Balance in Mind, Body and Life
If we talk about balance in the world of modern Yoga we tend to envision Tree Pose or some other posture where we are standing on one leg.
However, as a long time Yoga instructor, I cringe when people pick up one leg and shove all the weight onto the standing leg, hip or knee.
That is NOT balance!
When I explore balance with my students I like to ask them what they notice in the body.
Can we become aware we are more in the front of the foot or the back of the foot?
Can we become aware of dropping more to the inner edge of the knee or ankle or are we distributing the weight evenly?
When we start lifting a foot off of the ground do we lose touch with what is happening in our upper body?
If we are attempting standing balance poses are we equally aware of both feet? The inhale and the exhale? Can we notice the tendency to pull up or are we pushing down?
Balance is a dance. Balance entails a relationship. Earth and sky. Left and right. Up and down. Back and forth. Too little and too much. Forward and back.
When we pay attention to where we find ourselves in relationship we notice our tendencies. If you are human you will see you have a preference in one direction or the other.
Some of us like to move fast and some of prefer to move slow. Some of us are introverts and some of us are extroverts. It is okay to have a preference. However, it is worthwhile noting when we are WAY off balance.
When we go to an extreme and stay there too long we create strain; imbalance.
By becoming aware of centre and observing in which direction we tend we gain understanding and we are more likely to a achieve balance.
Balance is not something we can hold. Balance is not a fixed place. Balance is teetering. Balance is allowing a little this way, a little that way. Balance is something we have to re-visit over and over again.
The tendency is to experience a bit of balance and then try to hold it. But if you pay attention, once you start holding that position inevitably it will lead to imbalance.
Balance is something we need to re-discover over and over again, day to day. It is so easy to get stuck in a pattern and then not realize we are off centre. Because change is happening all the time we have to continuously ask ourselves, now where are we in relationship?
In my own life I see this play out again and again. I will become too passive and then catch myself being overly active. I will move through phases where I am giving too much and then times when I am not giving enough. I can notice when I am pushing myself too hard and then times when I am sitting too long in a comfortable place.
This is normal. We as humans tend to get off balance. There is no judgement. There is no need to criticize ourselves when we find ourselves off on a tangent. The key here is to be aware. I am leaning too far forward; I better back up a bit. I am pulling back too much, I better rest forward. This is how we find balance.
On the mat we get to explore our tendencies. The postures are an opportunity for us to see ourselves more clearly. There is no need to strive for perfection. Just notice where you are and course correct if you find you are way off centre. In this way, if we practice consistently, we will notice where we are off balance in our life.
If you are interested in developing a practice, reach out! I love helping people on the Path.
Want to listen to my podcast on the same subject? Listen HERE.
Want to see what balance looks like on the mat? Check out this VIDEO.
