Day Two
INTRODUCTION
Hello again! Last week we discussed a little about our risk for falls and what we can do to help ourselves if we get into a tough situation. We worked on some breathing exercises that we can use to help us settle ourselves, and we did some stretches and exercises to improve our strength and flexibility. These can be very helpful when we become unsteady on our feet!
SELF-ASSESSMENT
While I was in the planning stages for this workshop, I was wondering if you all would be willing to get down on the ground on your mats. There are some things that we just don't know about until we try! So even though we are not going to do that here for this workshop, I would ask that you plan out a safe time with a trusted friend or family member at home to see how it goes for you. But make sure you try it with reliable help, and that you can get help right away if you do need it! See how easy or difficult is it for you to get down on the floor. How is it getting up? Can you do it hands free or without using any objects for assistance? It's okay if you need a little help but let's see how we can minimize our reliance on helpers and maximize our independence.
What is most important is that we -CAN- get up, and get assistance if needed. There is a study that reports that almost half of the people who have fallen cannot get up on their own, even if they are not injured. And how long you are down matters! Another study of 125 adults over age 65 that were on the floor for over an hour showed that half of them “went on to die within the following six months, even without a direct injury from the fall.” (2) I chose this topic for the workshop because I knew there was a need for it, based on what I saw happening to patients that come into the hospital. This thought was strongly reinforced once I started researching the topic, these numbers are grim! Thankfully we can work together on methods for fall prevention and learn how to improve our chances if we do fall.
EXERCISES DAY TWO
Today, lets FOCUS on BALANCE -
But first, BREATHING EXERCISES -
Let's start with the breath, just the way we did last week. Sit steady and tall in your seat, and place one hand over the sternum and the other over the belly. You can close your eyes, if that helps you focus. Breath deeply, and match the length of each inhalation to the exhalation. Extend each as much as it is comfortable, returning to normal breathing as needed. As you continue to focus on the breath, I'll talk a bit about balance.
Balance is a collaboration between the eyes, inner ears and the muscles and joints. The ankles are particularly important to balance because of their proprioreceptors, which give you a sense of body movement and where you are in space. Daily balancing poses can improve this quite a bit. Even if you only practice weekly, if you skip a week you'll notice it! Balancing skills need regular maintenance.
Balancing exercises are also helpful for increasing bone density, and that means a reduced incidence of fracture. Havard Heath reports that "numerous studies have shown that weight-bearing exercise can help to slow bone loss, and several show it can even build bone. Activities that put stress on bones stimulate extra deposits of calcium and nudge bone-forming cells into action (3)." And balancing exercises do just that!
FIND YOUR BALANCE -
(Using the chair if needed)
➺ Warm up, upper body
➺ Knee lifts with ankle rolls
➺ Tip toes (sounds easier than it is!)
➺ Warrior 3 - several leg and arm options
➺ Standing Gate Pose - transition to Half Moon
As we balance, feel the movements of the foot, ankle and lower leg - they are constantly making micro adjustments. Try closing your eyes for a second! When your balance starts to feel a little less certain, try tightening around the core, or standing up straighter. Sometimes a distractionary measure like wiggling your fingers can help too! It's okay if you fall out of the balancing pose, just take a deep breath and go back into it one step at a time. No shortcuts!
STRETCH -
➺ Side stretches, grasping wrist
➺ Forward fold - heads up!
➺ Gate pose, with twists - So important! See spiral method (4)
➺ Hands behind, open chest
STRENGTHEN -
➺ Arms T - Chair Pose
➺ Forward fold push ups
➺ Boat Pose, one leg or both
COOL DOWN -
➺ Stand up, arms up
➺ Standing side stretches
➺ Breezy twists
➺ Sit upright for deep, even breaths, closing your eyes for a moment as we end class
CLOSING -
To recap some of the things we talked about today, there are several activities we can do to minimize the risk of falling. One of these is to work on our sense of balance. A strong sense of balance can prevent a slip from becoming a fall. But balancing skills need to be worked on regularly! It's a great idea to work little balancing exercises into your daily routine. Maybe you stand on one foot when you brush your teeth in the morning, and stand on the other foot when you brush your teeth at night. You can try tree pose while the timer is counting down the minutes for your meal to cook. Every little bit makes a difference! Add balance with the strengthening and stretching, and you will go a long way towards preventing injury.
Open your eyes, let's take the arms out and up and share an awakening breath. Let your palms touch and come down through center towards the heart. And that's it for today! Thank you.
Oh! DON'T FORGET! - Take some time to get yourself down onto the floor and back up again this week! I'd love to hear about your experiences next week. Be safe!!
(3) https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/slowing-bone-loss-with-weight-bearing-exercise
(4) Spiral Method for getting up and down - https://youtu.be/Q9VsxiE_iQU
Additional video links, for getting up and down:
NAMASTE!
tHANK YOU!!