I remember friends, coworkers and colleagues continually forwarding me the article, “did you hear about this?” “Is this true?” As is very often the case when news about yoga breaks and you are a known yogi. 🙂
A few days later, the owner of the Yoga Studio that was my home at the time came out with the most beautiful response, and that was my Facebook memory today, “When we practice anything with ego and obsession, we will cause problems. We get out of balance. Call me crazy, but I still eat some non-organic food; I still like riding my bike with no helmet; I still get in my car and drive 65 miles per hour, and wouldn’t you know, I still do yoga and love it and grow from it every day.”
The moral of the story here? Balance. Plain and simple. Anything done in excess, even the healthiest, most healing of things, can cause issues. Sleep is so healing, but too much sleep can be damaging and depressive. Whole foods are fantastic, but constantly denying yourself something you love damages the soul far more than an indulgence now and again.
I’m a yogi; I eat organic, partake in a farm share for my veggies and try to stay away from fast food. BUT I’m a baker; I bake with straight up sugar, lots of butter and a massive amount of love. Baking for me is meditation, eating baked goods for me is luxurious. And yes, many times I’ll go back for that second slice of cake.
Balance is enjoying the journey of yin and yang, not too much of one thing, not too little of another. We live in such an all-or-nothing society that this practice, this journey, can be one of the most difficult. I’m sure there are many that question my choice to spout wholeheartedly about yoga and wellness in one sentence, and then gush about the next three-layer goodie I’m making in the next. But that’s my truth, that’s where I feel whole and so that is where I will remain.
Meditation and mindfulness help me be at peace with where I find my joy, regardless of my internal second guessing or external judgement. It helps me “tune in” to the cues of my natural bank account, “lots of sugar last night Katherine, maybe today, a salad.” “Two hours of exercise yesterday Katherine, maybe today a walk and a cuddle with Kirk.”
I’m not perfect at it; in fact I find that perfection can be the opposite of balance, and oftentimes quite paralyzing. I still overdo a lot of things and still have to work to find balance every single day. But with meditation and mindfulness on my side, I am equipped and ready to take on this practice. To confidently find wellness and peace in my yoga, my organic veggies and my butter soaked, frosting covered kitchen.
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