Yoga improves balance and it could save your life
While burning in an extended Chair pose, I was trembling in my urge to break posture. As I meditated deeper into it, I realized this pose is a privilege and could one day save my life. That sounds hyperbolic, but balancing yoga poses assist in balance control, which helps in our later years when loss of balance and falls become more prevalent. Strengthening your balance with poses like chair pose, mountain pose, tree pose, lunges, and more all help control your balance capability. Recently, I’ve had dear family members, one in their 70s, and the other in their 90s experience life-changing falls. Adult falls are the leading cause of injury and death for people over 65. There are many reasons this occurs, but one way to help strengthen your foundation is to get into a yoga practice.
There are a myriad of benefits to a yoga practice from a mind-body and soul connection to developing strength, flexibility, and balance. All of these benefits are accessible whether you're approaching 65, in your 65+ years, or pre-midlife. If you want to ensure you and yours are doing the most to strengthen their balance, keep reading for poses to incorporate into your practice at home and in the studio.
Mountain Pose, or Tadasana is a standing pose with your feet hip distance apart that may look like your average person standing, but it’s an excellent way to identify imbalances in the body. This pose engages every part of your body and sets the foundation for other standing poses.
Chair Pose, or Utkatasana is one of my favorite yoga poses and one that induces burning thoughts. It brings all parts of the body together uniting the legs, feet, torso, and arms into an imaginary chair.
Tree Pose or Vrksasana is achieved with one foot firmly pressed onto the ground with the opposite foot balancing on the standing legs' inner thigh. This is done while keeping the core engaged for the ultimate support in balance.
Lunges whether low, high, or angled are excellent ways to improve balance and mobility as they have plenty of variations. Consider transitioning from Warrior One to Warrior Two as a balancing practice.
Increasing your sense of balance reduces risk factors associated with falls when aging. One of my favorite yoga classes is the Mysore Ashtanga at BODY. It felt like having access to a private instructor, in a community setting. Going into each pose at my own pace, with personalized assistance from the instructor helped me gain a better understanding of each pose. As the class is set to your own pace and practice, it’s an intentional time to feel the support of the community while working on key poses to strengthen balance.
Falling isn’t the first risk one considers when aging as it’s not the obvious culprit among the other diseases in the world. Its innocuous nature as a key player in slapstick comedy or tripping over something on the ground doesn't’ translate to its grave nature in life’s later years. With the proper tools and intention in a yoga practice, your balance could strengthen to the point where your risk of a fall is significantly decreased. For many, yoga is a meditative practice, but knowing it can play a role in keeping you safe, makes the peace of mind it brings invaluable.