Small Steps to Big Balance

Do you ever just feel "off"? Or maybe you have some small irritating pain in your wrist, knees, or shoulder? These things are generally created by a lack of balance. I don't mean the kind of balance that lets you stand on the head of a pin with one toe on top of a high rise. I mean the kind of symmetry we all Don't Have in our habits. A real obvious silly one is driver's tan. If you drive in the same places all the time then you'll get a tan (or sunburn) on one arm. Switch it up! Drive at different times, take a different route, be a passenger, or GASP - walk.

Small things can create bigger problems or at least big imbalances in your day to day and your asana practice. Luckily you can find balance in small simple acts.

• Carry your purse/bag on the opposite arm sometimes.
• Carry your child on the other hip
• Hold hands on the other side (with others or in clasped hand stretches)
• Step off the curb with a different foot forward - You probably tend to always use the same one.
• Check how you stand - Is most of my weight on one side? Shift into the middle; weight evenly distributed through all 4 corners of both feet.
• On a subtle level - If you always practice yoga in the same spot or do handstands at the same piece of wall you may end up imbalanced because of small angles of the floor.

Everything you do can have big effects - most of these listed can cause one tight hip flexor or a pinched nerve in one shoulder. Think about your small actions.