The Good Egg: Wobbly Eggs Learn To Balance

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Aaaaand it’s Wednesday! Halfway through the week, friends! We’ve learned about becoming aware of our bodies and our eye contact during conversations. Let’s learn another “mindful listening” strategy: listening for underlying significance.

Today’s Challenge

Listen for underlying significance in your conversations. Basically, you are listening to the speaker and determining why the speaker is saying what he or she is saying.

Think: are they asking for advice? Are they just sharing to share and not looking for advice? Is there a certain emotion behind the speech (like fear, anger, joy, excitement, etc.)? Is the speaker open-hearted, or distant to the situation? Looking at body language and understanding their tone can help identify the answers to these questions.

By finding this underlying significance, you are able to be the listener that the speaker needs. The relationship and bond is strengthened.

Anyway, Wednesdays are typically yoga days and I decided that I want to cover a topic that is extremely important for our bodies: balance.

Yoga Poses for Balance

1. Balancing Mountain

What to do: Feet hip width apart. Roll your shoulders back. Lift heels as high as possible. Stare at a focal point to help with the balance. Breathe. Repeat 3–5x.

Benefits: Stretches and strengthens the arches of your feet, ankles, and legs.

*If this is too difficult, don’t lift your heels as high, or hold on to a chair or wall.

**If this is too easy, lift your arms up (like in the photo) as you raise your heels.

2. Knee to Chest

What to do: Feet hip width apart. Roll your shoulders back and hands on hips. Lift your left knee to hip height and foot flexed toward the floor. Find something to focus on to help you balance. Breathe. Repeat with the other leg and do this 3 to 5x.

Benefits: Strengthens legs, hips, and core.

*If it is too difficult, try to do it sitting down. Sit on floor with legs out in front of you and bring your knee to your chest.

**If it is too easy, try pulling your knee toward your chest using your hands.

3. Warrior 3 Variation

What to do: Feet hip width apart. Lift your left foot behind you and slowly tip your body forward. You want your left leg through your head to be as parallel to the floor as possible. Repeat on the other side 3 to 5x and breathe.

Benefits: Strengthens legs, butt, and back.

*If it is too difficult, put a hand on the wall or a chair, or keep your lifted leg’s toes on the floor.

**If it is too easy, put both your arms in front of you.

4. Tree Pose

What to do: Feet hip width apart. Lean on right foot and allow the left knee to turn to the side. Bring your left foot in and rest at your right ankle, without putting pressure on the right ankle. Slowly, put your hands together at your chest or reach them up toward the sky. Find a point to focus on, balance, and breathe. Repeat 3–5x and on the other side.

Benefits: Strengthens legs, hips, and core.

*If it is too difficult, place lifted foot a few inches away from other foot.

**If it is too easy, raise the lifted foot to your calf or inner thigh (not on the knee!). You can also try closing your eyes (be careful-that doesn’t work well for me).

5. Balancing Star

What to do: Feet hip width distance apart. Lift your right leg with foot flexed. Reach arms out wide with palms facing forward. Find a point to focus on, repeat 3–5x, and breathe.

Benefits: Strengthens legs, butt, and core.

*If it is too difficult, put your hands on the back of a chair or keep toes of lifted foot on the floor.

**It it is too easy, look at the your hand on the lifted side.

For more on these exercises and more balancing poses check out silver sneakers.

I hope these balancing yoga poses help strengthen your body and improve your overall balance. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

-The Good Egg 🐣