Balance

The key to balance is finding the right meeting point between overabundance and vacancy.  This point of convergence is always shifting, always changing.  But it is through this tension from each polarity where we find contentment and movement.

There’s one lesson that I have learned over the years in regards to my yoga practice- at least one that is coming to mind- and that is: you never really settle into a pose.  You are constantly working, adjusting, and staying mindful of your position.   A harmony arises between the right amount of effort and non-effort.  You are always working the asana.  There is force, without being forceful.  There is ease, but you are never being lazy.  In a physical respect, I always like to ask myself whether or not I can smile.  If not, I need to back off.  But of course yoga is like peeling back an endless onion, and is not just a physical discipline.

            This type of mindset can also be applied to other aspects of your life, and does not hold solely for a yoga practice.  But just because we do not settle, does not mean that we feel unsettled- and this is an important distinction.  We can always be enthusiastic to move forward and improve while also being perfectly happy and content where we are before the move, right here right now.

            It is healthy to look forward, to plan, and to dream.  Whether we our working on our personalities, our mental habits, our aspirations, or our day-to-day, it is important to have a vision and act from that place.  But, the drive should not come from a desire to reach that place.  Much sadness arises when we live like this because we are acknowledging a disparity.  We must be able to look forward, but also bring ourselves back to the present and work in that space.