5 Yoga Poses to Improve Balance in Seniors

When we approach our senior years, maintaining balance when walking or standing can become an issue. This is where yoga can help. Yoga is a great way to increase your stability, stay fit, and expand your flexibility. Yoga has been used for centuries to improve balance. Implementing a daily yoga routine will help build muscle and keep your core fit. The yoga poses in this article can help to improve balance issues by strengthing the body’s core muscles. Remember, breathing is an essential step in every posture.

5 Yoga Poses to Improve Balance for The Elderly

1. Tree Pose

Shift your weight onto your right foot. Bend your left knee and place the sole of your foot as high as you comfortably can on your right inner thigh. Point your toes down. Raise your arms overhead and relax your shoulders. Repeat on the other side.

2. The High Lunge

Starting in a runner’s lunge, raise your torso upright and reach your arms overhead, palms facing each other. Make sure your front knee is parallel to the floor, back leg straight, hips forward. Repeat on the other side.

3. Standing Extended Big Toe

Place your hands on your hips and relax your shoulders. Shift your weight onto your right foot. Lift your left leg in front of you, bringing it parallel to the floor (or as close to parallel as you can). Repeat on the other side.

4. Chair Pose

Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Extend your arms forward, pretend there’s a chair behind you, and “sit” as far as you comfortably can.

5. Triangle Pose

Stand with your feet roughly four feet apart, turning your left foot out on a 90-degree angle. Raise your arms out to the sides, so they’re parallel to the floor, palms down. Keeping your legs firmly in place and only moving your torso, reach your left hand down toward your ankle and your right hand to the ceiling. Repeat on the other side.

Conclusion

Start doing a few of these postures, first and add more as you gain confidence. Make sure not to overextend yourself. Take time and ease into each pose. As we age, we can lose muscle that helps to maintain our balance. Practicing these yoga postures can help build and maintain those essential muscles to keep a proper balance.