Go on! We’ve all done it, and you’ve done it too! There you are in the middle of a yoga class, standing on one leg, wobbling away and giggling like mad, until you have to rescue yourself and start all over again. And yes, of course, it can be frustrating too, especially if you have a regular practice.
I love a good static balance. In fact it’s one of the reasons that I started to practice yoga. I’m not really someone who likes to get hot and sweaty when they exercise. But if you come to my classes you’ll know two things. Firstly I wobble …. a lot! And secondly, my main mission when we come to balance, is to get you to wobble a bit too.
It’s not just because wobbling is funny, although there is something rather marvellous about the energy in a room when everyone is laughing. It’s because the wobbles are rather better for us than the ability to stand beautifully on one leg.
So what is it about wobbles?
We all balance brilliantly everyday, as I often remind my students. How amazing are we! The only mammals ever to have walked upright! You won’t remember when you were around 15 months old and starting to stand. Everyone was so excited and you got so much praise when you did that and took your first step. But you also fell down a lot when you were learning, and no one minded, not even you. You simply got back up and tried again.
So what happened?
Well, we quickly got tired of our own brilliance and tried to make things harder by moving more quickly like running, and making movements more complicated, think hopping, jumping or skipping. We started to play organised sport or take part in challenging pursuits. Some of us gave up on the idea of balancing at all (forgetting that standing and walking are perfect expressions of static and active balance) and found that we lost our confidence. We started to get frightened of hurting ourselves or the impact an injury might have on our work or families. We started to make up stories about ourselves which limited our abilities to act. (Until recently mine was, my body doesn’t like backbends, no wheel shapes for me, thank you very much). Sometimes a physical condition got in the way, like changes in vision, ear problems or back pain.
And before you knew it – wobbles.
Wobbles are good for us!
Our brain has a map of our body which helps us to navigate ourselves through space, and lets us know when things are going well or not, for us physically. Over time this map becomes a little fuzzy, a bit like an old, paper OS map. Perhaps there are holes where the map has been folded, or the colours have washed away. This fuzziness happens when we stop using skills, when we have had injury or illness or our busy lives get in the way of self care.
When we wobble, we give our brain new information, which allows it to fill in the parts of the map which are missing. The new sensory information is interpreted by our brain to improve our physical movement. Like anything else, the more we practice, the better the map, and the better our balance.
Our bodies are intricate networks of muscles, bones, nerves and fascia and every part makes continuous tiny adjustments to keep us upright and comfortable. However statuesque that yogi looks, in fact it is just not possible to be perfectly still.
If you think about it, static (non-moving balance) is a great party piece but not very useful to us in our daily lives. Being able to balance on the move is. Think about crossing uneven surfaces, or reaching out to grab something. It is estimated that one third of people over the age of 65 years fall each year, and that figure rises to one in two by the time we are 75.
We need active, moving balance when we trip, so we don’t end up face planting and really hurting ourselves.
Yoga gives us the chance to practice wobbling safely whether that is on one leg, our arms, on a chair or on the floor.
Each wobble is a lesson in body awareness and a chance to practice real-life skills for on and off the mat. As we re-draw our body map, we have a fantastic opportunity to tune into our bodies and to experience how those tiny adjustments keep us strong and balanced in life, as well as yoga.
Top Tips to Improve your Balance
Breathe – In to four. Out to four. Evidence shows that this sort of regular breathing, called coherent breathing really does help us to regulate our emptions.
Focus – Perhaps find a single point to look at and really focus on the sensations in your body.
Ground – Bring your attention to the parts of your body connecting with the Earth, find strength from your base upwards, without gripping.
Practice – Come to yoga to find out just how your brain works to keep you balanced and to find a few little tips and tricks to fire up those parts you need the most.
See you on a mat soon!