Hello mind-body students! Glad you are back to read more of the series on Achieving Physical and Mental Balance! You can find the last five installments in the series here: Part 1 & Part 2 (Flexibility), Part 3 & Part 4 (Strength) and Part 5 (Experiencing your mass and weight).

This week, we add the last two exercises onto the third part of the series: Experiencing your mass and weight. I talked last week about how important it is to have a feel for your body's movements and weight, and how beneficial it can be in a situation where you lose your balance. Today, we're going from the beginner level techniques of the last post to more intermediate level techniques that will improve our balance and our ability to move in a smooth and controlled way.

Tai Chi Walk - This exercise might remind you of the duck walk, but it has a very different "feel" when you do it. Where the duck walk uses small leg movements and strains a lot of your quad muscles, Tai Chi walking (also called "The 50 Steps") requires big, exaggerated movements that activate more stabilizer muscles. Both are necessary for great balance. Move lower and perform the walk slower over time as you improve. You should do 50 steps a day.
Moving Down to the Floor and Back Up Safely - Lastly, we are going to practice actually going to the ground and getting back up in a safe and controlled manner. This is not supposed to be done quickly, but it does need to be repeated many times to imprint this reaction into your brain. Once you have done it enough, you'll automatically fall more safely than before. Do this ten times a day, alternating the side that you support yourself with.

Did you catch that tidbit about rolling that I mention in the video? If you did, good! That means you were listening closely. And now you've gotten a sneak peak into what I'll be showing you next week: how to roll correctly for martial arts.

Rolling is not an exercise for older people looking to improve balance, but I want to include it at the end of this series for younger mind-body students who are looking to achieve better performance in their athletics.

See you next week,

Happy Stretching!