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Have a Tea Party
The Mad Hatter aside, most of us are aware of the health-enhancing and disease preventative antioxidant powers of tea. Michael Smucker, vice president of Meru Tea, reminds us that pausing for a cup of tea in the midst of our daily routines allows for the opportunity to reflect, regroup, and redirect our energy. “Balance is inherent in the universe,” says Smucker. “To that end, it is more to be realized than sought. To me, universal balance is revealed in a cup of tea. Without sunshine, rain, Earth, and air, it would not exist. I see these things in concert with the skilled hands that prepared the leaves for my consumption—and from those hands to mine where the water is prepared, and poured boiling over the waiting leaves. As the infusion unfolds, a well-chosen tea offers a synergy of delicate colors, calming aromas, and taste that is both soothing and delicious. This ritual of having tea serves to quiet the mind. And if you quiet the mind, what is left is balance.”
Go for a Walk
Communing with nature can help connect you to the larger world and provide a sense of balance. Take a ten-minute walk—listen to the songs of birds, notice the play of clouds against the sky, or reflect on the shadow of a tree. Acknowledge and celebrate your place in the intricate mosaic of life.
Ground Yourself
Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapist Laurie Estey-Dudley, owner of Yoga Barn in East Kingston, New Hampshire, holds a degree in counseling psychology. “To feel balanced is to feel grounded,” she says. “Our bodies are in constant dialogue between gravity and space. Practice Mountain pose to help make a connection between yourself and the Earth beneath you. Stand looking straight ahead with soft eyes, back straight, and arms hanging by [your] sides. Spread your toes wide, feet touching. Be aware of locking any joints that might stop the flow of energy, and be certain to draw your tailbone toward the Earth. Breathe deeply.”
Read a Poem
“It’s easy to feel frazzled when you are constantly interrupted, and used to multi-tasking,” says Alissa Norton, poetry editor of Many Mountains Moving Literary Journal and mother of two. “It’s not uncommon for parents, especially, to be doing three or four things at once—pouring a cup of apple juice, talking on the phone, picking up toys, planning dinner. When you can slow down a little and consciously choose to be present in the moment, even for part of every day, the quality of your life will instantly improve. Poetry gives me an immediate respite from everyday hassles and concerns. Whether I am reading it or writing it, I always come away feeling invigorated, as if I have just returned from a mini-vacation. When I can’t go out and sit in an aspen grove for a few minutes, I read a Mary Oliver poem instead. If I’m feeling overwhelmed by everything I have to get done at work, I take a few minutes to write before I begin. When I can focus my mind through reading or writing, I find that I not only accomplish more, but I enjoy more. I notice the changing of the seasons, the way my children experience the world—and these, really, are the things that make up a life worth living.”
Move from Your Core
Says Barbara Marchbanks, BS, CIAR, fitness supervisor for the Centre for Well-Being at the Phoenician in Scottsdale, Arizona, “balance comes from strength in the trunk area of the body, now commonly referred to as [the] core.” Through Pilates exercises, individuals are able to strengthen these key muscles (located in the abdomen and lower back) enabling more effective movement and less back-pain. Advises Marchbanks, “While doing Pilates, always hold your belly button in as you inhale through the nose. This will keep your belly flat and allow the air to move into your upper back and rib cage. As you exhale, breathe out forcefully through pursed lips and contract the lower abdominal muscles as if you were trying to zip into a tight pair of jeans.”
Pay it Forward
Volunteering or mentoring, regardless of whether it’s only an occasional afternoon at an animal shelter or assisting a neighbor’s child with homework, helps us create a greater balance within the world. Even if your personal life is rife with challenges, you likely have something for which you are grateful. Share and celebrate that gratitude by helping another who is less fortunate, or performing an act of anonymous kindness such as slipping a quarter into a stranger’s parking meter before it expires. Volunteer Match (www.volunteermatch.org) can help you make a meaningful connection.
Travel Better
Marsha Marks, author of Flying by the Seat of My Pants: Flight Attendant Adventures on a Wing and a Prayer (Random House, 2005) says we can take our balance with us. “A wise person once said the bridge between hope and despair is a good night’s sleep. I would add that the best preparation for a peaceful travel experience is a good night’s sleep—and a little food. Before you go through security, eat a snack. Everything, from getting a ticket thrown at you, to having your last connection canceled, will be better received if you are rested and not hungry.”
Add Flax to Your Diet
Exercise, eating right, and reducing your stress are the best ways to lead a balanced life. Nutritionist Heather Jones adds, “Flax, being rich in alpha-linolenic (ALA), the essential omega-3 fatty acid, and phytochemicals makes a good addition to a healthful, balanced diet.” Flax has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke, cancer, and other chronic diseases and may also have anti-aging benefits. “Good health,” Jones explains, “requires the right ratio of omega-3 fatty acids to omega-6 fatty acids in the diet. Most people consume enough omega-6 fatty acids (abundant in walnuts, pine nuts, soybeans, and the following oils: safflower, sunflower, corn, soybean, cottonseed, peanut, and canola), but many are lacking in omega-3’s. Including flax in the diet can help you achieve this balance.” Flaxseeds are also loaded with dietary fiber, another essential component of a healthy diet. To get started, sprinkle a handful of ground flaxseed on your morning cereal or blend it in your breakfast smoothie.
Connect with Your Partner
Lana Holstein, M.D., managing director of medical programs for Miraval—Life in Balance in Tucson, where she leads year-round intimacy and sexuality workshops, suggests that the key to finding balance in your day is to reconnect with your partner when you get home from work. “One great intimacy practice is to sit together ‘tantrically.’ As a couple we often try to talk to connect at the end of a busy day and just get right back into whatever frustrated us. Try this: the guy sits on a cushion on the floor or on the bed and you come to sit on his lap facing him with your legs wrapped around his back. You can then lean your heads on each other’s shoulder or put your foreheads together as you match your breaths. It is wonderfully soothing and synchronizing to breathe together, it puts you in your partner’s arms, and you both get some nourishing, peaceful connecting moments before launching into the evening activities.”
Look Up
You don’t need to be an astronomer or have access to a telescope to appreciate the multitude of stars that sparkle in the night sky. Recognizing how small our little corner of the universe is can really help put our day-to-day struggles into perspective. Next time you feel overwhelmed, find a quiet spot and look up. It’s a great, big world.
Practice Savasana
One of the best things to do at the end of a stressful day is to do nothing. Judith Hanson Lasater, Ph.D., PT, yoga instructor, and author of Relax & Renew (Rodmell Press, 1995), advises to take fifteen minutes for yourself at the end of a stressful day. “Take a small pillow and a soft cloth, loosen your belt, take off your shoes, and lie down with your legs up on the couch. Place the pillow under your head, cover your eyes (remove glasses and contacts first) and simply just rest. Place your arms out to the side and breathe ten slow and long breaths. Then just stay lightly present with the breath as you feel yourself letting go. It is this act of letting go that will relieve the fatigue you feel so deeply.” This savasana (corpse pose) modification relieves fatigue and also revises tired legs. “It will increase your sense of well-being, change your interactions with your family in a way I am predicting you will enjoy, and become your daily contribution to world peace. No kidding. Imagine a world where everyone rested for fifteen minutes at the end of the day, and make a commitment right now to do this practice for life,” adds Lasater.
Rethink What it Means to Relax
Instead of trying to “relax” by watching TV or listening to the radio, go to your bedroom and unplug everything, advises Mary Cordaro, healthy home environmental consultant. “Instead of having all sorts of gadgets around you, you’ll have real peace and quiet. Relieve your body of the stress of electromagnetic fields (EMFs), and read. Read and relax in a true way so that the EMFs aren’t bombarding you.” Not only will you allow your mind to rest in peace, you’ll allow your body to rest as well.
Move!
With her husband Carlos, Debbie Rosas is cofounder of the Nia Technique and co-author of The Nia Technique—The High-Powered Ener-gizing Workout That Gives You a New Body and a New Life (Broadway Books, 2005). “Make sound. Making sound is how you breathe naturally and fully and is a major part of any Nia workout. Sounding is how you move lots of energy and release stress to create energy balance. While either standing or lying down, sound [out] all of the vowel sounds (A, E, I, O, U) or laugh out loud for thirty to sixty seconds. Feel your abdominal muscles becoming stronger and stronger—not from effort, but from pleasure! Make sound and emotionally get into the act of sounding to help release stress and open up your arteries. Sounding and laughter have the ability to open up the arteries by twenty percent, versus stress, which closes them.”
July/August 2005
