I love balancing poses.. It calms the mind and get the body stronger and overall, make you more confident. But how to get better at it?
'Being able to stand firmly on one foot is
important. For one thing, being good at balancing translates into a lot of
grace in movement and stability on and off the yoga mat.
But it’s also important that we maintain
confidence in balance as we age. According to the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, over a third of all senior adults fall every year. Regardless
of your age, good balance for life starts now.
In addition to helping us achieve long-term
health and stability, balancing poses are important because they offer
challenge in a space of stillness. When we balance, we must be still and
steady, letting the rhythm of the breath be the focus. Balancing creates a necessary meditative headspace,
and it gives us a chance to practice staying in discomfort for just a little
bit longer than we really want to—a helpful lesson that we take with us off the
mat.
In yoga, there are plenty of balance poses
to explore. Tree Pose is most offered in a beginning yoga class, but it can be
deceptively challenging. As balance becomes easier, practitioners might advance
to Eagle Pose, Warrior III, Dancer Pose, and Half Moon Pose. A strong balance
practice is a necessary requirement for inversions and arm balances, too.
So if balance is so important—for health,
for focus, and for advancing your practice—how do you get better at it?
1.
Practice (Beyond Your Mat)
This is the obvious answer, right? Yes, to
get better at balance you must practice balancing. But you don’t have to limit
your practice to a yoga mat. Try this: Every morning as you brush your teeth,
do a mini-Tree Pose, with your lifted foot resting on your standing-leg calf.
Try to maintain the pose for your bottom teeth, and then switch to your other
foot for your top teeth.
Practice wherever you are: at work, in
dress shoes, in sneakers, or watching TV. To build better balance, you need to
train your muscles to bear your weight on one leg at a time. The focus can come
along as you get stronger and work on your yoga mat.
Practice doesn’t have to be perfect:
Balancing while using a wall or a chair helps also build leg strength and
proprioception. And as you practice, it’s OK to step in and out of a pose.
2.
Build Hip Strength
Fluid and graceful movements rely on stability
in the pelvis and hips. Staying still relies on this same stability, so having
good hip strength is an important key to finding your equilibrium while
balancing. When you move—whether it’s big movements, like running, or small,
micro-movements, like balancing—you’re relying on your adductors (inner hip
muscles) and abductors (outer hip muscles) to keep your movements precise and
within the necessary range of motion for the activity at hand. The adductors
draw the leg towards the midline of the body. The abductors are involved in
moving your legs out to the side. Both work together to stabilize the pelvis,
and it’s important that both groups of muscles are strong.
To build adductor strength, Bridge Pose and
Chair Pose work great, especially if you focus on engaging your thighs toward
each other. To build abductor strength, stand in Mountain Pose, facing a wall.
Use the wall as support for balance. Shift your weight to your right foot and
inhale to lift your left leg out to the side, as high as feels comfortable.
Repeat, sweeping your left leg out 10–15 times, and then switch legs. (This
works the abductors in both the standing leg and the moving leg!)
3.
Utilize the Keys: Breath, Core, and Single-Point of Focus
Yoga teachers often repeat these three
keys, and for good reason: They work. As you practice balancing, be sure to
connect to your breath, inhaling and exhaling deeply and slowly. Find some
engagement of your core—hug into the midline of your body and lift your pelvic
floor. Finally, find a single-point of focus—maybe a little spot on the floor
or wall—and train your gaze to that one point.
4.
Make It Harder to Make It Easier
Want an effortless Tree Pose? When you
practice it, lift your arms into the air and gently wave them around, like
they’re branches blowing in a breeze. Adding movement creates instability, and
your muscles have to make micro-movements to adjust to the changes. This will
be more challenging than a traditional, stable Tree, so it’s OK if you fall out
of the pose.
When you’re ready for more spiciness, try
moving between two poses—going directly from Tree to Warrior III and then back,
perhaps. Transitioning in and out of balance poses builds strength in your
glutes and hips, and helps you prepare for a fun flow yoga class, where you may
move quickly.
Explore playing with your gaze as well.
Instead of looking at the ground or straight ahead to a wall, lift your chin
and look skyward. And when that starts feeling easy, try balancing with your eyes closed! All of these
ways to make balancing more challenging will help strengthen your hips and your
sense of your body in space. The result is better stability.'
Source: http://yoganonymous.com/4-ways-to-improve-your-balance?utm_source=YNON+ALL&utm_campaign=563e5e196a-YNON_7_6_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_9fab1b9259-563e5e196a-121249902&ct=t(YNON_7_6_16)&mc_cid=563e5e196a&mc_eid=9c4d95c63f
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