Balance postures can be especially challenging in yoga. This isn’t because some of us are inherently bad at balancing, though I hear plenty of people say they are. The problem is not knowing what truly counts in doing balance asanas. Barring certain medical conditions, everyone can be good at balance poses—once they have a little insider info.
Try these three tricks, in order, and you’ll find everything from Warrior 3 to Tree Pose a cinch—at least as far as balancing goes. This is not an exaggeration. Incorporating just steps 1 and 2 will help significantly. That said, it probably will take many sessions to incorporate all three steps (and build strength you might need).
Even if you don’t practice yoga, use the tricks to hone your balance in general. Having good balance is important, especially as we age. The earlier you get good at it, the better.
1. Pick a point of focus
Why you should do it: This shouldn’t need an explanation, but I can’t tell you how many people launch into balance postures as if they’re late to a race. Like everything in life, it helps to pause, assess, and then pick a point of focus as you move toward a goal. If you’re rushing or scattered, your results will probably be just that. In balance postures that means flitting about wildly.
How to do it: If your head is going to face one direction, look in that direction, slightly higher than eye level, and lock your eyes on something that won’t move and is easy to distinguish. If your balance pose requires you to invert or be on your hands, arrive at your prep stance and then establish a visual lock. Once you master this and if you want a greater challenge, you can close your eyes to find an internal point of focus, becoming more aware of where your body is in space.
2. Breathe smoothly
Why you should do it: Steady breathing helps with everything, not just balance postures. It calms you and creates a rhythm you can anchor yourself to—and anchoring yourself keeps you from falling over. Still, some people hold their breath when they balance, thinking inhales and exhales might make them sway then topple (they won’t). Others hold their breath involuntarily because they’re nervous, which leads to tension and physical constriction.
How to do it: Pick any steady, slow breathing pattern you want. Deep Ujjayi breathing might work best. The powerful rushing sound makes it easy to cultivate the power and sense of intention you need here. To try it, contract the back of your throat as you inhale through your nose, expanding your ribs and chest. Keep that contraction, and then exhale through your nose as your rib cage and chest deflate.
3. Engage your pelvic floor
Why you should do it: The action creates a Root Lock or Mula Bandha (in Sanskrit mula is root and bandha is lock). When you practice Mula Bandha you create a sense of grounding and stability—indispensable to physical balance. You find your center, physically, which allows you to move all the other parts of your body with clarity and ease. You also create more space in your waist, which helps you make subtle adjustments. Last—and this has more to do with your overall health, especially as you age—you strengthen your pelvic floor, and that keeps incontinence at bay.
How to do it: Engaging the pelvic floor can be elusive. It takes practice to figure out which muscles to engage and how. If you’ve heard of (or done) Kegel exercises, you’re on the right track (men can do them too). If all this is new to you, approach engaging your pelvic floor in steps. Initially, try to create the action you’d need to stop the flow of urine. Once you feel comfortable with that, try to engage your perineum by drawing up the space between your anus and genitals. You’ll feel a gentle upward lift and a firming of your core. Over time, you’ll also be able to recruit deeper muscles for fuller engagement.
Journalist and yoga teacher Mitra Malek regularly writes and edits content related to yoga and personal health, including for Yoga Journal, where she was an editor. Learn more at mitramalek.com.