Yoga for your balance in Koh Samui
Find your center, inside and out.
Balance gathers classes that train steadiness: standing balance poses, slow hatha, Iyengar, Pilates, tai chi-like movement and meditation. It covers balancing on one leg and also feeling centered and level inside.
No classes scheduled in the next two weeks.
What Balance does for you
You get to find stillness while things wobble. Standing on one foot asks your body and your attention to cooperate, and the small corrections become a kind of focus. Many people describe feeling grounded and clear-headed afterward. Classes often pair the physical side with a quieter, more even mood.
It suits you if
- you wobble on one leg and want to feel steadier
- you want a practice that also helps you feel centered
- you want to keep confidence on your feet as you get older
- you like a mix of physical and mental focus
Read the full guide to BalanceWhat a class is like, your first time, history and the words you will hear
What a class is like
Classes run 45 to 75 minutes. Expect tree, warrior three, eagle and half moon in yoga, single-leg work in Pilates and slow weight shifts in tai chi-inspired classes, usually with a wall or chair nearby for support. Facilitators often cue a gaze point and steady breathing. The pace is calm and there is a lot of standing. You may laugh when you topple, which is part of it.
Your first time
- Practice barefoot so your feet can feel the floor.
- Set up near a wall if you would like extra support.
- Pick a still point at eye level to look at; it makes balancing easier.
Good to know
- If you get dizzy, have inner ear or blood pressure issues, or have had falls, check with your doctor first and practice near a wall or chair.
- Balance changes from day to day with sleep, food and mood, so a wobbly day is normal.
Where it comes from
Balance appears in yoga's own definition of posture. Patanjali's Yoga Sutras describe asana as sthira sukham, steady and comfortable, which many practitioners read as a balance between effort and ease. Tree pose, standing on one leg, is one of very few standing poses in medieval hatha yoga and is described in the 17th-century Gheranda Samhita.
Many traditions treat balance as both physical and mental. Tai chi, the Chinese movement art built on slow weight shifts, draws on the Taoist idea of balancing yin and yang. Ayurveda describes wellbeing in terms of balance between the three doshas, a framing some studios borrow loosely.
In physiotherapy and fitness, balance training became its own area in the late 20th century, with a focus on proprioception, the body's sense of where it is in space. In Berlin, balance shows up in yoga and Pilates classes, tai chi groups in parks and dedicated balance courses for older adults.
Words you will hear
- Vrikshasana
- Tree pose: standing on one leg with the other foot resting against the standing leg.
- Drishti
- A fixed gaze point that helps you stay steady.
- Sthira sukha
- Steady and easy, the quality a pose aims for.
- Proprioception
- Your sense of where your body is in space.
- Garudasana
- Eagle pose: wrapping the arms and legs around each other while balancing.