Dynamic Balance

Sunday was the Autumn Equinox - a good moment to pause and take stock.

While preparing for our upcoming workshop, Syncing with the Seasons: Fall - Traditional Wisdom for Modern Life, I came across a post I shared six years ago on the occasion of another equinox. It is still quite relevant, so I am sharing it with you today.

Dynamic Balance

I used to think that if I could just come up with the formula of the right amount of exercise, the right foods, and meditation for X number of minutes a day, I could create balance in my life. And if I just kept doing all those things, I could keep my life in balance.

Guess how well that worked out. Not.

Once I found Chinese Medicine, I understood the error in my thinking. Chinese Medicine is based on the simple yet - in modern times - the radical notion that humans are part of the natural cycles, and the more we can honor the natural daily, monthly, and yearly rhythms and reflect them in how we live our lives, the easier it will be to create and maintain good health.

So the notion that I could "nail down" balance was inherently flawed. Instead, I had to shift my understanding of balance to reflect the ever-changing natural world. And it was time spent reflecting on the nature of the equinoxes and solstices which led me to the concept of "Dynamic Balance".

There are two days in the year when the amount of daylight - Yang - equals the amount of nighttime - Yin. Two days when Yin and Yang are equal. Does that mean that they are "out of balance" for the rest of the year? Of course not!! It means that the relationship of Yin and Yang is dynamic, and it shifts and changes throughout the year.

My old concept of balance was static and rigid and did not reflect the natural cycles. Hence, it didn't work!

Instead, I learned to adopt a dynamic understanding of self-care, of life balance. One that shifts and changes throughout the year. While the "ingredients" in my self-care "soup" remain constant - eat well, sleep well, move, be still, express myself creatively - the ratios and ways that I express those elements change. My self-care mid-winter looks very different than it does mid-summer.

The equinox is a great time to reflect on your life balance - and see what you can do to bring it into alignment with the larger cycles.

Change is the only constant,
Kirstin Lindquist

PS At Energy Matters, we love honoring the seasons! There are many ways we can help you shift with the seasons:

1. Syncing with the Seasons workshop on Sun Sept 29

2. 21 Days to Better Health Fall Group starts Sun Oct 6th (If you are a repeater and need your discount code, hit reply before signing up and I’ll help you out.)

3. Wild Goose Qigong 9 Week Session Starts the week of Oct 7th