Finding your point of balance

Today is the autumn equinox: that time of day when the sun crosses the celestial equator and when day and night are of equal length. First official day of autumn.

Around the times of the equinox – both in spring and in autumn – my thoughts often turn to the subject of balance. Not just in the sense of yoga postures, but also in the broader sense of life balance.

It is true, of course, that what goes on in the body is reflected in the mind, and vice versa: so focusing on balancing postures in our yoga practice can help us focus on finding balance in our life.

Yoga postures and balance

.My favourite postures to practice at this time are the triangles, both extended triangle (Utthita Trikonasana) and revolved triangle pose (Parivrtta Trikonasana). In these postures we create a triangle with the legs representing 2 of the sides, and the gap between the feet representing the third side. The triangle shape is ubiquitous in nature, and especially poignant at this time of year.

Triangle postures not only bring to mind the aspects of balance with nature, night and day – and indeed our planet: but have quite marked physical benefits:

• Stretches legs, muscles around the knee, ankle joints, hips, groin muscles, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, chest and spine
• Strengthens legs, knees, ankles, abdominals, obliques and back
• Stimulates function of abdominal organs
• Relieves stress
• Improves digestion and constipation
• Helps to alleviate back pain and symptoms of menopause
• Used therapeutically for anxiety, infertility, neck pain and sciatica

Balance postures

There are many postures where balance is a key feature, and focusing both the body and mind to achieve this physical balance will possible bring a different result each time you practice. For example: some days we are able to balance much better than others, you may find that you can balance better on one side than another – you could even experiment with closing your eyes to see how that affects your balance. If today is a day when your balance is not so good you could try holding onto a wall to achieve a balance posture.

All of these variables are normal, remember it is the intention behind the posture – the aim of achieving balance, whatever that means to you – that is important: not how it looks to others.

Finding your Point of Balance

As we leave the longer days behind for another year I hope you find your point of balance.