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| Alright so im bored, and am gonna take a ponder at something due to circumstances that arose during my morning practice...
I went to do a treepose today, and balance poses are not something that i routinely work on but I give the tree pose and the lord of the dance pose a shot probably 2 or 3 times a week. When I went into the tree pose i started by balancing on my left leg and had a very hard time with the balancing; i kept shifting the weight on the ball of my foot and ended up wobbling out of the pose, so I decided to try balancing on my right leg, and had much more success, even though I only held the pose for about 3 full breaths i found my balance was easier to control. ( I just saw today where i can hold my hands in a prayer instead of above my head like I have been doing. )
My question I guess is, have any of you had easier times with asanas on one side of the body versus the other? I am a lefty, so since im right brained i should have an easier time doing poses on the left side ( as current logic dictates ).
However; this may be a GOOD POINT HERE FOR THE BEGINNERS- from my various other hobbies/performing arts, I have found a tendency to train the non-dominant side easier, and this is due to a very simple theory of your non-dominant side has NOT had a lifetime of muscle memory built up - for instance if you are right handed, then your right arm's muscles already have a predisposed memory built into them on what your right hand is used for. Whereas your left hand/arm is still open to new(er) information in the training of those sets of muscles. Basically for your dominant side to learn new muscle information you are in a sense having to completely retrain how your brain and muscles work together.
I dunno does this make sense? Im really bored at work right now so this could be nonsense. Then again it is possible it could be beneficial to some beginners or veterans having trouble with certain poses. ::shruggs:: I also just realized I have completely lost the point to my question...
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 8442
    
| Yeah - I've had wonderings like that too. But really, my left hip is looser than the right. Simple as that.  |
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| I believe we're different on each side of our body - we're not symmetrical! Different organs lie on each side of the body, and of course we strengthen our dominant side all through life. Emotions and stress will affect your balance too. Not to mention hormones!
Something else that comes heavily into play is that we rarely prepare each side for balance exactly the same way. For example, you may begin by preparing your left side very thoroughly before lifting the right leg up, refocusing your center of gravity, concentrating. Then when you finsih, you might shift right over to the right leg and wonder why balance is so much more difficult. Conversely, you may pop right up onto your left leg and have a terrible time balancing, therefore spend a good amount of time preparing and centering before attempting your right side. Then the right side might be easier!
The only thing I've found for sure is that it can be different every single day. Some days it's easy, some days impossible. So many variables in life! Your ability to balance can tell you a lot about how scattered your mind and emotions are, even if you're unwilling to notice it consciously. By the same token, finding balance in your body can help you discover balance in your mind when you need it most! |
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| Yes, it is very common to have difficulty on only one side of the body in a pose. The difficulty can be in balance, strength, and/or flexibility. Even stranger, it's not unusual for your "difficult" side to change from one day to the next!  The imbalances can be attributed to a lot of different issues (not just dominant-side strength).
Interesting information about the non-dominant side training. I can certainly see the benefits of that approach when training smaller muscles for very specific tasks (like what you need in your contact juggling.)
I have a tendency to use the opposite approach, and work my non-dominant side a little harder. I usually apply this approach when working larger muscle groups in order to achieve better balance between the right and left sides of my body. (For example, my left hamstrings are much tighter than my right hamstrings because of a past injury. If I stretch them both equally, I will get more flexible on both sides but still have the same degree of imbalance. If I stretch the left side a little bit longer, and a little bit more often, then the left side will begin to "catch up" with the right side.)
Both training philosophies are valid. It just depends on what your goals are.
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| Great topic!
I've found that my right side is usually "better" than my left side. I was guessing on the same premises of the right side being dominant (side I'm right handed). I've found this to be especially true in standing/bending poses. As Jean said though, sometimes it depends on what day it is. I find that my right side usually stays the same, but some days my left side can keep up, and some days I can barely make it through on either side.
Just my two cents. 
--Dragon |
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Expert Yogi
Posts: 5098
Location: Somewhere in the Mountains of Western NC | Well, I would like to say that Yes, my right side seems better than my left for most postures. I know why too! 16 years ago I broke my collar bone on my left side. At the time I was told that it had to heal itself and nothing could be done to reset it, blah blah blah (I just love orthopedic doctors). This is the only time in my life I have ever broken a bone. Anyway, I have done Chiropractic care for various reasons over the years, I also do and continue to do TCM, and I learned Tai Chi Qi Gong. Not once did I ever think about what happened to my body when my collar bone was broken until I started Yoga. I notice it when I'm in Triangle Pose especially. My alignment is totally off and anyone can plainly see it while I'm in Tadasana. I also have knocked knees on top of this. Over the years of abuse, my body has just shifted into this improper alignment and now I'm having to undo it. I find that Bikram helps me tremendously. There is something about the sequence that has been so helpful for me. After I'm done with Awkward Pose before Garudasana - my legs seem to fall right into a better alignment, which helps me throughout the rest of the sequence. Also, bow is another one that I like for helping me get aligned and it is not that difficult to do on your own once you've learned the proper way. Today, both my knees made this loud popping, cricking sound - talk about relief.
I love the way I feel and I love the way I am more mindful about how I sit, stand and lift objects. It's really interesting to be aware of your strength and aware of how you perform your daily tasks whether it be gardening, cooking, bending and lifting, etc. after learning Yoga. |
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| Yeah, it's strange how much difference there is between the both sides of our bodies. Yoga heightens our body awareness so we feel it much stronger than in everyday life. I'm right-handed but still my balances are generally much better on the left foot. Also the left side of my body is more flexible, except the shoulder joint and ankle.
I guess that's because the right side is stronger and the muscles are shorter there and not as lean as on the left side. What do you guys think? Is that a good theory?
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I am right handed and my right leg and foot are shorter than the left. Consequently I bear more weight on my right side and it is considerably stronger. My weak side has always been more flexible than the strong one BUT I have recently begun wearing a lift in my shoe and as my body evens out (and I lose my balance when I'm shoeless) I am getting the feeling that stronger muscles may be able to stretch more.
Not necessarily be lose and flexible like I've normally felt on the left but . . . Particularly in the standing poses and things for my back. The stronger ones have a different and some how better sense of stretch.
LT |
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Taking a Stab...
