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Transcript:

Improve your Balance and Stretch your Hips

Hi, I'm Leslie Nesbitt for About.com Health. I'm going to show you a balancing move that also opens the hips. If you're just beginning, be patient because you may fall. It's ok, we all do that.

Setting up to Improve Balance

Also you may want to be near a wall. You can place your fingertips there for balance. Or if there's a chair in front of you just lightly place your fingertips on it. Don't rely on that chair too much.

Move into your Balance Position

Shifting your weight to 1 foot, we're going to lift the other foot up above the knee. Now the supporting knee needs to be slightly bent to create a place for this leg to balance onto. You also may want to find a spot to gaze at on the wall in front of you or in front of you on the floor.

Make sure the toes on the supporting foot are grounded and steady so they can help you to balance.

We're going to take this knee and open it up, creating a little bit of an opening here in the hip.

Now if you feel secure here you can take the arms overhead. Don't push it, for many of us this is plenty. Step down when you're ready and go on to the other side.

Advanced Variations for Balance Experts

Now if you're a little more advanced you can start to drop the tailbone back to the heel, maybe even coming as far down as the chest on the thigh. Keep breathing as you do this, keep that steady gaze, and there's a lot of mental focus that comes along with these balancing positions.

Of course next we're going to step down and go to the other side.

To learn more, visit us on the Web at Health.About.com.