5 Ways to Improve Your Balance

Balancing can have huge benefits for your health. From building strength, improving posture and athletic performance to increasing your brain power and concentration, and even preventing injury!

Balance is not a trait that you are born with, it’s a skill that we all learn over time. So if you struggle with balance, it’s never too late to start working on it. Here are my 5 top tips to help you to improve your balance.

1. Start from your feet

By setting up your feet you can create a strong base for standing balance poses. In mountain pose shut your eyes and shift from side to side until you feel you are in the middle and your weight is distributed evenly across the whole foot.

2. Ground down into the floor

Lift up and spread your toes and then press your feet into the floor to create extra stability. Imagining that you are growing roots from the soles of your feet into the floor can help you feel more grounded.

3. Engage your core

Whether it’s a standing balance or arm balance, core activation is key to give you the stability and strength to unlock trickier balance poses. Whenever you are balancing consciously suck in your tummy in slightly to engage your core muscles.

NB. Consider adding specific core exercises into your yoga practice to boost your core strength and help you find the trickier balance poses!

4. Focus on a fixed point

Find something that you can stare at as you move in and out of the pose. You want something that doesn’t move and is at the right height to be able to keep your eye on it as you move into the balance. Keep staring at this point as your hold the pose – don’t forget to breathe! I find a crack or imperfection on the wall ahead or a mark on the floor in front works well for me.

5. Start slow + build over time

Start with small movements and take your time to come into your balancing position. If you are struggling to achieve the pose rather than holding it, try coming in and out of the pose with the breath. Inhale to move into the balance and exhale to come back to the floor.

If you are feeling very unstable doing the pose the an arm to a wall at the side can give you some extra support. Once you’ve found stability from your core and feet try building up the amount of time you hold the pose for before you use the wall or come out.

Conclusion

Balance is a skill we all need to work on and hopefully my tips will help you improve, whatever your starting point.

By practicing a small amount regularly you will soon build strength and stability – it doesn’t matter if you wobble as this actually helps strengthen your muscles!

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