Articles About Balance


  • 5 Lessons Learned While Teaching My Child to Ride a Bike
    5 Lessons Learned While Teaching My Child to Ride a Bike

    Author Nicci Cloete Annette

    I’m busy going through the wonderful, if harrowing, rite of passage of teaching my four-year-old how to ride a proper bicycle. Harrowing for me, that is – he is as fearless and plucky as can be...I’m spending long afternoons running up and down the driveway and path outside our house, hanging onto the saddle while I push him along, his little legs pumping up and down like pistons, but not doing very much in terms of actually propeling him forward. I’m getting fit, he’s having a ball, and I’m confident that it’s just a matter of time before he gets the hang of it.
  • Interconnections of Ardha Chandrasana: Half-Moon Pose
    Interconnections of Ardha Chandrasana: Half-Moon Pose

    Author Ray Long, MD, FRCSC

    The main story or the primary focus of Ardha Chandrasana is an intense stretch of the hamstring, gluteal, and gastrocnemius muscles on the back of the standing leg. A subplot is the balancing act that takes place in the pose. The actions of maintaining our balance and stretching the muscles on the back of the standing leg are interconnected. For example, contracting the quadriceps and hip flexors of the standing leg helps to maintain balance but also signals the muscles at the back of the leg that are stretching, the hamstrings and gluteals, to relax through the physiological process of reciprocal inhibition.
  • Vrksasana: The Story of Tree Pose
    Vrksasana: The Story of Tree Pose

    Author Ray Long, MD, FRCSC

    Vrksasana is both a balancing pose and, secondarily, a hip opener. It also contains elements of movement that ascend while others remain rooted into the ground. Apply the concepts used in Tadasana to the standing leg in Tree Pose, beginning with the foot. Remember that changes in the pressure of the standing foot are transmitted to the pelvic core and vice versa. Connect the two regions in the mind. Try the pose in a setting where you can place the hand on a wall for balance (even if you can balance without the wall). 
  • 6 Tips for Transitioning into Fall
    6 Tips for Transitioning into Fall

    Author Melina Meza

    September is often seen as the beginning of the fall season and is considered a “joint season” in Ayurveda, because it is a vulnerable time of year when it’s easy to catch a cold or get sick if your life is moving too fast or is out of balance. Slowing down from a busy, fun summer full of adventure and travels is not always as easy as it sounds, but is often necessary as we start experiencing less daylight, less warmth, and less vacation time! Ayurveda is a system that believes in preventative healthcare over treating patients after they get sick, so here a few ideas how to start a fall routine with prevention in mind. 
  • The Art of Retreating: For Body and Mind Self-Repair
    The Art of Retreating: For Body and Mind Self-Repair

    Author Lilamaya (Liliana Galvis)

    The first and foremost step towards positive change and renewal is recognizing the poor choices we make on a regular basis as well as the fact of how unaware we really are. That is the first step towards awareness. Years upon years of such poor lifestyle end in a manifestation of disease. Change starts from within with a real sense of genuine commitment to want to improve your well-being and keep disease at bay.
  • Ayurvedic Tools for Maintaining Balance During Autumn
    Ayurvedic Tools for Maintaining Balance During Autumn

    Author Natalie Rousseau-Horscroft RYT

    According to the ancient Indian science of Ayurveda the autumn season is characterized by Vata dosha, which means, “that which moves things”. Vata is made up of the elements of Air and Ether (Space) and its qualities are movement, light (in contrast to heavy), dryness, roughness, and subtlety.
  • Yoga on the Rocks
    Yoga on the Rocks

    Author Glynnis Osher

    Have you ever tried doing a headstand, handstand or just stood on one leg and found it challenging to balance? Now close your eyes and try that. Wobbly? Balance is something we all strive for, and from an ayurvedic and yogic perspective it is about the understanding that balance is really a practice in present moment awareness.