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 possibly her hip broke and she or he fell consequently. Generally it’s unattainable to know which is the hen and which is the egg. At any price, the autumn was nearly the tip of her.
Lengthy story quick, after a stint within the hospital, she was progressing effectively in rehab. A day earlier than she was to return house, she went into kidney failure. Apparently, the mix of a number of drugs was an excessive amount of. Her caregivers stopped her medicine utterly and she or he slowly recovered. However the incident made me perceive why it’s typically stated that falls could be the start of the tip for older folks.
Greater than 800,000 individuals are hospitalized every year for accidents stemming from falls. One out of 5 falls causes a critical harm reminiscent of damaged bones or traumatic head harm. The truth is, falls are the commonest reason for traumatic mind harm. Listed below are some extra stats on falls and their sometimes-catastrophic results.
What’s Stability and Why is it Vital?
Put merely, stability is our potential to acknowledge our place relative to the objects round us, together with the floor on which we’re standing or strolling. A great sense of stability permits us to carry out our day by 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 pal requires a wholesome sense of stability. With out stability, easy actions turn into not solely difficult, however may even be harmful.
As we age, a number of the elements that contribute to good stability can start to lower. Eyesight can dim. Internal ear issues can disrupt the vestibular system. Neuropathy can lower proprioception.
Exterior causes reminiscent of slippery or uneven surfaces, intoxication or sickness could cause falls. However they will additionally occur due to an absence of consideration or underdeveloped proprioception. The excellent news is, yoga may help. Many asanas are particularly designed to enhance stability. 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 help stability. All of the standing poses—suppose Trikonasana (Triangle Pose), Virabhadrasana I and II (Warrior I and II), and so forth.—may help strengthen our legs and domesticate stability. And naturally, the one-legged standing poses reminiscent of Vrksasana (Tree Pose) are balancing poses.
It’s vital to problem our stability in several methods. Whereas we frequently consider standing stability poses once we’re hoping to domesticate proprioception, balancing in several orientations can also be vital. That’s why I’ve a number of sorts of balancing poses within the examples beneath.
Most vital is to do not forget that balancing, like all asana, is a observe, not a efficiency. Meet your physique the place it’s. For instance, if you might want to stand near a wall in a standing stability pose, please accomplish that. Even with that little bit of additional help, you’re nonetheless growing the talent 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 aware of no matter floor we’re negotiating. Begin your observe with these easy workouts. However you needn’t restrict it to your on-the-mat observe. You can too observe these whilst you’re sitting round watching TV or anytime you might have a spare second. One longtime pupil of mine who had by no means been capable of stability on one leg practiced these day by day for about 9 months and was capable of stability for the primary time in her life! On the time she was in her 70s.
- Vrksasana (Tree Pose): There are, in fact, a lot of standing poses you may observe to hone your stability. Observe the directions in this publish. It’s useful to do not forget that even if you’re feeling shaky in your stability poses, you’re nonetheless studying the talent of balancing. If you’re flailing round making an attempt to not fall in Tree Pose, you’re really growing proprioception. So don’t really feel discouraged. Keep in mind, this can be a observe, not a efficiency!
- Parsva Balasana (Hen Canine Pose): As I defined above, it’s vital to problem our stability in several methods. Hen Canine Pose is a core strengthener and a stability pose. As a result of it strengthens the core—entrance, again and inside—it stabilizes us to extend stability. 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 observe.
- Ubhaya Padangusthasana (Each Fingers and Large Toes Pose): This pose presents a possibility to stability in one more means—in your rear. Working towards this asana in its most typical kind, with the legs and arms straight, could be difficult in case your hamstrings and calves are on the tighter facet. Be at liberty to bend your knees and maintain onto the backs of your thighs as an alternative of holding your toes. This publish can provide you some tips on working towards safely.
- Savasana (Corpse Pose): Years in the past I attended an early morning class that was solely an hour lengthy. The academics 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 at all times made me really feel scattered and ungrounded. On reflection, I can see that this can be a recipe for transferring by the remainder of the day with no sense of stability. Savasana is, in actual fact one among yoga’s finest balancing poses. It balances your body-mind at a deeper stage than merely balancing on one leg. Give your self 10 minutes in case your observe is an hour or much less, and quarter-hour or extra if it’s longer.
In fact there are numerous 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 carry to your physique as you observe. Maintain your focus inside your physique, on the sensations you’re feeling. Keep in mind that frantic, shallow respiratory creates agitation—not an awesome recipe for balancing. Be certain your respiratory is steady, deep and calm.
About Charlotte Bell
Charlotte Bell found yoga in 1982 and started instructing in 1986. Charlotte is the creator of Aware Yoga, Aware Life: A Information for On a regular basis Follow and Yoga for Meditators, each printed 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 Purple Rock Rondo, whose DVD received two Emmy awards.