You are not alone.

Do you feel that you have been pushed in the wrong direction without even realising it? Or going in too many directions at once, and want to achieve some balance in your life? In contrast, are there times that your life feels unsatisfactory, and you need something else in order to feel whole and balanced again?

Or maybe during your holidays, have you taken moments to quietly reflect on what brings you joy and balance, what is important in your life and how you want to spend the next 5, 10 or 20 years?

I sense more than ever before that these are issues clients are keen to work on. Like the onset of spring, creating balance can bring magic to our lives.

Where does the word “balance” come from?

The word ‘balance’ is Latin in origin. From bilanx, bis “twice” and lanx “pan, scale of a balance.” It was first used in English in the Middle Ages. It meant the scales you used to see in markets, two flat surfaces connected by a beam and poised on a central pivot.

Interesting questions emerge as we use the metaphor of the scale to analyse what balance is during coaching coaching sessions:

• If we think of our lives as a set of  scales, what do we put in the pans, and in what measures to obtain equilibrium? 

• What in our lives represents the beam poised on a central pivot of the scale?

The German spiritual teacher and self-help author Eckart Tolle reminds us that it is easy to become consumed with the thinking and doing of daily life. Both the doing and the being  dimensions are important and need to be honoured in our lives. As he explains, creating space for the being dimension is what gives our life awareness, purpose and a sense of balance.

The thinking and doing dimension, the ‘things of this world’ as Tolle describes in his book A New Earth,  are necessary to satisfy our physical and practical needs and are conditioned by time, space and things like housing, transportation, clothes, etc. They have an unbalanced characteristic as work, relationship and living situations will probably change over time and may disappoint us, therefore it is advisable to give them a relative importance. At the same time, there are situations where we set up our intentions but we don’t take the action needed to manifest them. If this is the case, we can put more energy onto the ‘pan’ of doing and take steps towards our dreams.

The being dimension, which coexists with the doing dimension, has a fundamental importance. It can be accessed by our conscious presence where there is a ‘cessation of the stream of thinking and a bigger space that opens up inside us’.  And in that, we are rewarded with the silent realisation of the depth of who we are, we connect to our own essence, our intuitive intelligence, we feel balanced and complete. By being in contact with this space we can open up to our inner purpose and inspired intentions that are bigger than ourselves. Sometimes we may even dismiss them since we don’t have any idea about how to pursue these ideals or dreams. If this is the case we can invest more of our energy into the pan of being and make a leap of faith trusting in the infinite possibilities that exist and that ‘it will be provided’.

Try this brief exercise – I invite you to sit quietly and to take a deep breath in and out through your mouth, gently  and connect with your heart by placing one hand over it and then the other hand on top to feel your heartbeat and focus on what brings you peace, joy and happiness. You could also say (if it feels right): “I am willing to receive another level of my light, another level of my being”

By doing this simple exercise you create space to expand the being dimension. As you practice this you may feel a sense of fresh air and pure light that can balance your life at any given moment. Your presence will also positively impact how you collaborate with others.

Scientists call the link between the respiratory and the nervous system an Embodied Neuroarchitecture, that can be easily accessible as an effective dynamic tool, which balances emotional, cognitive, and physiological processes.

Ask yourself this: How much doing and being do I need in my day to manifest my deepest desires?