I was wondering if anyone else has this issue - my balance is very good on my right foot but absolutely terrible on my left. I wobble all over the place and can’t balance for long at all. I wonder why this is? Do most people have different balance from one side to the other?
1 Like
Hey Helen - I guess that it may be down to the strength in the leg, ankle and the way in which you ground your foot on the right side vs left. I definitely find that I’m better balancing on one foot than the other. It may be psychological as much as anything too - it’s so easy to think too hard about balancing on a foot that you believe is weaker than the other - then lose concentration and balance. I’ve certainly got better on both sides over time, so I guess it just comes down to keeping practicing.
2 Likes
Thanks. That’s what I’ve been trying to work out, if it’s in my head or not. But I do think I’m ‘right footed’ as well as right handed. It’s strange how one side of the body seems to be so much stronger than the other.
1 Like
Hey again - so I was speaking with my yoga teacher about balance this week. I found myself balancing so well on one side in the class that I could stayed there for ages, while on the other, I wasn’t so steady. His thoughts were that a lot of it was due to posture. He teaches anatomy classes and gets his students to put their feet in talcum powder and place them on the ground. From the imprint left he could tell a lot about their posture, and this would then have a bearing on balance. For example, by leaning to left or right would have a bearing on muscle development on that side. I guess a lot still comes down to being rooted in a balance pose before starting, and strengthening over time, but then also recognising the impact of subtle differences in posture. I hope that helps.
1 Like
Thanks, yes it does make sense. I know my posture has been out all my life as my feet are flat, particularly on that side. I think yoga is going a long way to correct that but still a slow process. My counsellor said my balance is off some times more than others because its about being in my centre and the left hand side is the ‘child side’. Which is another interesting idea. i find it fascinating the way our inner world shapes our bodies, our posture, and a yoga practice shows it more clearly.
definitely, and how those ‘corrections’ to posture etc do take so long to achieve when, like you say, you’ve been living a whole life with posture being a certain way that it becomes normal. it’s like servicing your body through a yoga practice, giving you the direction towards a new pathway in life.
1 Like