This balance exercise means standing on both feet, with your feet pressed together, and holding still with your eyes closed. Once you shut your eyes, your body has to rely on the feeling in your feet and ankles and on your inner ear to stay upright. Both feet stay on the floor the whole time, so it is an earlier and easier step than balancing on one leg with your eyes closed.

How to do the standing balance with eyes closed

Stand next to a kitchen counter or a heavy, stable chair that cannot fold or slide, close enough to touch it without leaning. Stand on a firm floor with no rug underfoot. Wear flat shoes that fit well and grip the floor, not socks, tights or bare feet.
Start with your feet about shoulder width apart and stand tall, arms relaxed by your sides.
Bring your feet together until the insides of your ankles touch. Look straight ahead and wait until you feel still.
Close your eyes. Keep your head level and let your feet and ankles make the small corrections as you sway.
Hold for the time your program sets, then open your eyes before you move your feet apart. If you start to tip at any point, open your eyes and take hold of the support.

What you should feel

A gentle sway, forward and back and from side to side, with your ankles, the soles of your feet and your hips working to catch it. Expect more sway once your eyes are shut. That is normal, and it is the part your body is learning to control.

Common mistakes

Shutting your eyes too early, before the sway has settled.
Standing too far from the support to reach it quickly.
Tilting your head down or letting your chin drop.
Locking the knees back stiffly or holding your breath.

How often

Many programs start with 3 to 5 holds of 10 to 30 seconds, resting briefly between holds, once or twice a day. The voice guide says to hold as long as you can, but end each hold while you are still in control. Your physio will adjust this.

Stop and check with your physio if

You feel dizzy, lightheaded, faint or sick, or the room seems to spin. Hold your support, sit down and get medical advice the same day before you practice again. If you faint, it does not settle within a few minutes of sitting still, your vision suddenly blurs or goes double, or you cannot stand or walk steadily, call emergency services.
You start to fall and need the support to catch yourself.
Your feet feel newly numb or tingly, or your balance has been slipping over recent weeks. Get medical advice within a few days, and leave out eyes-closed work until you have been checked. If the numbness or tingling spreads quickly up your legs or into your hands, get medical advice the same day. If your legs also feel stiff, heavy or weak, walking suddenly becomes hard, you have trouble breathing or swallowing, or you have trouble controlling your bladder or bowels, call emergency services.

From the clinic

The difference from the single leg balance with eyes closed is the number of feet on the floor. Here you stand on both, placed together, which narrows your base but still gives you two legs to share the work. Many programs build up with your eyes open first: feet together, then tandem stance with your feet placed heel to toe, then single leg stance. Closing your eyes is added once a position feels steady with them open, and this feet-together version is usually the first eyes-closed step.

Falls are the main risk, because closing your eyes removes your quickest way to spot a sway. In the video the man stands with a chair right beside him and does not hold it, but keep a hand hovering close to your support every time. Move loose rugs and furniture out of the way, and practice in a corner of a room if you can, so walls are close on two sides. If you have had a fall in the past year, get dizzy spells, have an inner ear condition or numb feet, or take any medicine that causes drowsiness, check with your doctor or physio before you start. Until they say otherwise, only practice with someone else at home.

A sudden loss of balance is different. Call emergency services straight away for any sign of a stroke, even if it goes away: sudden dizziness with unsteadiness or falling over, a face that droops on one side, an arm you cannot lift or keep up, slurred or muddled speech, weakness or numbness on one side of your body or face, sudden blurred vision, double vision or loss of sight, or a sudden severe headache.

Written and checked by the PocketPhysio editorial team. Last updated 2026-09-28.

This page is general education, not a diagnosis or a personal treatment plan. If you have pain, an injury or a health condition, see a physiotherapist or doctor before starting new exercises.

Standing balance with eyes closed