How to Improve Your Balance in Standing Poses

Balancing poses are brilliant for creating a sense of focus and calm in the body. They challenge us physically and mentally and also bring us fully into the present. It's for that reason that I tend to include a lot balance poses into my own practice and in my classes.

With that in mind, I created a short 10-minute balance flow for you to practice at home. Try it out using my top five tips to feel stronger, more stable and centered in balancing poses and let me know if feel a difference!

Top Five Balancing Tips

1. First off think of your foundation - just like building a house, you want your foundation to be strong and solid. In standing poses, your foundation is the foot and leg that you're standing on. So tip number one is really ground through all four corners of your foot. Press your foot firmly into the mat and feel that you're pushing it through the mat. Then use your imagination to visualise sending energetic roots deep into the earth.

2. Once your foot is solid, really engage your standing leg. Take the time to contract the muscles of that leg - you should be able to feel and see your kneecap lifting.

3. All balance is about core - whatever you're doing should be coming from a centered place so really take the time to connect to your core. Before lifting or moving a leg, connect to your powerhouse, your core. It's also a good idea to do a few core poses before flowing through balance poses.

4. Fix your gaze, your drishti on a point in front of you. So find something (a mark on the floor for instance) about a metre away from your mat to focus on and keep your gaze fixed there. This alone makes a massive difference!

5. Finally, stay connected to your breath. This is important throughout your yoga practice, but I often see students holding their breath when balancing - remember to breathe! If you're not breathing, you're not in balance.

And as with everything, keep it light - don't take it too seriously! That's why it's called yoga practice and not yoga perfect. Have fun and let me know how you're getting on. I always love to hear from you!