Balance as Movement, Not Stagnation

I am enjoying a walk in this beautiful Portland weather that shifts from rain to sun to rain to sun to rain…and I find myself in a moment of sun. I appreciate all of the shifts that lead to the balance our Earth needs in this season, which is a great reminder of something we talked about in recent Your Body Is Yours to Know cohorts.

Both cohorts discussed balance, actually, with one cohort focused on water and how it moves freely in our body to create balance. It is always in the process of moving to create balance in the density of our tissues and cells. That is one way to create balance; always moving and shifting to aim for a kind of symmetry. It’s not always exactly equal, but more equal from a density and movement standpoint.

In our other cohort, we spoke about balance as a concept and in the context of using our muscles. Balance is movement, not stagnation. I used to think, “When I find balance, it’s going to be still.” But it’s not. As a dancer, being in a balanced state requires movement. Often, that balance is maintained through smaller, less obvious movements. These slight movements are more comfortable in our body, which is true in life, too. When life comes at us, we need to shift in the opposite direction to find balance. We’re always making these shifts. When the shifts are smaller, it feels more easeful and comfortable. Sometimes things come at us that feel big and move us in big ways. Balance necessitates that we shift in a large or symmetrical-in-intensity movement as we try to come into balance. I just think it’s an interesting frame - balance is movement.