Balance

It is my very humble opinion that everything in this life hinges on a balance.

This concept very much applies to our practice - balancing poses, finding the balance between breath and movement, challenging oneself and also finding grace to surrender to that which is not in our control.

So many time I see students forcing their way through certain poses, determined that if they will themselves enough, it will happen. They lose all control of their breath, often holding it or grunting/gasping for air. Their faces turn red, brows furrow, jaw clenches. Even their energy looks strained. In order to find equilibrium, they lose sight of all balance entirely.

I try to remind my students to listen to their body. In my last post I mentioned how the Ego is quite loud and speaks up first, often saying "Failure is bad! Don't fall! Go deeper!" This is how we injure ourselves. The voice of the Highest Self softly whispers "Fail Forward. Try Again. Go only as far as the body will allow today." Learning to listen to both voices, to hold space and honor each of their needs while finding middle ground, is the art of balancing.

This same art can transcend off of our mats and into our every day lives. From what we consume, to work, play, and everything in between. We live in a culture where everything is dominated by the masculine: hustle, crush it, grind. These are important gears to shift into when necessary but they are not sustainable long-term. How often have we experienced burn-out or succumbed to diet culture after many attempts at losing weight?

To soften into gears that allow for the feminine: grace, balance, rest, is to surrender and allow. These gears help bring forth the living manifestations that we work so hard to make happen with our masculine. As the Yin & Yang symbol so perfectly depicts: we need both to make to make it work.

Where in your life can you find more balance?

Is this practice hard or easy for you?

Comment and share!

Xo,

G