Life in Balance

Life in Balance

The goals of both ancient mind-body regimes and newer philosophies with mind-body orientation aim at improving balance, alignment, and flexibility. You don’t hear much about strength or cardiovascular fitness in the mind-body world. If you don’t feel comfortable with the old-tradition/New Age approaches to enhancing flexibility and balance, however, there are other ways to achieve this portion of a fitness goal.
Fit balls (or Swiss balls) are excellent tools for enhancing flexibility and balance (see Chapter 8, “Iron-Free Resistance Training”). Bongo Boards, balance boards,and balance disks are examples of balance-training devices. They feature a solid platform that is on, but not attached to, a cylindrical or round support. You climb on the platform and must subtly shift your weight to keep the board balanced on the moving support.SRF is a company that makes the concept more technical with two disks, one fixed to a solid support on the floor and one sliding on an adjustable track, so you can do arm or leg stabilization and strengthening exercises. This device is especially useful for someone with limited strength or for rehab.