Balancing on a Bender Ball

Balancing on a Bender Ball in Life

A softish green ball, that's what our yoga teacher asked us to use yesterday in class. A Bender Ball. A squishy, round, harmless looking object.

So far so good.

Now hover one leg. WHAT? (I say in  my inside screaming voice.)

Zip up (you yogis, know what I mean). Compact your hips. Oh, and by the way, try not to wiggle around, in other words, don't fall off your ball.

Stomach muscles I know you're there. Do your job, I say to myself. Look calm, concentrate. You can do this. Keep yourself level. Hipbones straight up, like high-beams, facing the ceiling. Focus on this one thing.

Trying, trying. Oh, and don't hold your breath, relax your shoulders, don't clench your buttocks or any other part of yourself.

Oh my goodness this is hard.

Balancing on a Bender Ball - so many things to do 

This is Life. Balancing on a Ball. Maintaining calm, breathing, staying level each moment. (Tweet This)

Not panicking, trying not to fall with a thud and appearing foolish to those around you.

Following directions, trying to learn, doing our best to get stronger.

Next time things seem a bit out of control, let's think of this moving green ball. Relax. Play with it. And if we fall off. Climb back on and giggle loudly in our inside voice. (Tweet This)

*This post is not sponsored! Just my experience with a green squishy ball and what it taught me.

Balanced Life - Carrots and "Potatoes"

Balanced Life - Carrots and "Potatoes"

Don't you just love the stories we tell ourselves? We can use warped logic, but what we tell ourselves is basically true, right? We can convince ourselves of just about anything if we really try.

We can say that we're ready for a break from a relationship or our workplace but not really know what we're looking for. What do we need to do to keep ourselves healthy standing in the middle of that teeter-totter? More meditation? More exercise? More doing-nothing time?

So when it comes to Balance, it's tough to sometimes recognize what to do more of and what to do less. Finding Balance can be demanding!

Take vacation time for one. You might know that I've recently finished my time off from my regular full-time role, and balancing the time of relaxation and accomplishing, certainly put me on that teeter-totter. Do I use this free time to move ahead with writing goals, learning more about the hundreds of options in social media, or do I just "chill"?

2 - Wheel Balance

2-Wheel Balance, Victoria BC

During my walk yesterday I came across 2 youngsters trying out their bikes in a 2–wheel balance. They were  wobbly, they were unsure although they were excited about their new feat. Perhaps the training wheels had just been removed and they still needed to find their balance.

When each of us learn to balance something new into our lives, whether it is on a sport vehicle, a new job or a new course we’re taking, how do we learn? I believe that most of us need to fall before we can manoeuver with confidence, and then one day it just becomes second nature to us. We don’t have to think, our bodies and our minds just know how to do it.

Each of us have a different tipping point. Some like a page full of colour-coded events, others thrive with lots of blank spots on their calendar. Most of us out of force of habit balance and juggle like a circus clown.

We pile it on and then one day we can’t add another thing, we get a cold or a sore back and our body says “no more, give me time to adjust”. We need allow ourselves to slow down and be aware of when we are approaching this point in order to avoid it.

So always keep building, but don't forget to keep an eye on balance so we don’t tip over. (Click to Tweet)

Most of us need to fall before we can manoeuver with confidence. (Click to Tweet)