Thursday, September 25, 2014

A Balancing Act

Most mornings I try to set aside a little time to do some simple Yoga stretches.  The practice helps me wake up my body and increases my focus, flexibility, and energy level throughout the day.  (Here's a shameless plug for my friend Max at Mt. Olive in Santa Monica...check out their website, www.mtolivelutheranchurch.org, and join one of his classes if you're in the area...you'll be glad you did!).

One of the Yoga poses I like to do is called a tree pose:  while looking straight ahead and maintaining focus, one foot is lifted to the inside of the other leg.  The pose is held as long as possible.  Now you have to understand, I've never been a very coordinated type, so it's been a good thing, finding a practice that helps me increase my balance and ability to focus.  

I've gotten pretty good at it, too, I'm proud to say.  But this morning I noticed something--something really important.  While attempting that tree pose a thought came to mind: I pictured others watching me, and I lost my balance.  A second attempt and the same thing happened.  No one was watching (well, except maybe the cat). It was only the THOUGHT of someone watching that threw me off kilter.

Hmmmm....think about THAT!  The mere idea of an audience can create an imbalance in our lives.

There are many times in life when the observations of others can help us get back on track.  We need community--each other--to remind us of what's important and steer us away from danger toward safety and prosperity.   On the other hand, being too focused on those who may or may not be watching us can be a dangerous source of imbalance in our lives.  

All of which reminds me of that helpful saying, 

"What other people think of me is none of my business."

It's most certainly true--especially if they aren't thinking of me at all!

Wishing you all a well-balanced week!  If you enjoy reading these, please feel free to share them with others!  You'll find this post, as well as past blog posts at www.realacorns.blogspot.com.

(c) 2014, Stephen Fiechter

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