We’ve all heard that balance is something we lose as we get older. Losing your balance puts you at risk for falling and getting injured. Working to improve or maintain your balance is important.

Four sensory systems that help us balance:

1. Proprioceptors: These are sensors in the muscles, joints and skin that sense the position and rates of motion of various body parts with respect to one another. As far as we know, proprioceptive skills are learned by practice.

2. Sight: The eyes play a key role in determining if the head or body is being held in an upright position. Since more than one third of the neurons in the brain are involved in some way in the visual process, it is no surprise that the eyes are strongly involved in balancing.

3. The inner ear: The vestibular organs in the inner ears sense both static head positions and movement of the head. Factors that affect the inner ear and can negatively impact balance are: dehydration, excess salt, simple sugars, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine or aspirin.

4. Pressure sensors: There are large numbers of pressure sensors located in the skin in various locations around the body: soles of the feet, big toe, fingers, thumbs, belly, thigh, calf. These sensors indicate any shift in weight. Unfortunately they become less sensitive as we age.

Another thing that is a factor in balance is strength. And it is something we can lose as we age. But, like proprioception, it is a skill we can work on. Assuming that your sensory systems are all in working order, let’s look at some simple things you can do to improve your balance.

Do more yoga. Any yoga posture more elevated than Savasana (Final Relaxation) works on balance. Not just the obvious, one-legged postures such as: Tree, Eagle, Warrior III, Half Moon and Dancer’s Pose. There are three components to balancing in yoga postures: getting into the posture, holding the posture and coming out of the posture. So, make sure you pay attention to getting into and coming out of the pose as much as you do holding the pose.

Hike. Get out and walk on uneven surfaces. We spend so much time walking on engineered and flat surfaces that our feet and legs get lazy. Walking on uneven surfaces develops the muscles in our feet, calves, legs, hips and even some of our upper body as well. This develops strength and proprioception.

Exercise. Naturally, I like to recommend yoga, but any form of exercise will help build strength, coordination and sharpen your proprioceptive sense. Play golf, tennis, ride a bike, lift weights. Do anything that requires you to move your body, makes you sweat and gets you tired out (in a good way).

Stand while getting dressed. (What?!) In my friend Anna’s class one day, she remarked about how one of her senior students has amazing balance. She even has good balance with her eyes closed! When asked what she attributed her great sense of balance to, the student remarked that she never sits down while getting dressed or undressed!

You might say you don’t have time to do exercise, but everybody has to get dressed and undressed. What do you think? Can you do it? I challenge you to give it a try. For one week, at least, stand every time you get dressed and undressed and see if you notice your balance getting better. And then, let me know how it’s going.

Working on any of these postures will help you improve your balance by increasing your strength and proprioceptive sense.
As one of my yoga teachers says, “Balancing is a significant part of every yoga pose more elevated than Savasana.”