Life as we know it is a balancing act. In our modern day life, most of us strive to achieve everything in balance; we aim to create enough time and energy for our work, friends, family, hobbies, social life, rest and play. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could provide an equal amount of our dedication to each of these aspects of life? Things aren’t always that easy, but there are steps we can take to help balance out the distribution of our devotion.
When we are imbalanced, we suffer both mentally and physically. Yoga aims to bring body, mind and spirit into balance and rectify any imbalances we may be experiencing. Yoga literally translated means “union” (of body, mind, spirit, breath) and it helps to bring harmony and balance to all our elements.
If you can Breathe, you can do Yoga!! That’s right! Regarding balance, the breath can help keep us in balance but it is also important for the breath to be in balance. Our emotions affect the strength of our inhale and exhale. Fear can stop the breathing, anxiety may quicken the breath, as with many aspects of our physical practice and our pranic practice (breathing), they can influence and affect our everyday lives through the form of our emotions. So having breath balance is having life balance.
During asana or posture work, we can sometimes notice ourselves being out of balance physically. If you find yourself unable to stop the incessant wobbling during tree pose, or maybe you’re a little unsteady on your feet in your Warrior 1 pose, don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. When we are off-kilter emotionally, we often find physical balances difficult; this is because physical strength, stability and balance rely on our focus, concentration and lack of distractions. If you fall out of tree pose, take a moment to consider: were you really there, present in the moment, focusing on the pose, or is there something on your mind, are you feeling stressed or anxious about something that could be affecting your balance both physically and emotionally.
We are always striving for balance and balance is all around us. We continually aim to balance ourselves between effort and rest, between night and day, between yes and no, between yin and yang. Of course, balancing our diet and what we eat and drink. Is it enough or too much?
It’s also important to remember that everyone is different, and what balances you may not balance your friend. There are so many facets of remaining balanced, but the goal is to find what you need, what keeps you happy and healthy.
So, within yoga, how do you know when you’ve done the right amount to keep you balanced? Well, after a yoga class, many people say they feel sleepy after a nice long savasana. After a yoga class, you shouldn’t feel overly tired, exhausted or super rejuvenated, you should feel a little of each. This feeling will be a dash of relaxation, a dollop of rejuvenation and a nice large helping of energy. By practicing regularly, you can tell what works for you and how you can adjust your practice to create balance, both within yoga and in life. Aaahhhhhhh
WITH DEEP GRATITUDE!!
Jill