Dynamic Balance

“A body is balanced when it is stationary. That means there must be no net force or torque. Hence, any forces on the body must be canceled / balanced by opposing forces.”  ~ Law of Physics.

Using the physics model we can learn to apply the same principles to how we balance our life.  I invite you to start by figuring out your center of mass (it is said to be one inch below the navel) and aligning it with the base of your support.   Plant both your feet on the floor, shoulder width apart, and stand upright with arms outstretched on either side, parallel to the ground, palms facing down.

Now imagine each life area (as listed on the ‘Definitions’ page) is a string attached to a weight at the end.  Each string is tied in a row to either arm.  Be steady, look straight ahead and notice the gravitational pull on each arm.  You might begin to find that one arm feels heavier than the other.  It begins to get weighted down as one life area on that arm is tugging at you more forcefully.  You begin to sway slightly as you attempt to jerk that arm up firmly.  By and by, you sense both arms are lowering of their own volition, as if the demands of separate life areas are vying for your attention.  You might even find yourself listing to one side, in a valiant effort to regain your balance.   You realize you are out of alignment.  The problem is we tend to seek static balance when in fact engaged in a dynamic interaction with life.

 “Static balance is the ability to balance while holding one position.  Dynamic balance is the ability to balance while moving or changing between positions”, says Cindy Killip, author, health coach, fitness specialist.    “The real value of developing static balance is that it helps improve dynamic balance. To move through life balanced, you must both create movement and resist momentum.”

In leading a healthy life we are constantly engaged in the robust dynamism of movement.  It makes sense to seek and maintain dynamic balance.  Imagine life as a seesaw, or teeter-totter, or any other name you call it by.  As a child you probably sat astride on one end of the plank with a buddy on the other end grabbing on to the tiny handle for dear life.  Fond memories of going up and down to squeals of joy and terror all rolled in one, are probably flooding in.

Today, I invite you to stand on top of the center of the plank that rests on its pivot, spreading your feet apart.  The seesaw represents life and each life area is gravitational force acting on you.  The life areas do not wait their turn in a disciplined manner.  They can be rather indecorously and disrespectfully demanding simultaneously.  You learn very quickly that if you are not mindful, the seesaw can slam down to the ground at one end and fly up into the air at the other end throwing you off balance, when you are least expecting it, leaving you dazed and bruised.  You realize it is sensitive to the slightest movement.

You begin to pay attention and respond to the pull of each life force purposefully.  As you gradually gain confidence in acquiring the art of riding the seesaw, using your own body to identify its ‘moments’ (effects on the sway of the seesaw), you begin to develop your own ‘turning force’ (influence on each life area)  and calibrate it to balance the seesaw of life.  As you stand triumphantly on the pivot of mindfulness, you are creating movement and resisting momentum when needed.  You are on your way to mastering dynamic balance.  ~ Sushama Kirtikar, May 2015