Balancing our Sun + Moon Energies: Intentional Practices for Different Seasons of Our Lives
“Let’s look at your balance.”
I was recently at physical therapy and the doctor said this to me. I thought, no problem, I’m a yogi! Then I tried the exercise and shook, teetered, and wobbled until I fell.
My ego was a little bruised but I’m glad he helped me see that something in how my muscles were engaging was out of balance and keeping me from finding a steady, upright state.
Imbalance sometimes occurs when a part of the body is weak or is not actively engaging which leads to some other, countering part, to overcompensate. When left unaddressed, imbalances can lead to a chain reaction that eventually impacts the entire system -- one small issue leads to another and ultimately to pain and sometimes injury.
I think this can be true in life. We have one area of imbalance that, if left unaddressed, impacts other areas and soon we’re wobbling.
The practice of Hatha yoga is one of pursuing balance through inviting in opposing forces -balance between the fiery, active energy of the sun (“ha”) and the cooling stillness of the moon (“tha”). The poses ask us to find a physical balance between strength and mobility, between effort and ease. The practice helps us balance mind, body, and spirit and move towards a meditative state in which we can experience wholeness and connection.
The Gunas
Another approach to the idea of balance is the Ayurvedic concept of the “Gunas” – the 3 aspects of nature: Rajas (active, fiery, light), Tamas (cool, lethargic, dark), and Sattva (balance, peace). These qualities are always present in everyone but in varying amounts as we move through the seasons of our lives.
Functioning in a state of extreme Rajas or Tamas prevents us from experiencing Sattva or balanced well-being, yet we often unconsciously fuel an imbalance with more of the same aspect or by adding like to like.
I’ve seen a lot of students with Rajasic tendencies (full of fire, busy, always on, always connected, in high productivity and creativity mode) turning to high energy activities – they repeatedly take the fast intense yoga class rather than the cooling restorative one, continuing to add fire to fire. I’ve done this myself and experienced how it can lead to things like anxiety, insomnia, exhaustion, and general burn out.
Conversely, a deeply tamasic state that is further fueled with stillness, dark, and quiet can leave us unmotivated and disconnected. Instead of leaning into our current tendency, we can invite in other, unengaged aspects of ourselves to prevent us from wobbling. We need to balance all elements of ourselves to exist in harmony and to move towards a place of peace and wholeness, of integration.
Pursuing Balance
We see and feel the ever-shifting balance of light and dark, of warmth and cool, of growth and decay in nature as the seasons cycle through each year. And we ourselves have seasons of life where we find our energy ebbing between fiery activity and cooling stillness. While we acknowledge that it’s not possible to find balance in each moment or each day, we can work to balance our bodies, minds, and spirits in each season of life with some self-awareness and understanding of which practices we can engage in to bring ourselves back to a place of equilibrium.
We start by taking stock - noticing how we’re feeling, checking in with where in our lives or bodies we may be experiencing imbalance or starting to lean far in one direction. From there, we bring in counter energies through specific practices to balance out our current state – remembering that adding fire to fire leads to burnout and cool to cool leads to freeze. We invite in opposing forces to find that sweet balance.
For grounding (to balance a phase of life that is active, fiery, bright, high stress), try:
Restorative yoga
Yoga Nidra
Reiki
Guided meditation
Gentle massage
Grounding breathing techniques like 5 – 7 – 8
Listen to calming music in a dark, relaxing setting
Any other practices that happen in darker, quieter surroundings with less external stimulation to help bring the parasympathetic nervous system online
For energizing (to balance a phase of life that is lethargic, quiet, dark, cooling), try:
Vinyasa or power styles of yoga
High energy exercise
Going outside into bright sunshine
Starting a new project
Singing
Energizing breathing techniques like Kapalabhati or Bhastrika
Listening to upbeat music and/or dancing
Any practices that get you up, moving, and energized
Join Us
Acknowledging that 2020 has been a challenging year and the winter season, though fueled by love and connection, can bring longer nights and holiday stress, Rhys + Rei is offering special experiences this December to bring mind, body, and spirit into balance.
Events will include a variety of spiritual modalities (e.g., Reiki, sound healing, yoga, meditation) to help you end the year mindfully with grounding, healing, and light and prepare to step into 2021 with renewed intention.
We hope to connect with you at some of these experiences!
