This month in our classes we are focusing on balance.  This is a definition I came across that I really like:

"Balance is the ability to distribute our weight in a way that lets you stand or move without falling, or recover if you trip.  Good balance requires the coordination of several parts of the body: the central nervous system, inner ear, eyes muscles, bones, and joints. Problems with any one of these can affect balance." (Balance - Harvard Health)

To recap. balance is tied to 3 main systems:

• Proprioceptors – which are sensory organs – special nerve cells -  found in the muscles, tendons, skin and joints (link to my blog on prop)
• Vestibular system – which is one of the systems in the inner ears 
• Eyes and vision

The vestibular system is located in each of our inner ears.  This system is different than the structures in our ears that help us hear.  Rather, this system helps us with balance.  Like the proprioceptors, the sensory receptors in the ears respond to movement, and send messages to the brain about where we are in space, how we are moving, and how the head is moving.

The eyes give us immediate feedback about where we are. The rods and cones (sensory receptors) send information to the brain when light reaches them, providing visual information about where we are in space relative to other objects in the space.

This week I’ve been playing with movements that rock, roll, twist and turn me as a way to challenge myself to know where I am in space.  And since we can’t really isolate any of the systems, you’ll be working on your proprioception and vision systems as well. Since the vestibular system and our vision are closely related I’ve been playing around with closing my eyes or changing my gaze (drishti) to see how that affects my experience of “balance” and stability. If you are curious to learn more, there are some really interesting articles on www.vestibular.org.

Here is a rocking, rolling, twisting, turning practice for you to explore .

I hope you enjoy it!

Check out my schedule of classes and videos for more movement practices!