Five best yoga poses for improving balance

Yoga is a great method for improving balance. While picturesque poses like Tree Pose (Vrksasana) or Dancer Pose (Natarajasana) are often associated with balancing, there is more to balance than being able to stand on one foot.

For me, the key to balance isn’t centered on being able to do a particular pose, but rather to have the requisite physical and functional ability—components that are crucial to having an active life, mobility, and a reduced chance of injury.

Oftentimes injuries related to balance occur during routine transitions or movement—stepping up onto a curb, turning to grab something you just forgot, or stretching for something just out of reach. Such incidents occur when your body hasn’t fully adapted to a new position.

These five yoga poses help you improve your balance and prepare for life’s transitions. In addition to these poses, there is a mindfulness component to balance and transitions. Slowing things down and being more aware of your experience will help you better maintain your balance and give your body and mind a chance to prepare for new body positions, planes, and situations.

Hand-to-Big-Toe Pose (Hasta Padangusthasana)

This is a one-legged pose and that alone helps you practice balancing, but the reason why I like it (more than say Tree Pose) is that the actions required are more natural and common in everyday life. We lift our knees up in front of us when climbing stairs or getting in a car, for example. So, it is important to practice this motion when trying to improve balance and stability.

How to do it:

1.      From standing, begin to put your weight into your left foot, lifting your right heal.

2.      Engage your abdominal muscles to brace your core and slowly lift your right thigh up to hip level.

3.      You can keep your knee bent with your hands under your thigh or extend your leg and, if possible, grab your right big toe with your right fore- and middle fingers.

4.      Your left hand can rest on your hip or hold a chair or wall for extra support. After holding the pose for 5 breaths, switch legs.

Chair Pose (Utkatasana)

Chair Pose strengthens the legs and core muscles while helping you practice an everyday movement. The transition to and from a seated position can present a risk for losing balance and injury.

You can practice this pose with the help of a chair or wall and you don’t have to bend your knees deeply. Focus on finding steadiness while going in and out of the pose, and hold it for a couple of breaths.

How to do it:

1.      Standing with feet together or hip-width apart, bend your knees, bringing your hips behind you (not under you).

2.      Bring your arms up by your ears or hold onto a chair or wall. Your chest will hinge forward some; try to keep your shoulders pulling down and back so your back doesn’t round forward and keep your knees aligned above your ankles. Hold for five breaths. 

Crescent Pose/High Lunge (Ashta Chandrasana)

This is my favorite pose for balance. The body is in an asymmetric position, with one leg forward and bent and one leg back and straight with the heel up. The legs are moving away from your body in two directions and the back heel being up creates some instability. The more your appendages move away from the body, the more your core muscles need to help stabilize your center.

In High Lunge the back knee may be a little bent, especially on the leg with the tighter hip (in my case my right hip)

There are several variations in this pose that allow you to challenge your balance. You can practice this pose with a hand on a wall or chair, you can keep both hands on your hips instead of raising them by your ears, or you can twist toward the side with the forward, bent leg.

How to do it:

1.      From standing, step your right foot back several feet behind you, your legs still aligned with your hips and both hip points facing forward.

2.      Begin to bend the front knee, keeping it aligned over your ankle; keep your back leg straight. The back right heel will be off the ground, with just your toes and ball of your foot to stabilize you.

3.      You can raise your arms by your ears or hold onto a chair or wall.

4.      Spend five breaths here before stepping your back leg forward and switching to the other side.

Bird-Dog Pose/Balancing Table (Dandayamna Bharmanasana)

While this isn’t a standing balance pose, it is very effective for improving core strength (which is necessary for good balance) and maintaining stability while on hands and knees. It is important for everyday function to be able to get up and down from the floor (for example) with stability and this is the best pose to practice that.

How to do it:

1.      Come to a quadruped position, with shoulders aligned over wrists and hips over knees. Raise your right leg, keeping your hips level. Try to prevent collapsing down through your shoulders, torso, and hips.

2.      If you feel stable, raise your left arm as well, extending it forward by your ear and keeping your shoulders level. Extend through the raised hand and your heel, lengthening your body.

3.      Lower your arm and leg down back to neutral quadruped position then repeat on the other side, raising your left foot and right arm. You can hold each side for several breaths and practice several repetitions on each side to build strength and stability.  

Revolved Triangle (Parivritta Trikonasana)

This pose is one of the best balancing poses because, like the others, it has a significant functional benefit. We often reach down to grab something in daily life, but unless we are directly in front of the object, we also have to reach to one side or another. Twisting and forward folding in this pose changes the plane of the body, which creates a greater challenge for your balance.

How to do it:

1.      From standing at the top of your mat, step your right leg back several feet and turn the foot out.

2.      As you exhale extend your torso over the plane of the front leg, hinging at the hip. Keep both legs straight.

3.      Rotate your torso to the left, bringing your bottom arm to a chair, a block, the ground, or your shin.

4.      Your top hand can rest on your left hip or come up toward the ceiling. Either way, use the top arm to help avoid collapsing the chest down.

5.      After five breaths, rotate your chest back to center, come up, and bring your legs together before switching sides.

Note: If you have scoliosis or a leg-length discrepancy, see my post “Best yoga poses for improving balance with a leg-length discrepancy” for a slightly different approach to improving your stability when you are inherently imbalanced.