When did you stop wobbling

[User1706]

I've recently pushed myself to try a yoga class. Very different and completely new to me, I'm not traditionally spiritual, sporty etc or whatever a typical yoga person may stereotypically be. Nevertheless I really enjoyed it and have tried to keep up practice both at home and with classes. Only thing is my balance is terrible! Often wobbling and occasionally falling.

I understand I'm a complete beginner and practice makes perfect but when did you find your balanced improved?

Have you tried picking a spot on the floor, or wherever, to look at ? Don’t take your eyes off it.

Been doing yoga for about 5 years now and I still wobble. I just wobble for longer now before I lose my balance completely.

Sometimes I can wobble long enough before losing my balance for the teacher to release us from the pose and move into something else.

Wobbling is normal (and it's exercising tiny little muscles in your toes, feet and ankles). Embrace the wobble

I agree with the above poster that finding a non-moving point (drishti point) somewhere in front of you and staring at/through it helps. You'll still wobble but you might stay upright for longer.

I've also been doing yoga for decades and still wobble! As a pp said, embrace it! Not drinking caffeine also helps (I understand...)

Oh, and just to say also, are you using your core muscles enough for stability? I am sometimes a bit lazy about this but it is very helpful, abs and glutes activated for balance

Thank you, @DatingDinosaur and @AlexanderArnold for the embracing comments gave me more confidence I'm not alone!

@AlexanderArnold I'll be completely honest on core muscles I've no idea, I'll assume not as I can't imagine years of no exercise has led me to have many 😅 any tips on building them up?

Might sound odd but i found myself focusing on a centre of gravity, might be the wrong terminology, but for example - if you are attempting tree pose, place your attention and focus on the 'line' going from your head to your foot. Slightly tuck your mum in and create a solid feeling 'root' that anchors you to the floor.

It is difficult to explain but in balance poses I find this so helpful, it is about realising where the bulk of your energy is going during the pose, so you focus on the muscles that are supporting you best. So in tree pose if i place my attention and balance in the foot, everything else aligns without wobbling.

In warrior poses my upper legs used to wobble like crazy until I found that slightly pushing the hips forward, tucking the bum, and using the core muscles to secure the pose helped me to keep in line.

"Push through the foot" helps me. First time I heard that I thought it was ridiculous, I can't push through that foot I'm bloody standing on it 🤣 but somehow trying to push with the standing foot does help me a lot!

I restarted yoga after years and wobbled like a wobble toy - it was ridiculous 😄

I switched to pilates for a year and on returning, my balance had improved massively. I'm guessing that, like me, your core strength went walkabout

Everyone wobbles, especially on their "bad" balancing side! If you bend the standing leg a little it helps. Also as someone above said, find your "drishti", a gazing point (something that isn't moving) and focus on that.

I find with tree pose, really grounding my foot into the earth then sucking in my hips to my centre (vacuum packing myself I like to think!) and lifting up through my core really helps with the balance. You will get better with time - my balance is much better now than when I started yoga nearly 20 years ago.

The worst thing is balances with side twists. Then it's embrace the wobble time!

4 months in and yes, I wobble! I fell over once and learned what my balance limits were. I'm getting better slowly and that's all that matters.

the more you practice at balancing postures the better you become. I try to do a balance class at least twice a week (online classes - so you can choose a session that focuses on tree, reverse twists, dancer, warrior 1, 2, 3).

Wobbling is fine, embrace your drishti (yoga gaze) where you focus on anything that's not moving, normally a spot just below your sightline to steady yourself. If you topple, just get back into the pose and enjoy the fact it doesn't have to be perfect, all balance is good.

I wobble more if I think about wobbling. This morning I noticed myself bat that thought away and the wobble stopped. I think there is something in all sports about not over thinking. I’m no expert though - been a beginner for years so

Some days I wobble, some days I don't. Been practicing 25 years, teacher trained (I don't teach though) !

Accept/embrace the wobbling. It's not a fault in your body that has to be corrected.

One of the best instructions I was ever given for stabilising in tree (my nemesis) was to reach up or reach higher, with everything, leg muscles, stomach, neck etc.

Some days I wobble, some days I don't. Been practicing 25 years, teacher trained (I don't teach though) !

Accept/embrace the wobbling. It's not a fault in your body that has to be corrected.

One of the best instructions I was ever given for stabilising in tree (my nemesis) was to reach up or reach higher, with everything, leg muscles, stomach, neck etc.

I’ve practiced over 10 years and my wobbling is still really bad. I’m incredibly flexible but my wobble just can’t be solved! Depends on time if day, time of month, how tired I am etc how bad it gets though. I find early morning makes me extra wobbly too!
try and activate your core and if doing any lunge style balances, squeezing your thighs together?

Anyday now 😀

I am still alive and yogaing MN just stopped sending me updates 😂

Still wobbling too... although I have found the angling my body taut upwards as if there is an imaginary line through it very helpful as PP said. I have a horrible competitive streak through me which makes me want to beat myself though and resulted in my hurting my neck in a twist last week which wasn't as fun 🙃

Was doing yoga today and the teacher spent the entire time banging on about getting us to use our quads and hold/activate our knee caps - (this was in french so absorber les rotules!) whilst going from downward dog to various warrior and side poses.

Basically making a real effort with legs, knees and hips all the time, turning your thights outwards so you don't put stress on your knees and really trying to anchor yourself in the mat ( she wants us to tear the mat with our efforts!), which was much more tiring but massively more solid.

Works even when doing wobbly things like standing on one leg with the other horizontal in front - a particular bug bear of mine.

Wow @DDiDonk not sure if it was the description of yoga or the fact that your teacher speaks all actions in French but that sounds incredibly tough!

I probably made it sound harder than it was!

I only started yoga after moving to France so have only ever done it in french, it's very good for your vocab and telling left from right whilst standing on your head :-)

TBH it has taken me two years to wobble less and enjoy more but definitely worth it.

I went to yoga last night and the instructor and she said that wobbles are our bodies being curious and engaged in the practice which I thought was lovely 😀