Tanya Fagetan
Debora Witten
There are many good reasons to improve one’s balance, with the prevention of falls being high on the list. One of the best tools for fall prevention is to actively seek ways to improve your strength and sense of balance. Yoga does both of these things by strengthening your muscles with slow, deliberate movements. Balance is gathered by several streams in the systems of the body. Proprioception, strength, and flexibility contribute to our balance. SaddleBrooke Ranch residents can be found working on improving these as well as improving strength during a variety of yoga and barre classes taught by fitness instructor Tanya Fagetan.
Practicing poses that challenge your balance can bring your awareness to the slightest sway in your stance and how your body corrects itself. It can also help you learn how the tiniest shift can cause you to regain your balance instead of falling. Increased balance and strength lead to living every day actively, safely, and with our greatest joy.
Wobbles are okay! You can not be perfectly still while balancing in yoga poses; however, with practice, you can bring self-awareness and more consistency and strength. Learning how to accept the uncertainty of the moment with as much grace as possible, rather than tensing and telling yourself you’re in trouble, can help you understand the delicate balance between effort and ease that applies to any situation, in yoga as well as in life.
The time you spend perfecting yoga poses and transitioning between forms teaches your body to move with grace and lowers your risk of falls as a result. Yoga also strengthens your body and can even improve your bone density. This makes you safer in the case of a fall and can accelerate your recovery.
Yogis can be heard laughing, talking, and connecting before and after one of the 15 classes per week offered at the SaddleBrooke Ranch Fitness Center. Watching students improve is “one of the most rewarding endeavors I’ve been fortunate to be part of,” Tanya says. Tanya believes yoga is for everyone and contributes it to her own wellness journey. She shares part of her journey in a new international bestselling book as well as brings more to clients with her yoga and wellness retreats and wellness coaching. Having fun and enjoying life is but one of the many benefits! Tanya facilitates a broad schedule of classes and yoga classes at SaddleBrooke Ranch including daily Chair Yoga, Yoga for Golfers, Yoga Vinyasa, and more!