Balance

There's a reason people think yoga is hard. It requires balance and concentration. 

Balance isn't easy. 

If there's one thing that I've learned while having to adjust to working from home, it's that we all need to learn for ourselves what balance actually is. When my work is all out in front of me, I have a really hard time letting go and stopping my work in order to regain peace of mind. I think that's why I wanted to join a Yoga Teacher Training, in fact.  I'm a pretty active person, but I've found that the more I want to dive into my work online, the more couch-potato-y I become! Not great for any of my goals, really. 

What do you do to find balance in your life? 

For me, I know if I get out into nature I can re-calibrate my brain a little bit. It's been scientifically proven and there are different words for this connection to nature in many cultures. If I can be in the mountains or on a beach by the ocean, I am in my happy place. 

Recently, I've been reading a career book, which touts growing your skills and building up your career portfolio so that you can eventually live the life you want to live. Nowhere does he talk about the fact that you need to have quietness, breaks, or mental vacations. Unfortunately, our hustle culture permeated all walks of life before CoVID shut everything down. I think Hustle Culture is being cancelled now, finally. If you don't pause to smell the wildflowers, you will see your whole life disappear into work. It IS important to work hard, build your education and work towards career goals, but those are not the ONLY parts of life that matter. You need to find your center of gravity. You need to balance your fears and your passions. You need to balance work and play. It might be hard, but you can find a place that is comfortable and steady. 

In yoga, I was taught to "let the breath be the teacher" - if your life has become such that you have no breathing room, it's time to re-evaluate what you are trying to do. If you try to over-reach through a yoga pose, or over-sing through a piece of music, you will make yourself sore, tired, and you will no longer be capable of expressing yourself fully. I feel like life has made me learn this lesson over and over again.

Listen to your breath and your body. Learn what your heart needs and find your balance. 

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