Sometimes, finding a balance between the things in life is difficult. Whether it’s finding a balance between work and life or family time and me-time, the one thing you should always schedule is time to recalibrate your mind and body. This means letting go of the stresses of daily life while rejuvenating and enhancing your body.
The best way to do this is by improving your balance. When you work on your balance, you’re also working on your coordination, stability, strength, flexibility, and mobility. When you try these poses below, don’t forget to breathe deeply and clear your mind as well in order to provide a mental balance for yourself as well.
Tightrope Walking
You don’t need to be under the influence to fail this test! It turns out there are many people that tend to fall to one side when trying to step heel-to-toe in a straight line. However, there's nothing better than a little practice to get your coordination and your balance on point.
Start by standing up straight with your arms at your side and both feet firmly planted on the ground.
Outstretch your arms on either side, keeping them parallel to your shoulders.
Lift your right foot and hold for a few seconds before placing it down on the ground in front of your left foot so that the heel of your right foot in front of the toes of your left foot. (For more of a challenge, shift your weight onto the supporting leg when doing the step.)
Place your right foot down firmly on the ground and repeat with your left foot.
Repeat for 20 steps.
Tree Pose
If you do yoga, you may know this pose by the name of “Vrikshasana.” You may also know that it begins in the Mountain Pose or “Tadasana.” If you’re not familiar with yoga, we’ll take a look at the step-by-step instructions on how to get from one pose to another.
Starting in the Mountain Pose, stand with your shoulders back, spine straight, tailbone tucked in slightly, and core engaged. Yup, the Mountain Pose is simply you standing in the upright position.
Lift your arms and put the palm of your hands flat together in the praying position.
Shift your weight onto your left leg and lift your right leg so that the bottom of your right foot is positioned flatly on the inner thigh of your left leg, just above the knee.
While keeping the left leg straight and firmly planted flat on the ground, stare straight ahead and hold the position for about 10 deep breaths.
Return to the Mountain Pose before switching legs.
Forward Lunge Walk
The walking lunge is a great exercise for building core strength and improving balance. With or without weights, this exercise is also ideal for strength training, especially targeting the quads, glutes, calves, and hamstrings, among many other lower body muscles.
Start by standing in the upright position with your feet hip-width apart.
With your hands on your hips, lunge forward with your right foot so that your left heel rises off of the ground.
Keep your right foot bent add a 90-degree angle and the knee of your left leg should be hovering slightly off of the ground.
Without bending from the hips, engage your inner thighs and core as you shift your weight onto your right foot.
Hold this pose for a few seconds before straightening your right knee and swinging your left foot forward, placing it about two feet in front of your right. Exhale as you do so.
Now, you should be in the starting position to begin lunging with your left foot.
Many of these balancing exercises can be done backward for an added challenge. For instance, backward lunges and tightrope-walking backward create more of an imbalance once your heel leaves the ground. So whether you’re trying to intensify your favorite balancing poses or you’re looking for new ones altogether, give them a try. You have nothing to lose but your instability.
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