Creating Balance

“Balance is not something you find, it’s something you create” ~~Jana Kingsford

How can we create balance in our lives?

It all begins with awareness, curiosity and consciously setting an intention for ourselves every day – all of which we have been practicing these last few weeks – or longer for some (refer back to the last 2 blog posts for more on this)  

To establish this week’s intention practice, let’s start by asking ourselves this question…

”What choices do I need to make today to create some balance in my life?”

Maybe you know the answer to this question right away or maybe you feel your life is so out of balance that you do not even know where to begin.

We may even have the tendency to blame others or a current circumstance in our life for the imbalance. This can leave us feeling hopeless, helpless and unable to make a conscious choice because we believe it is all out of our control.

It is time to let go of that belief and take responsibility for our life.

We may not be able to change our outer circumstances but we can ALWAYS change our inner perceptions and the choices we make every single day.

This starts with the empowering choice to take ownership & control of our lives and stop expecting the world or others to change 

There are many conditions in our day-to-day life that we CAN change. There are various different choices every single day of our lives that we can consciously make that will affect the outcome of our day.

Let’s start with what we can control…

Our Health.

No matter where you sit in the healthy/unhealthy balance scale, no matter what stories you have told or have been told about your health – you have the power to make positive changes by consciously making new choices every single day. It is NEVER too late to make a better choice. It is NEVER too late to take your health into your own hands. One day at a time, one intention at a time, and one choice at a time will lead us to these changes.

 “Our future is created from the choices we make every minute” ~ Deepak Chopra

Where do we start?

As I am deep into my Ayurveda studies with the Chopra Center, I am going to bring in what this program teaches are “The 6 Pillars of Health”

The 6 Pillars of Health

What are the 6 Pillars of health according to the Chopra Teachings?

1. Nutrition
2. Movement
3. Meditation
4. Sleep
5. Emotional awareness
6. Self-care

Let’s start there…

As the last few weeks have build up our “awareness muscles” due to our daily silent meditations and our minds have been opened by our curiosity practice, we are now ready for the powerful practice of opening our eyes in the morning and immediately asking ourselves “What do I need to do today in order to bring more balance into my day?”

“What do I need to do today in order to bring more balance into my day?”

Now, this can be anything from a baby step in the right direction to a bigger leap of faith, the power in this practice is to bring awareness to what needs balancing in our lives and acknowledging that we have the power and capability throughout our day to make choices that supports this balance.

If you draw a blank and needs some assistance; go through the 6 pillars of health.

Here are some examples…

• Nutrition; I can choose to bring some balance to my eating habits today, by simply committing to eating a particular food that my body thrives on? Or eliminating one that doesn’t allow my body to thrive?
• Movement; I can choose to bring more movement into my day by attending a Yoga or fitness class today? Or inviting a friend out for a walk.
• Meditation; I can choose to sit with the awareness of my breath at random times throughout my day?
• Sleep; I can choose to get myself to bed tonight by 10pm?
• Emotions; I am willing to bring balance to my emotions by sitting in stillness and being curious as to what I am feeling? I am willing to observe and identify the emotion and then release it by fully feeling it and then consciously choosing to no longer  hold onto it?  
• Emotions/self-care; I can choose to get up out of bed today without complaining about anything or anyone? And be curious as to how long I last 😊
• Self-care; I can commit to communing with nature today? One of the best practices of self-care is to draw into the rhythm and flow of nature.    

Write it down

Once you have decided what your balance focus for the day will be, get up out of bed, grab your intention setting journal (any notepad or journal will do) and WRITE IT DOWN. Put the power of your words into this intention, into this focus, and into this step in the right direction.

 Additional Writing Practice;

To make this intention setting goal more attainable take a few moments to ponder and write about the conscious steps you will take today to achieve success in creating this balance in this area of your life today.

A few questions to ponder; (and write into your journal)

1. What do I consciously need to do today to move towards this balance?
2. What do I consciously need to do today to move away from the imbalance?
3. What do I need to let go of in order to create this balance?
4. What do I need to let in, in order to create this balance?
5. What do I need to release?
6. What am I “trying too hard” to do or hold onto it? IMPORTANT NOTE…Forcing or controlling someone or a situation will give us a false sense of balance. Forcing a situation will always lead to an imbalance – if we can honestly ask ourselves this question and be curious and open to the answer, we can avoid many unforeseen obstacles and imbalances in our lives. Hence the comment “Wow, I didn’t see that coming?”

Intention Journaling example;

Here is an example of an intention journal entry…

“Today I choose to create balance in my day by taking the time to stop and focus on my breathing at least 4 times throughout my day”

Action steps;

• I will program reminders into my phone for times of my day I will do this.
• I will release all excuses and commit to these few minutes of breathing no matter how busy I am
• I will let in… The knowing how effective my day will be with this practice

One Last Implementing Tool;

After taking a few minutes to write out your intention and action steps, sit in a silent meditation. Observe your thoughts, your breath & your emotions with full curiosity and non judgement 😊

Enjoy your day!

Check out the Tap In video below to recap and discover ways to create balance of movement and energy with the tapping as well as a great breathing awareness practice you can work into your day! All within 16 minutes!