It Pays Better to Choose Balance

During the spring time while in the sign of Aires, when we feel the urgency to get our unique “music” out to the world, most of us have around 40 projects to juggle, and then there are all the distractions, many of them electronic temptations. 

How do we keep our balance and get stuff done?

I remember about 3 years ago, when I took a trip with Maqua to Europe. When we got to Switzerland the land was so beautiful and yet I had no energy. I had to crash, rest, and do nothing for two whole weeks. Beforehand, for months on end, I had been juggling a taxi business and the University simultaneously. While being a vegetable in Switzerland, my rational mind would go into a panic about taking these weeks off while I had the next  school year to launch.I was terrified I would not be prepared, and we would end-up having a dry year. When it was time to come home, I was so out of it, I missed my plane! Subconsciously, I was so afraid of coming home to find out I would not be able to cope with the disasters that had developed while I was away. Well, I did mange to take the next plane, and when I got home I discovered the sky did not fall.  In fact, because I was rested and was therefore more available to opportunities,  several students just showed up and it turned out to be our best school year to date.
The moral of that story is that it pays better to choose balance!  

And, it pays better than money. 

In my mens group, a man asked me, what do you get out of doing so much? This question busted my ego!  I decided I would hold it as an inquiry for a while. 

What do we get by doing so much?

According to thousands of near death experiences, during the life review, one’s accomplishments are never even looked at.  The only thing that is shown is the impact of our loving. 

We need balance between doing and being because the being state is Loving.  I have been noticing when I am mainly in the doing mode, my dopamine levels are high, but if I stay in this mode too long my body becomes tired, achy, constipated, and toxic.  When I finally allow myself to get rest, my serotonin levels increase as my muscles relax, my bowels move better,  I sleep better, as my body is more in a healing and cleansing mode. 

I have also noticed how taking certain herbs that boost serotonin levels help me to be less driven and more relaxed and free of stress. One of the best herbs for this is St. John’s wort. I understand that serotonin is automatically produced in the body when we take time out to meditate and simply be in the moment without worrying about the future. For me and many Westerners this is easier said than done. So taking herbs that boost our serotonin levels also helps us let go of our obsession to do so much and gets us in the mood to meditate and hang out and enjoy the small things including making the time to enjoy loving connection with others. When we are in our being state, we are more open to the magic of each now a moment. Presently, I miss feeling that in a deep way, so I’m about to take a three day retreat to just fast and be totally undistracted on beautiful land. 

Remaining in balance, day by day, is my goal, and that requires having a daily meditation practice. It need not be formal or based in a religious tradition. It can just be relaxing and allowing the mind to unwind itself for a half hour or more each morning. 

While in this “being state”, all the little things like sunrises, the smell of flowers, and someone’s smile can have a huge impact.

This year at I AM U,  I’m excited we will be offering several meditations and meditation retreats. I hope you can join us!

Love and Blessings,

JOA