Pilates Beyond the StudioBalance: Balance

Staying Steady in a Changing World

What comes to mind when you hear the word balance?

Maybe standing on one leg.

Maybe a Pilates exercise where you feel like you're wobbling all over the place.

Maybe trying not to fall when you put your socks on.

Balance is often treated like a skill you either have or don't have.

But balance isn't really about being perfectly still.

Balance is about being able to respond.

Every time you walk, your body is constantly making tiny adjustments to keep you upright.

The ground changes.

You change direction.

Someone walks in front of you.

You step over something.

You reach for something on a shelf.

You carry a bag in one hand.

You turn your head while walking.

Your body has to continually sense what's happening, make adjustments and respond.

That's balance.

Balance isn't just standing on one leg

Standing on one leg is a useful way to challenge balance—but it's only one small piece of the puzzle.

Good balance depends on several systems working together:

Strength helps you control your body and respond when you lose your center of gravity.

Mobility allows your joints to move enough to make the adjustments you need.

Vision gives your brain information about where you are in your environment.

The vestibular system helps your brain understand movement and orientation.

Proprioception gives you information about where your body is in space.

And your brain and nervous system constantly integrate all of this information to help you stay upright and adapt.

In other words:

Balance is a whole-body skill.

Why does this matter?

Because the world doesn't always cooperate with us.

A perfectly smooth studio floor is predictable.

A sidewalk isn't.

A Pilates exercise where you know exactly what's coming is predictable.

A dog suddenly crossing your path isn't.

Walking across your living room is predictable.

Carrying groceries while opening the front door is not always.

Our everyday lives require us to adapt.

Research consistently connects balance and other measures of physical capability with health and independence as we age. Studies have found that poorer performance on physical capability measures—including standing balance, walking speed and chair-rise ability—is associated with greater risk of adverse health outcomes and mortality.

But this isn't only an “older adult” issue.

Balance is something worth developing throughout adulthood because we all benefit from being able to respond to our environment with control and confidence.

What does Pilates have to do with balance?

Quite a lot.

In Pilates, we might challenge your balance by:

• standing on one leg and moving the equipment with the other

• changing your base of support

• shifting your weight

• moving your arms while maintaining stability

• transitioning between positions

• working with an unstable surface, such as kneeling on the reformer

• moving slowly and deliberately

• changing your orientation in space; working in sitting, standing, lying on your stomach, side and back

  
  

But there's something even more important happening underneath all of that.

We're teaching you to notice.

Where is your weight?

Where is your center?

Can you feel yourself starting to wobble?

Can you make a small adjustment before you have to make a big one?

That awareness is valuable far beyond the studio.

The goal isn't perfect balance

This might be the most important part.

You are supposed to wobble.

Wobbling is information.

Your body moves slightly away from its center of gravity, your brain recognizes it, and your muscles make an adjustment.

That's balance.

The goal isn't to eliminate every wobble.

It's to become better at responding to the wobble.

And that is something we can practice.

Try this at home

Here's a simple experiment.

Stand near a countertop, wall or sturdy chair for support.

Shift your weight slowly from one foot to the other.

Then try lifting one foot just slightly off the ground.

Notice:

• Which side feels easier?

• Where do you feel the most work?

• Do you hold your breath?

• Do you tense your shoulders?

• Can you make small adjustments without immediately grabbing for support?

Now try it again while moving your arms slowly.

Or turn your head gently from side to side.

Notice how much more information your body suddenly has to process.

That's balance.

Not standing perfectly still.

Adapting.

Balance gives you options

One of the things we love about Pilates is that we're not trying to create a body that never struggles.

We're creating a body that has options.

If the ground is uneven, you can adjust.

If you lose your balance, you can respond.

If something changes unexpectedly, you can adapt.

And the more confident you become in your ability to respond, the less you have to fear movement.

That's Pilates Beyond the Studio.

We're not practicing balance so you can stand on one leg for a few more seconds.

We're practicing balance so you can move through your life with greater confidence, adaptability and ease.

The research

Research on physical capability has found associations between measures such as standing balance, walking speed and chair-rise performance and subsequent health outcomes. Balance is also influenced by multiple systems, including vision, vestibular function, proprioception and musculoskeletal strength.

For more information, see:

Cooper R, et al. Objective measures of physical capability and subsequent health: a systematic review. BMJ. 2011.