Balancing Doing With Being

We all learned the principle in physics: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction," right?

Knowing this principle of physics is one thing, but how do we apply to our lives?

Here's one way to think about it:

If we are active, achieving, and pushing ourselves, we need an equal amount of being. Yet, our culture doesn’t value the receptive energy of being. We get so focused on “doing” we either burn out, make mistakes, or become resentful, perfectionistic, or judgy (or all of the above). These are signs of imbalanced Pitta dosha that needs to be recalibrated. 

In Deborah Adele's book The Yamas & Niyamas, in the chapter on Asteya (non-stealing) she talks about how we steal from ourselves:

"We are captured in a culture where our very identity is tied up with our accomplishments. We wear all we have to do like a badge on our shirt for all to see. In this rush to get to the next thing, we have left no time for ourselves to digest and assimilate our lives; this may be our biggest theft of all. We need time to catch up with ourselves. We need time to chew and ponder and allow the experiences of life to integrate within us. We need time to rest and to reflect and to contemplate."

Does the quote hit you in the gut too?

We are currently in Kapha season, otherwise known as Springtime, governed by the elements of Earth and Water. In balancing with the wisdom of opposites, Kapha season IS the season to get moving, and doing to balance out the heaviness of stagnation from Winter, but movement and doing more are not the only things to focus on. For instance, a Spring Detox allows us to simplify not only food, but also our relationships with time and space. 

As the world amps up a little more each day - more daylight, more activity, more warmth - let's all PLEASE make a little space each day to balance the doing with being. Through digesting our experiences, we can keep our channels flowing freely… breath, blood, lymph, ideas… and our capacity for all of life increases. 

This is a growth edge for me too. I feel like I am finally learning that just "being" can shift our paradigm of what productivity and success looks and feels like. 

In addition to the focused time of seasonal detoxes, I find that it is helpful to actually plan breaks into my days and weeks so I can deeply care for my capacity to show up with integrity for everything else I am doing in my life.

If this is something you are curious about, I invite you to do the same. For instance, I personally do creative things like journal, play guitar, or draw to offset my busy schedule. I also like to roll around on my yoga mat or take short walks.

What are your favorite ways to balance out the pushing/doing energies in your life? 

I also have a bunch of retreat opportunities available for the rest of the year on my website. 

Together we can return to the natural flow of life, our inherent wellbeing, and align with the rhythm of nature. Let's collectively agree to balance "doing with being" a little more this Spring and see where the experiment leads us...

With love and light,

Hannah

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