Saturday, May 02, 2009

A Week of Balance

Balance and I have had a rather strained relationship for most of my life. But recently I've been flirting with the idea. And next week, I'm throwing myself right in and spending a week with balance to see if we can find a way to love one another.

I've learned a lot about balance from some wise women in my life. I really wanted to spread their wisdom and so I have invited these 5 amazing beauties to share their insights on the topic next week:

Rachelle Mee-Chapman
Danette Relic
Sunny Schlenger
Annabel Fitzsimmons
Meghan Genge

Each of these women has inspired me in more ways than I can count. I'm sure they will do the same for you during A Week of Balance at Starshyne Productions.

In the meantime, let me leave you with my thoughts on balance from this month's News from Jamie Ridler Studios, which you can have delivered to your inbox once a month by signing up in the form on the right.

Balance Sucks
an excerpt from News from Jamie Ridler Studios

Well, that’s what I always thought. I mean, seriously, how boring is balance? Here’s where my brain has often gone when thinking about it: balance... equilibrium... stasis... stagnation... death. Who wants that? To say the least, I have had more than a little resistance to the concept.

And that resistance has often put me on a cycle that may be familiar to you, a pattern of excitement... over-activity... exhaustion... illness. Rinse. Repeat. Sickness was my body’s way of insisting on balance. I’d push too hard and she’d say, “Oh, yeah? How’s this one?” and I’d find myself out for the count.

Eventually that cycle brought me to the wonderful Diane Chung ND of The Chung Centre for Vibrant Health. I still see Diane and yes, we still talk about balance. This week she said to me, “Jamie, it’s all about dynamic balance.” (Hmm, with that adjective, maybe I could warm up to it a little) She explained that as things shift, we are consistently responding and adjusting.

That made me think about acting and the blissful intensity of being on stage, of seeking to respond honestly to the given moment instead of being stuck in a pattern or locked into a routine. And suddenly I got it. Balance is not about stagnation and death. Balance is vibrantly alive. It’s about being able to respond with agility and grace to the dynamics of the moment. It’s about being fully present and available to your life.

Present? Alive? Dynamic? I’m in. How about you?

Enjoy a Week of Balance with these wonderful guests! I'll be back for Dreamboards on May 9th! Wishcasting will take a week's break and be back May 11th.

3 comments:

roxanne s. sukhan said...

Ah, our old friend, balance. Balance makes me think of the concept of equilibrium I learned many moons ago in high school chemistry. Na+ & Cl- = NaCl. If something on one side of the equation changes, it effects change in the other side.

And, yes, the body is like this, too. Physiologic existence is basically a series of bodily actions aimed at achieving homeostasis. And think of illness ~ disease .... dis-ease. Yes, we all need to embrace balance.

Holly said...

Balance is a balancing act...in and of itself!

Tori said...

Balance is difficult... I wonder how many people ever really find it?