What does it really mean to you, the idea of living a balanced life?
I think this idea of pursuing life-balance is becoming increasingly popular because we feel somehow that we have lost, or are losing our balance. As women, especially, it seems balance in life evades us.I didn't really learn about balance in life until I became a dancer. Before that, balance seemed a static thing that I had to arrange for and think carefully about; a balanced checkbook, a balanced composition in my paintings, a balanced diet; all these things required planning and induced anxiety. With dance, I found my center of gravity, and with it, a whole new idea of balance.
I was not a very physical person before I started dancing at age 30. You could say I was cut off from my body. I was clumsy, physically uncertain, intellectual, and ever so slightly round in the shoulders. I still am all of these things, a bit, but dance has allowed me to inhabit my body in a very satisfying way, and I have gained grace, wisdom and equilibrium from this precious sense of embodiment.
So, life-balance.... Here is what my body has taught me about achieving it:
- Maintaining balance means moving & changing continually.
- Sometimes a very tiny movement is all that is needed to bring exquisite equilibrium.
- You can lose your balance by going too fast, or too slow.
- Try to HOLD TIGHT to your balance and you will surely lose it.
- Always be aware of what your gut is telling you.
- Relax, and hold everything around you in a loose & gentle focus.
- Breathe, breathe, breathe.
- A little bit of fear will keep you moving and alert. A lot of fear will bring you down.
- And this: The feeling that you are about to lose your balance is the natural hallmark of being balanced and moving at the same time.
Journal Prompts:
For Writing: What does balance really feel like to me? Where do I feel it in my body, and what is the sensation? When do I feel balanced in my life?
For Visual Journaling: Grab your pile of magazines and a glue stick. Find a quiet space, breathe, and search for a feeling of balance in your body. Without thinking about it too much, start tearing out pictures from the magazines that match this feeling. Create a collage from the results. What does it show you about your idea of life-balance?
