Oops! I Just Lost My Balance!

"Oops! I Just Lost My Balance" are words you never want to hear. Right? In fact, losing your balance can result in devastating falls, trips to the hospital, or worse.

Most people don't give balance training much thought until they experience a bad fall resulting in a concussion or broken hip. Fortunately, however, tai chi offers us a means to improve our balance every time we practice the White Crane Set.

When we begin tai chi, our knees are slightly bent, our back is straight, and our balance is divided equally between both feet. But as we begin our set, weight shifts to the left leg and then to the right leg as we turn and move. At this point, we must move our center of balance to the weighted foot in order to pick up the left knee and step out.

In almost every movement we shift our weight from one foot to the other. Maintaining our center of balance over the weighted foot is a key rule of Tai Chi, and failure to master this rule results in hesitant and shakey movement throughout the set.

Not only is balance key to tai chi, but It is essential to keep us from falling in our daily lives. Being able to maintain your balance could save you from serious injury. So don't let, "Oops, I just lost my balance," be what you say before a dangerous fall. To sharpen your balance, just keep on practicing tai chi every day.

Namaste