, massaging them, exercising our toes, and so forth., retains them wholesome and attentive to no matter floor we’re negotiating. Begin your apply with these easy workouts. However you needn’t restrict it to your on-the-mat apply. You too can apply these whilst you’re sitting round watching TV or anytime you’ve a spare second. One longtime pupil of mine who had by no means been capable of steadiness on one leg practiced these every day for about 9 months and was capable of steadiness for the primary time in her life! On the time she was in her 70s.
- Vrksasana (Tree Pose): There are, in fact, numerous standing poses you possibly can apply to hone your steadiness. Comply with the directions in this publish. It’s useful to do not forget that even once you’re feeling shaky in your steadiness poses, you’re nonetheless studying the ability of balancing. While you’re flailing round attempting to not fall in Tree Pose, you’re truly creating proprioception. So don’t really feel discouraged. Bear in mind, this can be a apply, not a efficiency!
- Parsva Balasana (Chicken Canine Pose): As I defined above, it’s essential to problem our steadiness in numerous methods. Chicken Canine Pose is a core strengthener and a steadiness pose. As a result of it strengthens the core—entrance, again and inner—it stabilizes us to extend steadiness. However the act of “standing” on one knee and one arm additionally develops proprioception. As well as, balancing along with your head ready apart from upright helps stimulate your vestibular system. Learn these directions that can assist you refine your apply.
- Ubhaya Padangusthasana (Each Arms and Large Toes Pose): This pose gives a possibility to steadiness in yet one more manner—in your rear. Working towards this asana in its commonest kind, with the legs and arms straight, might be difficult in case your hamstrings and calves are on the tighter aspect. Be at liberty to bend your knees and maintain onto the backs of your thighs as an alternative of holding your toes. This publish may give you some tips about practising safely.
- Savasana (Corpse Pose): Years in the past I attended an early morning class that was solely an hour lengthy. The lecturers reasoned that with such a brief class, they didn’t want to incorporate Savasana. Whereas I loved their instructing within the different asanas, the Savasana-free class all the time made me really feel scattered and ungrounded. Looking back, I can see that this can be a recipe for shifting by means of the remainder of the day with no sense of steadiness. Savasana is, the truth is one in every of yoga’s greatest balancing poses. It balances your body-mind at a deeper degree than merely balancing on one leg. Give your self 10 minutes in case your apply is an hour or much less, and quarter-hour or extra if it’s longer.
After all there are various extra balancing poses than the 5 examples I’ve given. Inversions are nice, and as I wrote above, all of the wide-stance standing poses are useful. Crucial issue is the eye you deliver to your physique as you apply. Preserve your focus inside your physique, on the sensations you’re feeling. Do not forget that frantic, shallow respiratory creates agitation—not an incredible recipe for balancing. Ensure that your respiratory is steady, deep and calm.
About Charlotte Bell
Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and commenced instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the writer of Conscious Yoga, Conscious Life: A Information for On a regular basis Apply and Yoga for Meditators, each revealed by Rodmell Press. Her third e book is titled Hip-Wholesome Asana: The Yoga Practitioner’s Information to Defending the Hips and Avoiding SI Joint Ache (Shambhala Publications). She writes a month-to-month column for CATALYST Journal and serves as editor for Yoga U On-line. Charlotte is a founding board member for GreenTREE Yoga, a non-profit that brings yoga to underserved populations. A lifelong musician, Charlotte performs oboe and English horn within the Salt Lake Symphony and people sextet Crimson Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards.
