Stand On One Leg

Does your life feel out of balance? Stand on one leg every day. Better balance can benefit you in so many ways, including preventing falls (which become more dangerous as we move through the decades) and feeling more balanced internally.

In our Wild Goose Qigong Classes, we teach a simple yet profound exercise called Single Leg Stand. This is one of the most important preventative health practices you can do.

How to do a Single Leg Stand: pick one foot off the floor and stand for 10-30 seconds. Repeat on the other side. That’s it. Really. 

But here are a few hints. When you first start practicing this, stand near a chair or a wall. That way, if you are balance-challenged (which many, many people are before practicing this exercise), you can touch your hand to the wall or chair to help you until your balance improves. You only need to pick your foot up a couple of inches off the floor. As you improve, you can pick it up higher, but any version is great. 

Practice Single Leg Stand while:

• brushing your teeth.

• in line at Trader Joe’s.

  putting on your socks in the morning.

Practice every day!

Do not discount how beneficial this simple exercise can be. Your balance will improve if you practice. I have seen this with countless qigong students. 

And, better physical balance translates into a greater sense of internal balance. Gathering your energy to find the point of balance will bring greater harmony to your life. 

So, make like a Wild Goose and stand on one leg.