Derby yoga experts weigh in on Michael Mosley’s health tip said to ‘help you live longer’

Whilst I’m not as limber as Stretch Armstrong - those are flexibility goals I can only dream of - various yoga poses I have been practising have led me to improve my core strength.

When I heard about Michael Mosley championing a pose that he says could ‘help you live longer’ I had to investigate.

Michael Mosley is a former doctor, author, talking head on health matters and BBC presenter of Trust Me I’m A Doctor.

Writing for BBC Science Focus, Mosley said: ‘Falls are the most common cause of accidental death after road traffic accidents, and unless you do something about it, your balance will deteriorate as you get older.

‘Having good balance is a powerful predictor of how long and how healthily you will live.’

Standing on one leg is a balance technique used in two traditional yoga poses, standing pigeon pose and tree pose.

I can do both, but still wobble even after around 15 seconds.

As a generally clumsy person afflicted with lifelong incoordination (blooming purple bruises are testament to this as I often bang into things), I have found yoga has personally helped me improve my balance - there are also a few less bruises.

Kerrie Oxford is founder of KOA Yoga & Mindfulness, a Derby based health and wellbeing company who says physical balance can help improve posture, co-ordination and help lead a healthier life.

She said: “Our yoga classes include practising poses designed to build strength, increase flexibility, and improve balance to support physical wellness, whilst using mindfulness and breathing techniques to help promote mental wellbeing.

“Practising and developing our physical balance is always at the centre of every practice.

“Balance poses such as Tree, Eagle, Standing Pigeon and Warrior 3, not only help to strengthen your core and build stability, but they also improve posture and co-ordination and can help to prevent falls and injuries, which becomes increasingly important in later life.”

When I first started out doing yoga, I could barely stand on one leg for longer than two seconds, before I collapsed into a heap on the floor.

Six months’ on I am much better, and you can be too.

Kerrie says it is never too late to start practising your balance and this is something I wholeheartedly agree with.

In her classes I have noticed Kerrie always includes a specific pose to challenge balance but it is never overwhelming as there are plenty of options helping people practise at a level suitable for them.

Balancing on one leg is not easy, here are a few balancing tips from Kerrie that could help you lead a healthier lifestyle.

Balance tips from yoga expert on how to master the one leg yoga pose

Kerrie said: “Before we start any balance pose, I give people the option to practise against the wall to support themselves.

“This can be really good for those who are new to yoga or who struggle with their balance.

“We then move gradually into a pose, step by step to help build people’s confidence.

“For example in many of the standing-on-one-leg poses, we start by slowly lifting and lowering one foot off the ground, with the option to keep doing this.

“Once mastered, we build up holding the pose for slightly longer, and I encourage people to find a soft focal point for the gaze which can help.

“To build on a standing leg pose, I often add in an option to move the arms, which challenges the balance further.

“At this point I remind people that it’s ok to wobble and it’s ok to keep tapping in and out of the pose to regain balance whenever they need to.

“I embrace my wobbles too and I think it’s good for people to see this, because yoga is not about making perfect shapes.

“Yoga is about practising something which has enormous benefits for our health and wellbeing, and our balance poses play such an important part of this.

“I remind people that we are simply practising; step by step, and week by week, we work on improving our balance to help maintain our health and help to prevent falls in later life.”

Bel Harvey is a yoga teacher who runs the Breathing Space Yoga studio in Derby.

She feels that benefits of mastering balance and standing on one leg, surpass good physical health, but also teaches us about resilience too.

She said: “In yoga, balance isn’t just about standing on one leg; it’s a metaphor for life.

“It teaches us strength and stability, not just physically but mentally too.

“Beyond the mat, our balance practise training reduces the risk of falls in later life or during periods of instability, ensuring we stay strong and independent as we journey through life.”

Standing on one leg sure is a balancing act, but what I have found, is to embrace those leg wobbles, and practise standing one leg because it can be incredibly rewarding and fun.

For more information about Breathing Studio visit their website here.

For more information about Kerrie and Koa Yoga email her on [email protected]