Beautiful gait or the process of walking is important part of one’s personality. And it definitely requires good balance. As people grow old, they start loosing balance and their gait becomes unsteady. Certain other problems like pain, inflammation, muscle and nervous system coordination can cause unbalanced gait.
Here Are The 6 Yoga Poses To Improve Balance And Gait:
1. Tree Pose
It is one of the best poses to improve balance. It is also known as Vrkasana. To practice this, try to balance yourself on one leg at a time while trying to achieve balance like a tree. To begin, stand in mountain pose with your arms joined over your head while standing straight. Shift your body weight on on your left leg and raise right leg. flex your knee so that your right knee faces right hand side. Place the sole of right foot on the thigh. After few minutes release your foot and slowly come in standing position. You can take support of wall or chair to practice it in the beginning. This posture also tones up legs muscles.[1]
2. Warrior Pose
This posture helps improve balance and gait. To practice this pose, stand with your legs as wide as shoulder length and open your arms sideways. Put your hands on your hips and turn the right foot out at 90 degrees. Keep torso upright. Bend your right knee so that it is over your right ankle. Return to original pose after few minutes. Repeat with other leg. [2]
3. King Dancer Pose
This yoga posture is highly lauded for improving balance. Start in mountain pose. Lift your left foot and gran the toe of left foot with left hand. Breathe in and extend your right hand in front of yourself. Breathing out, arch your back backwards. How much one can arch backwards totally depends on one’s flexibility. [3]
4. Extended Triangle Pose
This pose opens hip joints and chest and stretches legs and strengthens them. It improves the balance, stretches the hamstring muscles. make hip joints more flexible. Stretches the back and makes front thigh muscles stronger. To practice this, stand with feet one leg length apart. Keep your knees straight. Position your right food outwards and your left foot less than 45 degree to inside. Spread the arms so they are parallel to the floor. Extend trunk to the right side and drop right hand so that it touches the floor. Extend left arm vertically. Gaze at the left thumb while keeping the arms at opposite directions.[4]
5. Table Top Balance
Apart from improving balance, this pose improves memory, focus and coordination. It also builds core body strength. To begin, balance yourself on your all fours likes a table. and raise right leg back parallel to the floor, keeping your toes extended. Exhale and stretch left arms parallel to the finger. Hold yourself for 3-5 breath in this pose. Now, without looking behind hold your leg with your hand. Exhaling, place your hand to the floor. Draw knee and chin towards your chest. Hold there for 3-5 breaths.[5]
6. Swaying Palm Tree
This yoga pose is great for balance and central nervous system. It stretches the body and improves blood circulation. To begin with this pose, stand with your feet apart a little more than hip wide. Inhaling, raise the arm towards roof, keeping arms close to your head. Exhaling, bend from the waist to the left side. hold yourself for few seconds. Inhaling come to the centre and exhaling go towards right side. Stay in same position for some time.
Continue this yoga pose now in same manner, just allow your left arm to extend down your right leg with right arm reaching over your head to left. inhale in centre and exhale opposite sides. Practice 4-5 rounds of both movements.[6]
Caution: Please use Home Remedies after Proper Research and Guidance. You accept that you are following any advice at your own risk and will properly research or consult healthcare professional.