While most of us spend most of the day trying to balance between our personal lives and work, it is quite unfortunate that we don’t mind about our literal sense of balance. The way you balance can significantly improve your mental state, as well as your physical ability. Balancing can help you improve focus, prevent future injuries, and relieve stress. Yoga has proved to be one of the best ways to improve balance. It involves several balance poses which can be done with your hands, feet, or even your head.
Falls are a serious risk to seniors, but activities like yoga can help improve balance and reduce the risk of falling. Learn how yoga can improve your balance and keep you safe. Here are some poses that can challenge your musculoskeletal system and help you build better balance.
Be sure to start off in a class with a qualified instructor before experimenting with these poses at home. And, as always, ask your doctor if you have any concerns about this form of exercise.
7 Yoga Poses for Improved Balance
Tree Pose
The secret to getting the most out of this pose is to focus on every part of your body. It involves shifting weight to one foot and then placing the other foot as high as possible on the inner thigh of the standing foot. It is crucial to ensure that the spine is straight, and the head and shoulders are aligned. The pose can be more effective if you try it when closing your eyes or switching the position of your arms.
Mountain Pose
Although it seems like nothing more than upright standing, mountain pose can help to improve posture, calm focus, and balance. The pose helps you to feel where your weight is balanced on the feet, and by elongating the spine, you create more control and improve posture. Closing your eyes can help you to derive more benefits from this yoga pose.
Extended Hand-To-Big-Toe Pose
Although it takes immense practice to practice this pose, it works wonders when it comes to body alignment. It involves extending hands on either side and then lifting one leg and holding it with one of the extended hands. The most important thing for this pose is to ensure that your body is straight from head to toe and your hips are in line. If catching the toes is too much for you, you can bend one foot and hold on to the knee.
Chair Pose
This involves standing with your feet and hip-width apart, and then bending your knees to 90 degrees as you equally distribute your weight on the ankles pretending like you are sitting on a chair behind you. Make sure your abdominal muscles are engaged as you lift your hands and pull your arm-bones back.
Half Moon Pose
This pose starts with an extended triangle, and then the right leg is pulled close to the left leg. Then the left knee is bent, and the other leg lifted until it is parallel to the floor. The left hand is placed on the ground, and the right hand is extended towards the ceiling. You can repeat the pose with the other leg for more effectiveness. This pose can help improve your balance when walking or standing.
Dancer Pose
Although the dancer pose may seem effortless, it requires strength besides balance. This pose helps to work the leg, back, and core muscles. It involves raising one leg behind your back and holding it with one hand as you extend the other side in front of you.
For a successful pose, you should face forward and make sure that none of the hips is higher than the other. The proper hip alignment and strength that goes into this pose is vital in improving body balance.
Warrior III
This pose is challenging for most people as it involves balancing your entire body on one foot. It entails bending your body from the hip forward and then lifting one leg until it is in a straight line with the upper body. You then extend your hands forward, making sure that besides the standing foot, all the other parts are parallel to the floor. The only way to get this pose right is by ensuring that you feel the body straighten from the fingertips to the sole of your foot.
Although balancing postures can be daunting to execute, you can master them in due time if you allow yourself to have fun. Additionally, consistency in practice is what will make you better. However, you must approach everything with moderation and start the less demanding yoga poses.