Try this – Stand in place with your feet hips’ distance apart and parallel. Close your eyes. Tune in. You may immediately find that you start to sway, left, right, forward, back. Breathe. Observe. Focus. Breathe some more. As you continue to inhale and exhale you may find the movement diminishes, your body finds its rhythm with the movement of the earth and whether it’s breath by breath or all at once you find your center. Steady. Balanced.

It’s amazing that the simple act of closing one’s eyes can throw us completely out of balance. And its equally amazing that with time and focus the body will find it’s way back into equilibrium, a balanced state. Life is the same way, isn’t it? You head out into the world with eyes wide open, set goals, draw up elaborate plans, try to anticipate all of the obstacles that may present themselves – but life being life you are hit with the unexpected and your world is thrown out of balance. Perhaps at these times it’s best to listen to your body wisdom – Breathe. Observe. Focus. Breath some more. As you continue to inhale and exhale you may find the movement diminishes, you find your rhythm with the movement of the earth and whether it’s breath by breath or all at once you find your center. Steady. Balanced.

When we come face to face with the unknown and unanticipated it is only natural that they disrupt our balance. But every time we are blindsided there is an inner sight (insight?) that enables us to steady ourselves, to overcome, to come back to a balanced state. Our toolset consists of breath, focus and will. It’s bolstered by love, patience, faith, hope, persistence, resilience, contentment and gratitude. It’s with these tools, that even when we get hit the hardest, knocked right onto our seats – Breathe. Observe. Focus. – we’re able to get back up, dust ourselves off and place ourselves exactly where we need to be – standing steady on our own two feet.