This Post Contains a Frog

Okay, I started out today to give a little advice on aging (since that seems to be a topic about which, unfortunately, I am becoming an expert) but then I was completely distracted by this clip-art of a frog in a red polo shirt doing yoga.

A frog. In a red polo shirt. Doing yoga.

It threw me off the track of  my original purpose, which had to do with losing one's balance more frequently as one ages. I've noticed that in myself--where a few years ago I could stand in the middle of the floor, then (one at a time, of course) put on my workout sock and shoe (including tying a double knot) without ever having my foot touch the floor, lately my routine had been more of standing in the middle of the floor, picking up a sock, lurching forward, then eventually sitting down on the bed to put on the danged sneaker.

Last week we had a guest speaker at my women's group who led us through a series of yoga exercises (chair yoga, because lurchiness). It felt so good and she was so limber and enthusiastic that I asked her about my aging balance skills.

"Oh, you can make that a lot better," she said. "What you need to do is practice. Stand next to the bathroom sink so that you can grab on if you need to, and lift one foot off the ground. Let your body get used to that feeling, and re-balance if you start to lean. Eventually you should work up to 30 seconds on each foot, and then I'd feel good about your balance.

"I have one guy who stands on one foot to brush his teeth."

Well! I could do that! So for the past week I've been doing my best stork imitation as I brush my teeth. My electric toothbrush beeps every 30 seconds, so while I'm cleaning the choppers I'm also getting two reps of balance practice on each foot.

It does seem to be working. Not only am I already back to being able to put on my workout shoes (and socks) from a standing position again, I think my cranky hip is feeling better.

I was all ready to tell you about this semi-miraculous cure this morning but as I looked for illustrations that might pop up from a search of yoga-elderly-woman I was completely distracted by a frog in a red polo shirt doing yoga.

So I looked for a yoga pose that might help my short attention span and --hey look! It's a squirrel in underpants!