Why I Include Balance In All My Classes
If you are over 50 and have been to the doctor recently, you might have noticed the questioning has changed somewhat. The question “have you fallen” shows up on the list as they are taking our history. And for good reason, as we age our balance does indeed become a problem. The CDC reports that falls among adults 65 and older caused over 36,000 deaths in 2020, making it the leading cause of injury death for that group. Can Yoga assist in preventing falls? I think the answer is yes. Here are just a few reasons yoga can assist in preventing falls.
If you are over 50 and have been to the doctor recently, you might have noticed the questioning has changed somewhat. The question “have you fallen” shows up on the list as they are taking our history. And for good reason, as we age our balance does indeed become a problem. The CDC reports that falls among adults 65 and older caused over 36,000 deaths in 2020, making it the leading cause of injury death for that group. Can Yoga assist in preventing falls? I think the answer is yes. Here are just a few reasons yoga can assist in preventing falls.
Proprioception is your awareness of where you are in space. Yoga helps to optimize proprioception because you get to practice all sorts of different ways to stay upright, balanced and safe in lots of different positions.
Exteroception is your ability to take in information about the surface you are balancing on. We work on both of these in our yoga classes when we do balancing poses. Most people do yoga barefoot which is helpful to re-educate our feet allowing them to be more sensitive and responsive to the surfaces we are walking on. I also highly recommend walking barefoot outdoors but that’s another post.
Strength as we age our muscles can begin to atrophy (waste away which is why we hear people say “move it or lose it.” If we lose strength, it will affect our ability to balance. Not all yoga classes work on strength but many do especially during the standing poses. When we do balance poses and stand on one leg, we are building strength in the standing leg. I often shout out to my students “if your shaking that’s a good thing.”
Flexibility also decreases as we age due to decreased range of motion. You may feel stiff upon rising since our bodies tend to get dehydrated when we sleep. A simple round of a few poses can help with the feeling of stiffness.
There are of course many medical conditions that can affect our balance. Always seek advice if your balance doesn’t seem to be getting better through the practice of yoga.
XO, Pam