Breaking Through To Balance

Being in balance in all areas of our lives is a perennial topic for discussion and contemplation. Often we may find ourselves over-committed, under-rested, over-fed yet under nourished, generally or very specifically unhealthy in some way and the key to clarity and wellness turns out to be that magic word - Balance.

Finding balance in a world where we are either pushed or pushing to be performing at our peak 24/7 365 can be a major challenge for many of us. It's important to Take Back Control of your own life. To remember that you and you alone are responsible for creating your own reality and that you have the power to change what isn't working can be the greatest gift you will ever give to yourself.

Start right now-are you willing-right now- in this moment - to take a time out? - To come back into balance? We are taught by some of the greatest of teachers to literally "stop the world". It is our world, our creation, and we can and do have the power to stop everything right here, right now and ask some soul searching and very serious questions.

The first question you might ask yourself is this - When was the last time you took some time just for you? Not just a day off from work but some serious time out - 3 - 4 days, maybe even a week or two that is totally and completely unscheduled - time to reflect, to journal, to meditate, to rest, to review your life, to see where you are and where you've come from, to decide, really consciously decide who you are and who you want to be, to see where you are and where you really want to be going.

When we make the choice, the conscious decision, to stop, to take a time out and to deeply contemplate our passions, our purpose, our soul's journey, we may find that there are some changes that need to happen and soon. Change can be very frightening for people and yet it's the most natural thing in the world. Nature herself is a perfect example of the ever changing nature of our universe. All too often we busy ourselves to the point of exhaustion and collapse, merely because we are afraid to face the necessary steps that we need to take in order to change our lives, change our world and bring things back into a place of balance.

In the Peruvian Tradition of the High Andes we are taught about a concept known as Ayni. Ayni is a way of living in the world that is in balance with our own nature as well as with the natural world around us and all of our relations. The native peoples believe that we are all connected and strive to live lives of balance and communion with all that is.

A simple way to start the process of breaking through to balance is to track for yourself your own natural energy rhythms. Using a calendar and a scale from 1 - 10, each day mark a number for that day that is a measure of your energy level,. For example today you might be feeling very lethargic, not really wanting to do anything - maybe today is a 2 day. Tomorrow you might get up and feel all full of "piss and vinegar" as my mom would say - ready to take on the world and accomplish mighty feats - tomorrow might be a 10 day. When you have tracked your own energy for a month or so (at least 30 days is recommended) you then have a picture of your own flow - perhaps during the full moon you are totally charged, later in the month might be your down time. Chart the flow and begin to match your commitments and activities to your own true nature. Don't say yes to that party when you know if falls on a day when you will likely be in the 2 zone. Go for it and book three appointments with clients and host a dinner party on your usual 10 day. Just bringing some consciousness to your own energy will start you on the road to balance. Make it a prayer - Lord may I bring a little more balance to my life and to the world today and may I begin with me.