On one foot

My ability to maintain balance declines with age, so I try to keep it and even improve through exercise. In the morning, I practice a variety of postures. A central part of my routine is done on one foot and alternating between left and right. When standing on one foot, my brain constantly sends correction signals to my muscles to keep me stable. When I bring attention to my diaphragm and stomach muscles, I can observe their role in in the balancing effort.

Before sending muscle activation signals to restore balance, my brain factors in three primary input sources:

• Visual input
• Balance-related information from fluids in my ears
• Touch sensation on my feet

Fixing my eyes on a single point and avoiding other sensory distractions makes it easier to maintain balance. For example, I lose balance more easily when I practice on the beach while watching the waves, in a park where I’m looking at swaying trees, or in a room with dim light, where it’s more challenging to focus on a specific point.

The last on the list of exercises I do when practicing on one foot is probably the most effective. It’s simply standing on one foot with my eyes closed and trying to keep my balance. With my eyes shut, I have no visual input, leaving my brain with only two primary sources of input: the ear fluids and sensations from one foot. Eliminating visual input makes it more challenging for me to maintain my balance.

Over the years, I have noticed that breathing affects my balance when standing on one foot. More often than not, it’s on the inhale that I lose my balance. During the exhale, I feel more stable. So, when transitioning between postures while standing on one foot, I do it during the exhale.

Another interesting observation is that I maintain a better balance while smiling. Since I’m less stable when inhaling, I try to use smiling as an offsetting measure to improve my stability. Smiling contributes to balance when standing on one foot, but more than that, it can help balance many other things in life.