BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Yoga Can You Stand on One Leg?

OK I hit my first "hurdle" in my yoga path They wanted me to stand on one leg and I kept tipping over.

Can most people stand on one leg with their other leg pressed up against their knee?

yes this is a trick! start with both feet on the ground and 50 50 weight on each foot then SLOWLY shift your weight to one foot and pick up the other foot about an inch or so off the floor when you stop wobbling then slowly move your foot to your calf and work your way up to your inner thigh. practice with both legs equaly and after a week or so..... you will strenghten those muscle and get better balenceing! Also focus on something that doesnt move that is infront of you like a picture on the wall something that is eye level this help. If you and a partner are doing this together and you are both wobbling and looking at eachother the visual cue are off.

Hope this helps! you can also use a chair to help balence but I would not do it that way because you become depended on the chair.

Haha, i just tried it, i am so off balance

you are moving to fast the key is to move very slowly! very very very slowly so your body has time to adjust to the new pose.

I definitely think this is something I am going to need to practice for a week or two before I get the hang of it. But I also think I will be quite proud of myself when I do figure it out and it will be a good milestone for me

A week or two??! I STILL have problems with that!
I can do it just fine alone in the bathroom with all the walls nearby, but in class in the big yoga studio? Forget about it!
Some nights are worse than others, sometimes I am so antsy there's no way I can get one foot off the floor, and sometimes it happens easily.
So don't be discouraged if it takes you a while.

Balance poses are still my yoga nemesis! I can balance pretty darn good in my walking shoes. Barefoot, on a concrete floor on my yoga mat with other people in the room. Fuggedaboutit!

But, I've been practicing and trying to listen to my instructor and I'm really improving. I can hold one leg behind me now and balance on the other one. Not for long, but some.

Here are her tips:

Do like freespirit and go slowly. Balance on both feet equally (in mountain pose), then, tell your standing foot to support your body weight, then just put your other foot out to the side--touch with your toe and balance there for awile. Then, slowly move your foot to your calf and balance there.

Never put your foot up against your knee. If you start to fall, you could kick your knee and hurt the joint, so rest it on your calf or thigh.

Then, she adds arm movements to it and then we do the other leg. A different instructor had us holding our leg behind us -- like you do a quad stretch--standing there for awhile, then bending at the hip and leaning forward. I could not do it in class at all, but I've done it since. Not for long, but man, you feel good when you can do that!

Balance is so important, especially as we get older. There would be far fewer hip fractures (did you know, most elderly people die within a year of breaking a hip?) if we retained our balance longer.

Oh see my DVD is very basic, all I have to do is stand there, no moving around or anything else. So hopefully I can figure out how to do that soon!

That is a scary statistic about the hip breaking, Deb. You are so right, it would be so important for seniors to stay mobile and flexible. In other societies seniors remain active and engaged - and I think part of the problem here in the US is that seniors are often sent off to homes where they just sit still all day.

that is true most elderly die within a year or so after a hip break. and the ones that live longer decline in health really quick so....

Tai Chi is great for the elderly. it strengthens the thighs and improves balence and cordenation!

I am really good on one leg, but i am sure this is from all the rock climbing. you have to have excellent balance for most face moves.

I have this stability Disc I bought and I like to stand on one leg on it while using hand weights. (okay, now I am bragging). Anyway, doing that is supposed to help my core.