Spring Qi Chats | Week 4

Mar 22

Let’s stabilize!

This week we discuss the multi-system function that is involved in our daily balancing act.

The Balancing System

Your feet and inner ear (vestibular system) have a direct line to one another communicating back and forth. The pelvis and the spine are reflexively reacting to the movement you make, adjusting to keep you stabilized and upright. Your vision checks in to confirm with the proprioception of the body and the vestibular input to assure that you are upright, moving, functioning etc. So no WONDER balance training is so intricate.

What can I do to improve?

Slow and steady always wins the race but to be practical about balance, we sometime need to challenge these systems with speed and instability. To train the reflexiveness of the spine, perturbation is a great way to upregulating the brain’s motor output. But before we begin knocking ourselves around, we DO need to confirm that we have center awareness. I was to demonstrate 3 basic balance acts you can practice at home!

TRAIN THE SEMI-CIRCULAR CANALS: Move that nose, consider the VOR and VOR-C exercises
TRAIN THE OTOLITH ORGANS: Bouncing, walking (forward and backwards), shifting from side to side
TRAIN THE VISION: apply all that you can from our vision exercises, rest is important
TRAIN YOUR TONGUE: Click, pull, swallow and gargle your way to better ‘top canopy’ ability.
TRAIN YOUR JAW + NECK: Stability and mobility are a big part of your movement
TRAIN YOUR FEET: sensory work, mobility and self-care is important to the function and reception of the feet’s proprioception.
ADDRESS HEARING LOSS: individuals with hearing loss may experience changes in gait and posture. These changes can affect balance and increase the risk of falls.
NEURAL CARE: Sleep health, digestive health, hydration health, stress health, hormonal health - massage, silence, nature, Qigong, nutrition