Finding Balance in Instability

My knees went weak.
The rug was pulled out from under me.
The earth moved.
I was thrown off balance.

The way we talk speaks volumes about the way we feel.

When we feel unstable or unsteady, we use our legs, feet, and knees – our physical structural support – to describe our experience.

Similarly we might say we’re sure-footed, steady on our feet, and grounded to describe feeling stable and secure.

That’s because there’s an energetic link between your body, mind, and emotions.

Which means it doesn’t matter where you start – you can affect your entire experience just by honing in on one aspect of it.

This is why physical activity can make you feel so good – the body changed so the mind and emotions changed.

Or why sitting in meditation can make you more physically flexible.

They seem unrelated, but when you change the mind, you change the body, and vice versa.

Which means if you experience symptoms related to what in yoga we’d call the root chakra:

– Feeling unsupported by your family and friends
– Struggling with money
– Worrying about basic needs like food and shelter
– Feeling hyper-alert and concerned about your safety

Then you can create more stability and security throughout your whole life & business by focusing on practices that emphasize root chakra energy within you.

For example, say you moved a lot as a kid, your current housing situation is rocky, or your business isn’t financially supporting you – you can balance those feelings of instability through grounding, stabilizing practices.

Things like standing barefoot in the grass and feeling yourself physically supported by the ground. Or practicing standing yoga postures to strengthen your physical base – the muscles of your feet, calves, and thighs.

You could also come at it from the mind – repeating affirmations (I am safe) and deconstructing and replacing your unhelpful beliefs.

Or you could approach it from the energetic and emotional angle through meditation, mantra (in this case the sound of Lam), or breathing practices specifically tailored to root chakra.

It doesn’t matter where you start, as long as you start.

Try this:

Sit quietly in a comfortable position and close your eyes. Take 3 breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.

Feel your feet, legs, and buttocks supported by the chair or floor.

Notice any sensations in the body – things like temperature or pressure changes where the chair or floor meet the body. Soften into those points of connection.

Then bring your awareness to your pelvic floor.

Notice if you can feel the pelvic floor moving with the breath. There’s a slight down and fanning outward movement with the inhale, and a gentle inwards and upwards movement as you exhale.

After a few minutes of observing how your pelvic floor moves with the breath, add a gentle squeeze at the very end of the exhale.

Inhale – the pelvic floor naturally fans down and out.
Exhale – the pelvic floor draws inwards and upwards and you add a gentle contraction at the very end of the exhale.

Continue to breathe like this – adding the gentle inward and upward squeeze – for a few minutes.

Then release the practice, take a few deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth, and open your eyes.

Be free. Be brave. Be YOU!

Love,
Alexis