Finding Balance in an Off-Kilter World

This last week was the week of thanks, for many. Among many other gratitudes, I’m thankful to have found my own definition of balance in my personal off-kilter world. I’m also grateful to have been asked to delve into the myriad offerings of GaiamTV, from yoga and meditation to inspirational films and the science of health.

My body has been thanking me recently for the serenity and much-needed stretching I’ve been enjoying by reintroducing yoga to my me-mix. I’m excited to be back on board with some feel-good practices, and I’ll share with you my discoveries…and my ponderings.

A significant theme for Gaiam has been the #BalancedYou campaign, which you can follow on Twitter and Facebook, and follow MyYogaOnline. You can find your own groove.

Of course I’m a water element. I’m a pisces and I love the sea.

What is balance?

In science, it can be very precise. If something teetering on a tip veers even the teensiest bit in one direction, it plummets to an extreme side, or even falls.

In life, I think balance is more an art. And it’s very personal. I once struggled with finding balance. I’ve had a Pandora charm bracelet for many years, with one charm symbolizing harmony or balance. And right next to it, I added a hen charm to represent Henny Penny, the frazzled chicken. It was my tongue-in-cheek recognition of my goal for “balance” juxtaposed with my workaholic reality of …well, pretty much chaos.

Somewhere in my off-kilter-ness and requisite growth period, I decided that seeking perfect balance, where my pendulum points at exact zero, was no longer realistic, and more importantly, no longer necessary. I’m perfectly content now with a bit of swing in my step, and my pendulum. It fits me. Being just a bit off. 😉 And I’ve come to love those around me in a similar semi-balanced state. What is normal, anyway, right?

For me now, balance has a loose definition. I have grown to accept the fact that it’s not an exact point to achieve, but more a fluid movement around a healthy happy condition. And I’m digging it. And those practices I enjoy in the pursuit of semi-balance – like hiking, travel, laughing, blogging, snapshotography, beach walks, working, loving – are welcome distractions and indulgences, rather than fiercely sought necessities.

My theory is that if I strive to hit peak balance, then I’m living on a perpetual tipping point. And so being a bit out of balance has become my personal place of balance and acceptance.  And this program I’m embracing is called #BalancedYou – so it’s very name implies a practice of finding your own balance.

So much of a happy life, for me, has been about letting go. And then it comes back to you – in abundance. Those things you pursued eagerly and frenetically.

How do you find balance in your life? Do you utilize websites like Gaiam to give you ideas and resources for whole health? Do you change it up to keep your interest, or do you stick with the same tried and true rituals?

Feel free to reply here in the comments or @ me on Twitter @SuuperG or on Facebook.

Until next time…

Namaste n’ shizzle 🙂