Balance in all things

Achieving balance is probably one of the most challenging things to accomplish. Yet it's benefits supersedes giving into the fear of not trying. In today's modern world we are constantly overrun with never ending to-do list and rely heavily on multitasking to get the jobs done. Many of us feed on this excitement and often times put ourselves in these situations. Eventually you'll end up burned out physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually and your body will force you to take that much needed time out. Your body will compensate for all those periods of extreme activity by forcing you to be still. However, this period of stillness maybe a physical illness or some other stress related illness such as an affected disorder. This lifestyle can be very detrimental to your health. Therefore, balance is required in everything you do. 

I'm consistently struggling with this and am seeking help through a daily meditation practice and yoga. Finding time for these self healing techniques takes some dedication but I owe it to myself and to my loved ones. To achieve this, I've created a special meditation area in front of my shrines. It consists of a few comfy throw pillows, some candles, incenses, and my journal to note anything that may come to mind. I usually meditate to music. I have a nice collection of new agey chakra balancing and singing bowl tunes that I downloaded from itunes. To begin, I take a few cleansing breathes then just be for about 10 minutes. Nothing fancy. 

For my yoga practice, I currently go to two different studios. I'm a hot yoga fanatic, so I generally do Bikiram or some other variation. But I find it lacks the spiritual aspect of the yogic tradition that I love. So sometime I attend classes at Kashi here in Atlanta. The classes offered there are very holistic in that they provide a good balance between physical and spiritual fitness. In general yoga classes can be pricey and as a graduate student, I live on a tight budget. So both studios offer free or $5 classes multiple times per week. Yoga on a budget. I loves it!  

I'm still growing in my practices, so any tips you guys can offer would be great! Namaste

OmiD