Balance is at the core of ballet and impressive yoga poses. And we all need balance in our core.
Because when we grow older, our muscles and bones weaken and the more core stability we have, the less likely we’ll fall and the stronger we are.
When I was in my early 30s, I sprained my ankle on one foot and that led me to get a bone scan. I learned my ankle was healing but my bones were aging (and that happens to all of us).
Before then, I didn’t catch onto the thinning bones effect, especially common with natural Vatas. And none of us know what we don’t know… and back then, I didn’t know what I didn’t know.
So from that point on, I started taking more calcium. I added back the plant-based milk sources and selective dairy choices to my diet.
Just so you know what decade that was, soy was the up-and-comer. And seeds weren’t popular add-ons back then, but Chia-pet plants were 😉
Chia seeds today are everywhere and also are a good calcium source.
And you can make your own chia seed jam if you’re looking for easy (but effective) creative food inspo… especially if Overnight Oats is not your favorite jam and you want to find other ways to add in your chia.
Most commercial or grocery store jams have added sugar when natural fruit juices are all you need to enjoy:
And since most of us don’t eat off the foraging land like our ancestors did, it’s a smart move to continue to look at packaged ingredient lists regularly as formulas change (and even when the carton or outside appears to be the same as the one you ordered last time).
…Next time could be slightly different and missing the nutrients your body especially needs. Or the reason why you added those foods to your list.
So taking those extra seconds to glance at the nutritional profile is smart.
Our bodies thrive on nutrient balance and synergy. Examples: calcium complements magnesium… or all the B-vitamins work together.
…Pretty amazing how our bodies run if you think about it. We often don’t when it’s running optimally. So lifestyle prevention and protection are easy compared to the alternatives.
And living balanced is moving in the right direction.
When you start a balance (in everything) practice early on in your life that your body sings to in harmony, then your body adopts to those healthy habits.
One day can creep up on you, so you want to be protected to some degree. Plus, yoga balance is such a good metaphor for finding purposeful balance in our lives where our joy is.
One easy move you can practice is getting up from the floor in one fell swoop. In Japan’s Blue Zones (with the longest living people on the planet), they do this proudly as Centenarians.
…You could start with something as simple as that. We started as children sitting Indian-style in our classrooms, and we can use our youth as inspiration.
Also, an easier, no-struggle way if you can’t do it without hands is to take your closed fists and knuckles faced down to the floor, and push straight up. Using other parts of your body as tools does a body good!
And then when you’ve peeled yourself off the floor, then you can work on your balance yoga poses.
Four great ones that are top of mind are: Tree, Dancer, Warrior 3, and Bird of Paradise. They all are standing poses and have balancing on one foot in common so they help improve your balance. You can add a centering meditation move in between if you try them all.
You can hurt yourself in yoga just like with exercises so be careful. In yoga, your body weight are your weights for your balance exercises.
Tree pose is the easiest to start with and if you want to be a bit more advanced, add prayer hands behind your back and bend backward a little like a swaying palm. This helps your equilibrium from your core..
We spend most of our day hunched forward in some way reaching for things or typing on the computer. It does your body good when you reverse your posture from inner to outer, and from down to up.
One balance trick to work on is developing your leg and quad muscle strength (that are part of your largest muscle groups). You can do that pretty quickly in a regular Chair pose. Not in your chair but with the invisible chair where you are the chair. If that’s too hard to do, you can use a wall to rest back on.
So then when you think you have Tree pose down (and up!), Dancer pose is another great balance practice. With Dancer, you may find one side is stronger or less wobbly than the other.
…When you fully tilt forward into your Dancer pose, you get a good head-to-toe stretch. And if that doesn’t put a smile on your face, I don’t know what will. 😊
For me, Dancer is a joy pose (…and maybe you too). A good day outlook could be the metaphor and mantra to strive for if you’re trying to make healthy changes in areas of your life.
From Dancer, you can easily flow into Warrior 3 (or you can go through the traditional Warrior 1, 2, 3 yoga pose sequence). I included this in my 100 Best Yoga Poses that I can’t believe I wrote around Easter a year ago!
Most things in this Life change, but gratefully yoga stays constant!
In Warrior 3, your neck is aligned with your back, so you’re looking slightly down and both arms are aimed parallel straight ahead, like you’re on a mission forward. …maybe you are?
Warrior 3 can represent a determined, protective strength pose that can be a good metaphor for warding off unproductive moods that don’t serve you.
And finally, if you really want to get your better balance practice-on, Bird of Paradise (B.O.P.) is a fun bird pose. Getting into the pose is like playing a game… and you’re the object.
If you’ve never tried (or it has been a while), I recommend B.O.P. in an open space as it’s a ‘lil more involved than some of the other poses. You want to feel free (to fly, lol).
When you’re standing up and your shoulder is underneath the same side leg, then clasp your hands together. From there, you have better control on your placements and can get into your showy Bird of Paradise that you fancy.
You can also use Bird of Paradise 🦩as a fun assessment of what areas of your beloved body need a ‘lil more TLC handle 😘 …but not love handles.
Or sometimes you can stumble on your imbalances and what life is trying to show you (like my sprained ankle that served as the canary in the coal mine).
Sometimes you can feel your joints and maybe hear a few snaps the first few times. Those will smooth out and you can stretch even more.
Yoga is I think the BEST and easiest way to open up the tightness and bring us back to balance (that again we need especially as we age).
So glad our modern, Western world has caught on… and in looking up and out, keep on keepin’ on! 🌱