I found myself on my back at the bottom of the stairs,
clothes scattered, looking up the staircase and yelling "I'm OK" to neighbors who had gathered. I had been carrying a stack of clothing on hangers over my arm, plus a duffel bag, purse, and briefcase, down 3 flights of stairs to put in my car. There was an elevator in the building, but it was tiny, slow, and usually full. And of course I was impatient to get going. I lost my footing, twisted my ankle, and tumbled down half a flight of stairs.
I wasn't ok, and in fact I later found that I had torn the ligaments in my left ankle. I hoped that I just had a sprain (wishful thinking) and went to work. After a few hours with my ankle ballooning up, a coworker took me to the doctor, and I was admitted to a hospital immediately for surgery. I was out of work for 6 weeks of recovery, and it was many years before I had full range of motion in that ankle.
This happened decades ago in my career as a CPA, but I can still replay that fall in my mind very vividly, as if it happened yesterday.
I learned some important things that day:
1. Slow down, especially when you're doing something precarious, and
2. Don't do dangerous things with your health!
Seriously though, balance is affected by so many variables: awareness, ankle strength, hip mobility, posture, and vision, to name just a few. Because NOT FALLING such a concern for me, and nearly every student I teach, we practice balance in every class that I teach.
If you need help maintaining or improving your balance, you have many ways to work with me: group classes or 1-on-1 sessions via Zoom or in-person, and video recordings.