Finding balance on and off the mat

When it comes to the practice of yoga and philosophies that come with it, the concept of finding balance is recurring, and boldly relevant. 

The very nature of life manifests as the ebb and flow of light versus dark, strength versus weakness, good versus evil. Yet we may often find, through the teachings of yoga and the lessons of life, that harmony lies in the balance. We see it in the Earth and Moon cycles; in the tides of the oceans as they rise and fall. We experience it when there are highs in our lives followed by heartbreaking lows. 

There is a latent rhythm to it all. 

On our mat and in our lives we’re constantly in search of harmony between both strength and stability, as well as flexibility and freedom. Having too much of one and too little of the other creates imbalance.

How do you find the balance?

Isn’t that the ultimate question? How do we find the balance on our mat between doing too much and straining, and doing too little and feeling like we’re “not trying” hard enough? The answer: Sthira (strength) and Sukha (ease).
Entering the pose with intention, activating the required muscles, readjusting to find safe alignment. And, once there, finding our breath, comfort, and the present moment. One inhale and one exhale at a time, ebbing and flowing. 

How do we move in our lives in a stable way, where both work and play are equal? Where time for ourselves is proportionate to the time we spend doing things for others? In the exact same way as we explore this duality on our yoga mat; with awareness and intent for balance. 

The mind enjoys this game of extremes; all in… or all out. Either you are great or you totally suck. It is trained to keep you engaged, if you allow it, in trivial things; overthinking that one embarrassing moment you had last week, reliving it over and over. Or perhaps worrying about tomorrow’s presentation with thoughts of doom, defeat, and worst-case scenarios.

Come back to the present, where life truly happens.