Embracing Equilibrium: Finding Balance in the Autumn Equinox

Last Friday - September 22nd – was the autumnal equinox. A time when day and night stand as equals, a moment of cosmic equilibrium.

As this dramatic display of change and transition takes place around us, we also may feel the shift within. Balance in the external world calls us to find balance within ourselves. We are, after all, comprised of the elements that make up the natural world.

But, what does finding balance really mean? Just like nearly every other woman I know, I am a (not so successful) juggler of many balls - a busy day job, a chaotic family, yoga teaching, time with friends, time to look after myself, constant battling of the clothes mountain – all those things that all of us do every day.

I often find myself promising a “better balance”. But if I’m honest, what this usually means is – fitting in more. This week, I’ve spent some time reading around the subject of balance. Here's what I've figured out so far:

1. Balance doesn’t mean being able to do it all, have it all, and handle it all with a smile on our face. It doesn’t mean keeping everything from falling apart.

2. Balance means being able to fully engage in what we need or want to do without the nagging guilt or worry that we should be doing something else.

3. Creating balance is a choice. It means that no matter what life throws at us, or what we do or don’t get done, we make the choice to maintain an inner sense of peace – a calm in the midst of chaos.

4. Balance is individual. Some people need a lot of down time to relax, while others like to be busy much of the time. Some people like being more connected, while others appreciate more time on their own.

5. Finding balance requires us to really understanding our own boundaries and needs so that we have the freedom to pursue all the various roles and identities we have or want to have in life.

6. And finally, balance is not a static state; it's the rhythm of life, ever-changing and evolving as we grow and learn.

And so, we turn to yoga to help us practice finding balance. Through breath, movement, and mindfulness, we learn to listen to our bodies, honor our limitations, and expand our boundaries. Each breath, each movement, is an opportunity to find balance.

With each inhale, we draw in the energy of the sun, and with each exhale, we release into the stillness of the moon. If we let it, each movement can be a celebration of balance - the equilibrium between strength and surrender, effort and ease. The stability of the Earth beneath us and the vastness of the sky above.

In Savasana, we surrender completely, finding stillness and peace. Just as the Earth and the heavens are in perfect harmony during this equinox, so too can we find harmony within ourselves. As we integrate the energy of our practice, we might feel the balance of light and dark, day and night, within our own being.

Know that this balance is always within your reach, both on and off the mat.

"You do not have to be good.

You do not have to walk on your knees

for a hundred miles through the desert repenting.

You only have to let the soft animal of your body

love what it loves...

Meanwhile the world goes on.

Meanwhile the sun and the clear pebbles of the rain

are moving across the landscapes…

Meanwhile the wild geese, high in the clean blue air,

are heading home again."

-Mary Oliver