The improved stability and balance that can be achieved through the practice of yoga can help us as well as our parents and grandparents as this can help to prevent falls.
The practice of balance can require a lot of effort, yet it is very important as good balance can protect us against daily falls and mishaps.
Although some people consider balance to be a topic for elderly people, this is something that can be developed at any age.
Many activities in life require us to have good balance like walking, getting out of a car, putting on a pair of pants, or playing a sport like skiing or tennis.
A study showed that practicing exercises that help your balance for five minutes reduces the risk of twisting your ankle in middle schools by 77%.
An adequate balance is based on the control of three senses: sight, vestibular (which is found in your ear), and your somatic sensory.
These senses diminish with age and due to health problems related to sight and hearing.
Diseases that affect the nerves like diabetes or multiple sclerosis, or afflictions that limits the movement and flexibility like arthritis, can have a great effect on balance. Alcohol and certain drugs can also affect your equilibrium.
There are various methods that exercise your balance like tai-chi or yoga.
A fluid practice like yoga strengthens our self-perception, which can help the body to better position our muscles and allow us to sense where our body needs to be without looking.
Yoga betters our awareness of our own bodies.
A study followed 24 women for nine weeks as they took an Iyengar Yoga course that was designed for older people.
The study found that the course helped to strengthen their balance, their range of movement, flexibility in their legs and feet, as well as their confidence in their ability to walk.
Additionally, they were able to distribute their weight equally over their two feet, which helped their general stability.
Remember that the major cause of premature death and injury in older adults is due to falls.
The tree pose, mountain pose, and the triangle pose are suggested to strengthen your balance.