We all know that staying balanced physically is imperative to prevent harmful falls, especially in older adults. What most people don’t realize is balance can be greatly improved with practice. Don’t believe anyone who says, “Oh, you know when you age you lose your balance.” The reason it seems like a person loses their balance when they age is because they don’t practice balance. Think about it, kids are always testing and playing with their balance on a daily basis with activities such as walking on a fence, hopping on one foot, spinning, tumbling, riding bikes, etc. If adults continued kid-like activities throughout their years, they would maintain their balance (not to mention other health benefits). This is yet another reason I teach yoga – to bring the kid-like activities back into adult lives to improve balance.
Emotionally we’ve all heard that we need to keep a “balance” in our lives to maintain our mental health, but have you really asked yourself what does emotional balance look like for you? How does your emotional balance fit around the standard 40 hour work week? And with the increasing cost of housing and inflation, so many people are required to work 60-70 hours each week to cover basic expenses. Similarly in the book of Exodus in the Bible, the Isrealites were forced to work harder and longer hours to provide for their families. How long can we continue this pace before we burn out like they did? The millennials are already looking for alternative solutions to this problem with tiny homes and remote work. Back in the 1980’s when I first began my working career, making a living seemed much easier. In my 20’s I made more than I’m making now, yet my living expenses were half.
When I studied Occupational Therapy it was stressed that everyone requires a balance of WORK, PLAY, REST and SLEEP.
- Work – purposeful activity contributing to family and societal needs. It also gives a person a sense of accomplishment and confidence.
- Play – everyone, including adults, NEED a chance to play, participating in an activity which they truly enjoy, to reduce stress and give their cortisol levels a break, and decrease the risk of depression.
- Rest – time to wind down, relax, meditate, read, passively watch a show.
- Sleep – new studies have revealed everyone NEEDS 7-8 hours of sleep per night. You are not the exception! I used to think I felt good after 6 hours of sleep, but recent studies have shown the last 1-2 hours of sleep is especially important because that’s when the brain cleans up the beta-amyloid plaque. Scientists now think,
- “During the non-REM sleep stage, the brain can clear toxins and other compounds, including beta-amyloid, which is implicated in Alzheimer’s and other brain disorders. In rodent studies, long-term restriction of sleep is linked to a rise in the level of beta-amyloid in the brain.” (NIH, 2020)
As we enter the new season of fall and kids returning to school, let’s take a few moments and ask ourselves, “What does a balanced life look like to me, and how can I achieve it?” Also, practice your physical balance by striking up a tree pose every time you have “a microwave moment” (waiting for something to cook in the microwave) or waiting for water to boil.
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Join us for yoga classes (aka adult play time!) this fall to help improve your balance! Contact me for details: https://rockymountainholyyoga.com/contact/
Resources:
NIH/2020, “Sleep Disturbances Linked to Abnormal Deposits of Certain Proteins in the Brain” National Institute on Aging, November 12, 2020, Retrieved from: https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/sleep-disturbances-linked-abnormal-deposits-certain-proteins-brain#:~:text=During%20the%20non%2DREM%20sleep,Alzheimer’s%20and%20other%20brain%20disorders.
Body Blessings Yoga 
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