It’s In Your Head! The Physiology of Balance.
“It is through falling down that we learn to stand up.”
Those of us who’ve been doing yoga for some time may have forgotten just how challenging a “basic” balancing pose, like Tree Pose, can be. Perhaps we’ve even come to expect to stand on one leg, if ever and whenever we want: I know I’ve been frustrated before for falling out of such a “simple” pose as Vrksasana.
But that was before I knew the physiological demands of the pose. Once I realized the complicated set of adjustments and calibrations required to make the necessary shifts in weight and orientation, my frustration yielded to awe over the brilliant design of the human body.
The following summary just glazes the surface of what goes on when we balance on one leg—an act that long-time yoga practitioner, author, and physician Dr. Mel Robins compares to “balancing a broomstick on the end of the finger”—but it reveals enough to invoke some appreciation for the hard-earned ability to perform a well-rooted tree!
Semicircular canals of the inner ear monitor tilting and rotation, as well as speed of rotation, of the head; neural interconnections with these canals cause the eyes to integrate the actions of the head, such that, as the head turns, the eyes move in the opposite direction at a slightly slower rate; and proprioceptors (or ‘position receptors’) all over our skin pinpoint exactly what the body is doing at all times (for example, proprioceptors on the feet determine whether standing ground is level or not). The brain receives the information from these systems and analyzes what’s needed to stay steady, and faster than you can blink, our muscles respond.
The good thing is that balance is a skill trained in nearly all the yoga postures, not only those where we stand on one leg (or both hands, or the head, for that matter). And it is a skill we can improve with practice and consistency.
“In every pose, the student is pulled by gravity toward the centre of the earth and onto the floor . . . It is our work to resist this natural attraction, using yogic extension.” Mel Robins
As we get older, many things occur that can make the fear of falling a reasonable one. Our joints become more rigid and less mobile; muscle mass declines and becomes less reflexive; sharpness of the inner ear and eyesight fades and dexterity is diminished. Self-confidence takes a hit alongside this fear of falling. And although we can’t halt the process of aging altogether, according to Robins, we can minimize its effects through the practice of yoga.
The next time you prepare to enter Tree Pose (or any other balancing posture), do so mindfully: spread the toes to widen your foundation, soften the knees to lower your centre of gravity, and focus your gaze to steady the mind. But above all else, enter the pose with a deep appreciation for the inner workings of your body and a compassionate response to falling because, in this instance, quite literally, falling is learning.
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