Minding Your Balance
Class #1 - Winter Workshop 2019
Minding balance involves bringing awareness to the perceptual side of balance: Where am I in
space in relationship to gravity as I move through the world?
Multisensory Sense of Balance
- Vestibular (inner ear sense of motion)
- Visual
- Tactile
- Proprioceptive (muscle and joint info)
Shin Shin Toitsu Aikido
Aikido
AI = To harmonize or connect
KI = Energy
DO = The way or path
The way of harmonizing with energy
Shin Shin Toitsu
Shin = Heart/Mind/Spirit
Shin = Body/Physical self
Toitsu = To thread together as one
Mind body coordination
When Do Falls Happen?
Falls Study
- Incorrect Weigh Shift - 41%
- Trip or Stumble - 21%
- Hit or Bump - 11%
- Loss of Support - 11%
- Collapse - 11%
- Slip - 3%
- Unknown - 3%
Center of Mass Disturbances - Sitting Down, Standing Quietly, Walking Forward
Tools
Mind Body Techniques for Better Balance
- Center - place attention at your center of balance. Remember that center is a vantage point from which to act, not a place to lock attention.
- Compare to be Aware - shift your weight from side to side (and/or front to back) to find the feel of balance between the two extremes. Do the same moving just your attention from side to side or front to back. Do you feel your body move?
Keep In Mind
Attention, intention, and mental imagery are embedded components of movement control. Recognizing that mind leads movement opens the door to purposefully taking control for better balance and coordination.
Practice & Application
Explore Centered Movement
- Household activities - in the kitchen, working with tools, moving furniture or boxes, shoveling snow, vacuuming, et al
- Exercise & Sports - working with weights, stretching, yoga, tai chi, et al
- Walking anywhere!
- Challenges - slippery or uneven surfaces, poor lighting
Mind Body Balance Inventory
Homework!
- Make a note of when you tend to be stable on your feet, including when you feel "grounded" or you "stand tall" in personal situations.
- Make a note of when you tend to be unstable on your feet, including when you feel "on shaky ground" or "thrown" by personal challenges.
Become aware of the simple moments in life when you experience a personal sense of balance: tap your own experience to discover mental imagery that can trigger a balanced state - literally and figuratively.
More Resources
Check out the Balance Blog for more on applying the mind body techniques and on the science behind the balance/mind/emotion connection.