" Balance ... "

" Just open your eyes,
And realize, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart
And that's a start ...

And he felt the earth to his spine,
And he asked, and he saw the tree above him, and the stars,
And the veins in the leaf,
And the light, and the balance ..."

~ The Moody Blues ~ Balance ~

***

Finding balance in life ... is it a myth or obtainable?  Well for something to be out of balance, there must have first been a balancing point.  Therefore, whatever is out of balance can be rebalanced ~ obtainable.  Just as we all have a breaking point, we all have the ability to find our balancing point.  

Our balance point comes from expressing our truth in our life.  One approach is to rid ourselves of the emotions and situations that caused initially caused the imbalance.  Yet it may be unrealistic to assume that a magic wand can be waved to bring things back into that balancing point ... many imbalances occur slowly over many years.  Inner balance is a sense of well-being ... a feeling of contentment and peace, as it should be and calmness.  Ironically, everything is always as it should be, even when we are facing difficult situations.  

So start by taking responsibility of yourself ... the key to finding balance.  To accept full responsibility for how you are feeling, what you are thinking and what you are doing.  Balance comes from YOU.  It is important to not confuse comfort with balance ... others can advise, support and encourage but you keep you in balance, and you allow this for yourself.  So it makes sense the next thought is to quit taking responsibility for others.  Stop taking on everyone else's problems.  At times, this can be a detriment to your well-being.  Again, remember help, advice, assistance, compassion and understanding can be given freely, but when other peoples issues take over your life, you need to take a step back.  This will help them learn how to be responsible for themselves.  

When you feel balanced, stepping forward in your life isn't dating.  You have complete trust in yourself.  You become fully acknowledged in those things that throw you out of balance, preparing you for the next time you encounter them.  It is not an easy task but once you do, you can take ownership of it and then it is yours to re-balance.  If it helps, you can start by writing down an imbalance list ... everything which you feel is bringing you down.  And recognize if you start blaming others or feel stuck with some items, you are not taking responsibility.

It takes commitment from ourselves to re-balance.  Consistent effort.  And as soon as we think we've dealt with and worked through all of our triggers, something else comes along which bowls us over and knocks us out of sync again.  But if practice the above, we will find it easier to recover from these as they occur and recovering from the same knocks will take less time ... eventually our foundations are solid and we can react from a point of balance, the ultimate goal.

"Stretch ..."

Stretching out your tightness
good enough to make you grow
We are all in favour of this motion
stretching out your tightness
time to open up your whole


i'm a bird and i can fly away
i can shift in so many shapes
make it up as i go along
that way it is never wrong

~ Red Hot Chili Peppers ~ Stretch ~
***


Last night for the first time since my diagnosis I went to hot yoga.  Now I have been practicing yoga at home but this time I ventured to the studio with my girlfriend.  We figured if all else fails, I could lie there for one hour and pretend I was vacationing at a sunny resort far far away.  I was nervous about the whole thing too ... how would I handle the heat, would I remember any of the Vinyasa postures, would I feel ill, would I pass out ... all the crazy thoughts that go thru your mind.  But I was pleasantly surprised.  Not only did I make through the class and postures, I made it MY practice ... ding, ding, ding ... yep the key to yoga ~ the courage you bring to your practice.  And I was loving the heat, the warm embrace, and the comfort.  It felt like getting back on a bicycle after a wee bit of a break.  It felt good.


The studio is my favourite ~ Hot Yoga on Crowfoot.  They have put a great deal of time, knowledge and care into creating a wonderful atmosphere.  They have clay walls that are natural and full of great qualities so that you are breathing in all the good you can.  And believe me, you are really breathing hard during these classes.  They also have fresh air circulating through the studio and the flooring is ergonomically designed to prevent injuries.  If that isn't enough, they clean with environmentally friendly products and are eco friendly when it comes to their showers and toilets.  


Within this one hour class, I was visualizing the release of toxins and poisons from my body, flushing out ~ an overall cleansing effect.  Now the Gerson therapy cautions us to over exert ourselves, making sure our energy is used to fight our illness first and foremost.  I was fully aware of my limitations and listening to my body, making sure to meet myself where I was at that moment with no judgement.  And I was so concentrated with my breathing, concentrated in my practice and a times felt like I was the only one in the room.  So, I have set my intentions to once a week and am excited to re-introduce this in my life.  Yoga is the connects the mind and body with conscious breathing, without,  it is just a bunch of shapes and sorts on a mat.

As I continue on this journey, I realize that change is not something that we should fear, rather it is something we should welcome ~ otherwise nothing in this world would ever grow or blossom ... possibly missing the opportunity to move forward to become the person we're meant to be.

"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape"