Are you challenging your balance enough?

Happy Thursday! Here’s an anecdote, an exercise and an inspiration.

Anecdote: While walking to the gym last weekend, I was sending a flurry of texts involving the day’s logistics for my kids when I bumped into a fallen tree.

In case you needed a reminder to put down your phone and take in your surroundings, at least in whatever precious moments you can be outside…

Exercise: All of us need to work on our balance as we age. A huge takeaway from my recent neuro yoga training is that our balance will only improve through exercises that are sufficiently challenging.

Our brains learn and grow through failure. If you find stillness in a balancing pose, it feels good in the moment (and there’s certainly something to be said for that), but you improve your balance when you need to fight for it. In other words: Embrace the wobbles! Wobbling means you are learning and growing.

The exercise in this video is called a sharpened Romberg. It’s used as a diagnostic test in neurology. It’s also a great way to improve your balance and can be done anytime, anywhere. Stand up and try it for a minute with me?

Start with one foot in front of the other like you’re on a balance beam. If the initial stance is too hard, try it with your feet slightly wider apart and progress to the balance beam stance over time. Go as far as you can in the sequence so that you’re wobbling and fighting for your balance but not falling over.

Inspiration: I love this list from Zenya of Light of Mindfulness:“Psychologists Don’t Tell You: 25 Micro Habits That Truly Calm Your Mind—No Meditation, No Vacations Required.”

Also, Zenya’s post “Harvard Psychologists Warn: 25 Morning Habits Are More Destroying Your Mental Health Than You Think” is in line with the minimalist morning routine I shared last week.