Posture category of the month: Leg Balances
Finding your balance and focus
This month, we are practicing leg balances in every class - so look forward to lots of wobbles and giggles! Whilst challenging, this group of postures is heaps of fun and will help you improve your balance, with positive effects on your overall posture and yoga practice.
When looking at balance postures, they all require the mastery of three elements: strength, alignment and attention. Strength to create and hold a balance posture in the first place. Alignment with your centre of gravity to manage to hold yourself upright on one leg. And focused attention to micro adjust your posture from moment to moment without falling over. Coordination is everything!
Benefits of practicing Leg Balances - Equilibrium for equanimity
Aside from the physical benefits listed below, leg balances take you out of your head and into your body. By forcing you to be intensely focused to stay upright, these postures ground you into being fully present in the Now, no matter what is going on around you. Even the smallest lapse in attention will cause a wobble and call your focus right back to what you’re doing. The benefits are manifold:
Having to focus your full attention on these poses promotes concentration and calm, which can help to relieve stress and reduce inner tension.
Over time, being able to balance yourself can literally transcend the physical plane. In improving your mindfulness and focus, you increase your ability to control your emotions in stressful situations.
Leg balances strengthen your lower body, ankles, legs and glutes. If your standing leg is starting to shake during your practice, it’s a positive sign that your muscles are working and getting stronger.
To stay in balance, you have to engage your core for extra support, which will benefit all your core muscles. In addition, strengthening the awareness of your centre of gravity, leg balances improve your balance, steadiness and posture.
Staying steady
To improve your ability to balance, there are a few pieces of advice, like:
Practice on a firm, level surface. If needed in the beginning, use a wall for support.
Get into balance postures early on in your yoga practice, when you are fresh and alert, and not feeling physically exhausted yet.
Choose a spot on the wall and keep your gaze fixed on it to have a steady focus. If you get distracted by something (or someone) that moves, it’s easier to lose your balance as well.
The latter point is true both in the immediate and in a metaphorical sense: Having a calm and unmoving focus helps you to remain steady in body and mind. In the yoga world, we call this our drishti: single-pointed focus on one thing to the exclusion of everything else…
Having and holding an external focal point (bahya drishti) will allow you to stand steady on one leg. Similarly, setting and holding a clear intention (an internal focal point, antara drishti) will allow you to remain steady in your mind, regardless of any distractions. In our yoga classes, you may have experienced antara drishti in mindfulness and meditation exercises. Given that yoga as a whole is all about mastering your mind, having an antara drishti teaches us to practice and deepen pratyahara - the yogic ‘withdrawal of the senses’.
So why not set an intention for this day, week or month?! Try it out and see where it takes you when you stay with it consistently for a period of time…
Contraindications - when you should NOT practice Leg Balances
There are certain conditions that might be aggravated or put you at risk if you practice Leg Balances. In this case, please make sure you first speak to your GP or physiotherapist. In addition to specific contraindication for each individual posture, it is recommended to avoid leg balances if you…
… have general issues with your balance, e.g. as a senior citizen, a newbie in your yoga practice or a person with blood pressure issues. In this case, skip leg balances or start with easy balance poses, assisted by your yoga teacher to ensure your safety.
… are pregnant: As your body shifts and changes, your centre of gravity adjusts. Whilst as an experienced yogi it might not be an issue at all, if you are a beginner you might use a chair or a wall for support.
… have an injury, arthritis, osteoporosis or other issues with your bones or ankles: Should your ankles, knees or legs be compromised, applying additional pressure to your ligaments or bones could cause damage and/or pain. Wait until you have fully recovered before practicing leg balances.
Curious to learn more? Come along to Flex regularly and practice with us! There are over 25 classes/week, and we will practice Leg Balances daily during all of August 2021!
Thanks for creative input this month go to Roger Cole from The Yoga Journal and Timothy Burgin from Yogabasics.com