In the last few months, I've spoken to several women in our Midlife Yoga community who have had serious falls.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,

"In the United States, about one in four adults (28%) age 65 and older, report falling each year. This results in about 36 million falls each year. While not all falls result in an injury, about 37% of those who fall reported an injury that required medical treatment or restricted their activity for at least one day, resulting in an estimated 8 million fall injuries."

Especially during the icy winter months, slipping and falling can have serious consequences.

One of the most popular videos in the Jumpstart for Healthy Aging was the segment on Healthy Balance. Participants who tried the balance test were shocked by how their sense of balance has diminished over time. But it's not too late!

Today I'm sharing a few of my Take 5 Yoga videos that specifically strengthen balance.

The first, Outer Thighs 3 Ways, strenthens the outer thigh muscles.

Why is this important? Strong vastus lateralis muscles (outer thigh) are key to providing stability for moving side to side, a critical element for balance.

The second video, Tree Pose, is from my Basics of Yoga playlist.

Tree Pose (Vrksasana) is a balance pose practiced in many traditional yoga classes, In this video I've adapted Tree Pose with several options to make it beginner-friendly.

How's your balance? No matter your starting point, you can strengthen your balance with practice. It matters because strong balance may be the #1 thing to keep you safe from serious injury this year!

Every Midlife Yoga class includes poses that will strengthen your balance and all the supporting muscles of your legs. And now, when you register for any Midlife Yoga class, you have access to the class video for 7 days. This way you can practice on your timetable, as often as you'd like. Ready to try a class? You can register right here.

Standing on one leg? You've got this!

~ Rosemary