Ever wondered how you can touch your nose without being able to see it? Or reach for you coffee mug on your desk without your eyes leaving the screen? Or navigate a crowded room without bumping into things? This innate skill to sense your body's size, movement and positioning in space is your proprioception - think of it as your body's internal GPS system, guiding you to move, balance and coordinate without conscious effort.
For some of us, our proprioceptive skills may be naturally fantastic; that person who can seamlessly weave through a crowd, or catch M&Ms in their mouth, or adjust their leggings in a Warrior 3 without so much as a wobble.
And then there's the.... let's say.... "proprioceptively challenged". The ones always knocking stuff over, or walking into a doorframe like they've never seen one before, or are at risk of unintentionally breaking someone's nose on the dance floor with their flailing limbs.
Wherever you fall on the scale of proprioceptive aptitude, it's probably something you don't really think about. But the truth is, proprioception is a skill that can be honed like any other, and yoga is a great way to improve your awareness of your body in space. Doing so can have a profound impact on your balance, coordination and overall movement on and off your yoga mat, such as:
better balance
Whether holding a tree pose or transitioning gracefully on your yoga mat, or navigating a slippery garden path with confidence, enhanced proprioception leads to improved stability and balance.
confident coordination
Improved coordination can lead to increased confidence in walking on uneven terrain, better precision of daily movements like catching or navigating stairs, even improving your ability to play games and sports
multitasking with ease
Proprioception helps your body track multiple movements at once. Coordinating your feet on the pedals and your hands on the gear stick/steering wheel, for example. Or walking down the street safely, whilst your thumbs are busy texting.
self-corrected alignment and posture
Your proprioception is what helps you self-adjust your body to the teacher's verbal cues in yoga, and better proprioception can help you feel your way into better (and more efficient) alignment both on your yoga mat, proper training technique in the gym, even better posture when sitting at your desk or standing in a queue.
injury reduction
Goes without saying - the above benefits lead to less risk of falls, injuries caused by poor technique and posture, spilling burning coffee on yourself, walking in front of cars etc...
refined reflexes
The better your proprioception, the sharper your reflexes. Whether that's swiftly reacting to a situation on the road while driving, catching a glass just before it spills and breaks or ducking from a rogue frisbee. It could save your life, or your crystal champagne flutes,.
spatial awareness
Proprioception and spatial awareness are similar - one being the awareness of your body's position in space, and the latter being the awareness of your body's position in relation to other things. Strengthening your proprioception will naturally strengthen your spatial awareness, giving you a stronger unconscious assessment of how much space you occupy - helping you not to bump into people and objects, squeeze through tight spaces, and even choosing an appropriate parking spot (disclaimer: I cannot verify this from personal experience 🚗)
mind-body connection
Proprioception strengthens the connection between your mind and body - helping you to stay present and in control of how you move, so that you can adjust as you go and not just mimic how you've moved before. You'll recognise when you need to push your limits or ease off to make your movements more efficient and intentional. It'll help you feel more grounded, more connected with your body in the here and now.
powering up your proprioception through yoga
Whether you're that clumsy klutz with two left feet, or you are the champion of tapping your head while rubbing your belly, we can all experience benefits from fine-tuning our proprioceptive skills. And yoga is an amazing tool for doing so.
By moving with intention and mindfulness, yoga encourages you to tune into your body's position in space and time (the time being....right now!).
We intentionally practice bringing out bodies and minds into synchronisation, feeling into, and responding to how our bodies move in the moment, and not just going through the motions. Our physical asana practice strengthens and stabilises our core, gives us the chance to play with balance and single leg positions, and to challenge our coordination and spatial awareness by transitioning between postures in novel and creative ways.
Yoga invites us to get curious about the space we occupy—not just the shapes we land in, but how we move and feel in between.
Ready to embrace your space?
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