Balance Better With Pilates

Do you want to balance better? Like on your tiptoes? Or what about on one foot… Or your elbow, on your backside, or your shoulder blades and the back of your head? We balance in all of these ways (and more!) in Pilates. There is a lot of balance work in Pilates because it helps to “turn on” so many of your muscles; but getting good at it all will take practice.

Don’t Mind the Wobbles

When you first start to practice balancing, it can be frustrating! You think it should be easy to stand on one foot, but then you wobble and might have to use your other foot or a hand to stabilize you. I find that I get the wobbles when my mind wanders or I start to talk, because good balance takes focus! That means beginners have the added challenge of learning the exercises while trying to keep their balance. 

Balancing can also be a bit scary depending on the surface you’re on. Standing on the moving reformer carriage or the top of the Wunda Chair can be nerve wracking! No one wants to fall. As your teacher, I definitely don’t want you to fall, either! 

So let me tell you that it’s okay to wobble! 

Your body doesn’t want you to fall down, so it reacts quickly to help you stabilize. This is where all those muscles required to support your body come in. Your abdominal muscles, pelvic floor, glutes, hips, knees and ankles are all stabilizing muscles. When they feel like you’re going to lose your balance, they start to fire and work to keep you upright. You may stumble a little bit, but with practice you’ll soon notice that you can balance better. You’ll get stronger and your body will start to automatically know what to do to help keep you balanced on whatever body part or surface you’re balancing on. 

Build Up To Better Balance

If you’re a beginner, there is no way you should be standing on top of the Wunda Chair on day one. Pilates is designed to help you progress naturally with a specific order of exercises on the mat and reformer; you begin close to the ground or mat with more of your body touching the ground. Slowly you progress to exercises that have less of your body on the mat that take more balance. 

Also, your teacher should be selecting balancing exercises that are appropriate for your ability and work up to more challenging ones. As you get better balance, your teacher can start to introduce exercises that are more advanced. Then with micro adjustments and advancements, the stronger and more controlled you get.

Reasons to Improve Your Balance

Maintaining or improving your balance can help you to avoid falls and injuries. It will also help you to perform daily activities with more ease. There are many times in a day that you are on just one foot at a time: walking, running, going up stairs, reaching up to a shelf to get something, or stepping into the tub or shower.  

You also need balance to do fun things, like: 

• Biking
• Hiking
• Skiing
• Surfing
• Paddleboarding
• Getting on a boat
• Kayaking
• Walking on a rocky beach or into a creek
• Rock climbing
• Kickboxing and other martial arts
• Dancing 
• Skateboarding
• Scootering
• Even chilling in a hammock takes balance to get in and out!

I love how Pilates incorporates balance into so many exercises. Sometimes with rolling, other times with springs trying to control you, and other times where you need to find stability in one specific part of your body in order to keep the balance. I also think balancing can be fun. (Seal always makes someone giggle.)

Good balance makes sense. So let yourself wobble, focus, have fun, and you’ll see an improvement in no time.