Loss Of Balance: Why It Happens After 50, And What Trains It Back
Loss of balance: the short answer
Loss of balance in later life is rarely one thing. Balance runs on three systems, your eyes, your inner ear and the sensors in your feet and joints, and your brain blends them many times a second. Any one can slip, and strong legs make up for a lot. The encouraging part is that balance is a skill: in the 2013 Sydney pilot, 12 weeks of Iyengar-based yoga improved balance in people with an average age of 68. Here is the article in short form:
- Three systems keep you upright: eyes, inner ear, and feet with joints and muscles.
- Inner-ear balance problems are common: 35% of US adults 40 and over in a 2009 survey.
- The feet matter: in one study, people who fell had stiffer ankles and weaker toes.
- Most falls on video came from bad weight shifting, not slips.
- Fear of falling can ease: a 2010 yoga pilot reduced it by 6%.
- Balance can be trained: two classes a week for 12 weeks improved it in Sydney.
Last updated: 25 October 2026.
You did not trip. Nothing was in the way. You just lost your balance for a moment, and nobody could say why. If that has happened to you, you are in good company, and there is a lot more to it than “getting old”.
A quick word on Iyengar yoga. Iyengar yoga is the style developed by Mr BKS Iyengar. In the 20th century he did more than anyone to set down traditional Indian yoga, through his books and his teaching, and he pioneered the use of props. It is the style we teach at Flametree, in Darwin and live online.
A chair close by makes balance work feel safe to try.
What keeps you balanced in the first place?
Three systems feed your brain information about where you are. Your eyes show you what is level. Your inner ear senses your head tilting and moving. And the sensors in your feet, joints and muscles tell you how the ground feels. Your brain blends the three and sends orders to your muscles, many times a second.
Balance runs on three systems. Your brain blends them.
Close your eyes and the other two have to do all the work. That is why standing on one leg with your eyes shut is so much harder, and why researchers use it. When one system gets less reliable, the others can cover, up to a point. Loss of balance shows up when the cover runs out.
Why do people lose their balance as they get older?
There is rarely one answer. Here are the pieces that studies have measured.
Inner-ear changes
In a 2009 US survey of 5,086 adults aged 40 and over, 35.4% had signs of inner-ear (vestibular) dysfunction on a simple standing balance test, and the odds went up with age (Agrawal and colleagues, Archives of Internal Medicine). It is common, and it is often not noticed until balance gets tested.
Stiff ankles and weak toes
In an Australian study, 176 people living in a retirement village (average age 80) were followed for 12 months (Menz and colleagues, Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2006). Those who fell had less ankle flexibility and weaker toes than those who did not. The feet are the ground floor of balance. Our guide to ankle strengthening exercises goes into them.
Weak legs
A 2004 review pooled 13 studies that measured older people’s strength and then counted their falls. People with weak legs had about 1.8 times the odds of a fall (Moreland and colleagues, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society). The sit to stand exercise trains exactly that.
Balance practice with the support of the wall ropes in the studio.
Shifting weight badly
A Canadian team put video cameras in the common areas of two care homes and captured 227 real falls (Robinovitch and colleagues, The Lancet, 2012). The most common cause, 41% of falls, was incorrect weight shifting: moving the body from one foot to the other and not quite making it. Trips and stumbles caused 21%, and slips only 3%. Weight shifting is a skill, and skills can be practised.
Does fear of falling make it worse?
Once you have had a wobble, it is natural to become careful and to stay put. Fear of falling is common in people who have wobbled, and it deserves its own attention. In a 2010 pilot, 14 adults over 65, all with a fear of falling, did 12 weeks of yoga in a retirement community (Schmid and colleagues, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation). Fear of falling fell by 6% and static balance rose by 4%. It was a small study with no comparison group, so it is a promising start, not proof.
Yoga and balance trials at a glance.
Half Moon: a strong standing leg is the base for confident balance.
What trains balance back?
Balance work, done often. A 2020 review of 116 trials with 25,160 people aged 60 and over found that balance and functional exercise cut the rate of falls by 24%, and by 42% for programmes of 3 or more hours a week (Sherrington and colleagues). Those are exercise programmes in general. Yoga has its own pilot.
In 2013, 54 community-dwelling adults with an average age of 68 did a 12-week, twice-weekly Iyengar-based yoga program, mostly standing poses (Tiedemann and colleagues, Journals of Gerontology Series A). Compared with a group given a booklet, they improved at standing balance, standing on one leg with eyes closed, getting up from a chair and walking speed. Attendance averaged 20 of 24 classes, and no serious adverse events happened.
What is a gentle way to start?
Start where it is safe. Stand beside a wall or a sturdy bench, with a chair within reach.
- Feet hip-width apart. Press evenly through the four corners of each foot: the base of the big toe, the base of the little toe, and the inner and outer heel.
- Shift your weight slowly. Move a little to the right, then a little to the left. Stay tall. Keep a hand near the wall.
- Lift one heel a little. Then put it down. Swap sides. When that is easy, lift a toe, then a whole foot, one hand on the wall.
That is the beginning of a standing pose. In class, a teacher watches how you shift and tells you what to change, which a page cannot do. Our guide to balance exercises at home has more, and yoga for balance shows what a first block of ten classes looks like.
Warrior II with the back hand on the wall: the wall is there as long as you want it.
A chair in the hands: a steady way to practise standing with straight legs.
Get the free ebook Strong Bones, Steady Feet. New to Flametree, or away for 3 months or more? You get 2 free classes + 2 ebooks, only available via this offer. Already coming to class? You can still get the book.
Where can I get help with balance in Darwin?
Come to a beginner class at Flametree’s Woolner or Coolalinga studio, or join live online from anywhere in Australia. Every class uses a wall, chairs and other props. Our Yoga For Bones And Balance pass gives you 10 classes at half price plus 2 free, for new students or those away for 3 months or more. See the beginner timetable for class times. Feel free to check with your professional advisers if you wish, but also give yoga a try.
Frequently asked questions
What causes loss of balance?
Balance runs on three systems: your eyes, your inner ear and the sensors in your feet, joints and muscles. Loss of balance can come from any of them, from stiff ankles, weak legs or poor weight shifting. It is rarely one thing.
Is loss of balance a normal part of ageing?
It is common, but it is not fixed. In the 2013 Sydney pilot, people with an average age of 68 improved their balance after 12 weeks of twice-weekly Iyengar-based yoga.
Why do I lose my balance when I close my eyes?
With your eyes shut, your balance has to rely on your inner ear and the sensors in your feet and joints alone. That makes standing on one leg harder, which is why researchers use it as a test.
Can yoga help with loss of balance?
In the 2013 Sydney pilot, Iyengar-based yoga improved standing balance, balance with eyes closed, getting up from a chair and walking speed. These are the main risk factors for falls.
What is fear of falling?
It is worry about falling that can make people move less. In a 2010 pilot of 14 older adults with a fear of falling, 12 weeks of yoga reduced it by 6% and improved static balance by 4%.
How long does it take to improve balance?
The Sydney pilot saw improvements after 12 weeks of two classes a week. Individual results vary, so practise regularly and compare yourself with your own earlier self.
What is the best way to start?
Start beside a wall with a chair in reach. Press evenly through the four corners of both feet, shift your weight slowly side to side, then lift one heel at a time.
Where can I learn balance in Darwin?
Flametree Yoga Studio teaches Iyengar yoga at Woolner and Coolalinga in Darwin, and live online. Classes use a wall, chairs and other props, and the teacher adjusts each pose to you.
Related reading
- Yoga for balance: what ten classes build
- How to improve balance after 50
- Balance test: three simple ones researchers use
- Tree Pose, using a wall
Where to next
- New to yoga, or coming back? Start with our half price 10 class pass with 2 classes free, in Darwin or live online.
- For a workplace, team or group: book private yoga classes for groups, online, at a Flametree studio or at your venue.
- Want to see class times first? Look at the beginner timetable.
Flametree Yoga Studio, Darwin and live online. This article is general information, not medical advice.
Sources: Agrawal Y and colleagues, Disorders of balance and vestibular function in US adults: data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2001-2004, Archives of Internal Medicine, 2009; Menz HB and colleagues, Foot and ankle risk factors for falls in older people: a prospective study, Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2006; Moreland JD and colleagues, Muscle weakness and falls in older adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis, Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2004; Robinovitch SN and colleagues, Video capture of the circumstances of falls in elderly people residing in long-term care: an observational study, The Lancet, 2012; Schmid AA and colleagues, Effect of a 12-week yoga intervention on fear of falling and balance in older adults: a pilot study, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, 2010; Sherrington C and colleagues, Evidence on physical activity and falls prevention for people aged 65+ years, International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 2020; Tiedemann A and colleagues, A 12-week Iyengar yoga program improved balance and mobility in older community-dwelling people: a pilot randomized controlled trial, Journals of Gerontology Series A, 2013; Strong Bones, Steady Feet ebook.
