Balance. What is balance? If you look it up in the dictionary, balance is a state of equilibrium or equipoise, equal distribution of weight, amount, etc. But what does that really mean, what are we balancing, and how do we know if we are in balance? To understand balance, we must first understand the concepts of yin and yang.
Yin and yang are Chinese concepts originating back to as early as the 14th-century B.C.E. In early inscriptions, yin and yang are descriptions of natural phenomena such as weather conditions, but especially the movement of the sun. During the day, there is sunlight (yang) and there is a lack of sunlight at night (yin). Just as the early Chinese, we use the sun and moon as indicators of activity. During the day, we move, we work, we go through our daily routines, and at night we rest yin and yang.
Though yin and yang are Chinese concepts of explaining the dualism in nature and the universe, we can easily use these concepts to find balance in our own life and yoga practice. Many of us live our lives in a constant state of stress, moving from one thing to the next, causing us to be out of balance. We might get more easily frustrated or irritated with others or perhaps ourselves. Physiologically, our sympathetic nervous system, that fight or flight response, is constantly turned on, which weakens our immune system because all our bodily resources are spent trying to fend off threat, or in most cases, stress. As a result, when we finally take some time to rest and slow down, we get sick because we are trying to come back to an equilibrium, but our bodies are so weakened that we become ill. To prevent this from occurring, it is important to find that balance in our daily lives of doing and movement with periods of rest and stillness to give our mind and body a chance to come back into a harmonious state.
The dualism of yin and yang are also present in our exercises, including yoga. The more cardio-based, heating activities (i.e., Vinyasa, Ashtanga, etc) are yang, while the restful, introspective activities (i.e., Restorative, meditation, etc.) are more yin. Yin and yang also inter transform into each other: yang is generated from yin and yin is generated from yang. For example, in a Vinyasa class, there are moments of stillness and rest. There is an ebb and flow to the class that transforms moving to rest and resting to moving. From a physiological perspective, this ebb and flow prepare our bodies for the ups and downs of life by “flipping the light switch” of our sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
If we notice that we are in a constant state of moving from one thing to the next, perhaps take a moment to pause, to take a long deep inhale and exhale. We might also consider meditating or going to a slower-paced yoga class to help relax our body and mind. Conversely, if we spend most of our days stationary, we might consider heating activities, perhaps, going for a run or brisk walk, taking a faster-paced (maybe heated) yoga class, or some Khapalabati breathing to energize the mind and body. In summary, it is important to notice times when we are out of balance, assess what we need (movement or rest), and use the techniques we learn on the mat to bring our own yin and yang back into balance.
References: Dictionary.com. (n.d.). Balance. Dictionary.com. https://www.dictionary.com/browse/balance. Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (n.d.). https://iep.utm.edu/yinyang/. Zhuangzi. Ed. by Chen Guying. Beijing: Chinese Press, 1983.
Namaste,
Guest Blogger - Sylvia Willis