Post by Wendy Martin, Retreat Facilitator
Is Balance a really tangible and consistent thing? or is what we are searching for the ways in which we can flow and shape shift around moving in and out of balance?
If you think about it even when we walk we are in perfect balance for only a moment and then out the next. Perhaps our Quest for Balance is about recognizing those things which take us off balance, or the actions that tip us toward burn out. What if our quest for balance could begin with recognizing the things in our life that are out of balance? Perhaps relationships with ourselves and others, our connection to our bodies and it’s habits and patterns, our connection to the natural world we live in.. seeing these things without judgment and as a catalyst for growth.
Once we are able to see clearly we can begin to cultivate and draw in what we need to create an authentic sense of balance and equilibrium.
The last Quest for Balance Yoga and Sea kayaking retreat I facilitated taught me a lot about the balance in my relationships. How essential it is for us to cultivate healthy and sacred connections with those people in our lives that we love. I learned how powerful the connection between siblings can be and how the strong and silent presence of our sibling can help us reach our own sense of internal balance.
I realized that the age and time that separates a mother and daughter gets a lot smaller as we grow and to nurture our soul connection to our mothers is worth every moment of cultivated effort.
The group of girl friends on our retreat taught me about the sheer joy of friendship and support, how our friends can catch us when we fall off balance or support us when we push ourselves toward an edge.
Most importantly I realized how important it is when we can recognize that our relationship to our self is becoming foggy or distant, that we have been giving away more to others than we are giving to our self. How brave to step out of our everyday commitments and responsibility to simply feed ourselves back to a balance state.
Our shared and collective morning yoga practice on the dock restored my own understanding of balance. When we share special and sacred moments with others we feel our connection to the larger picture. We move into a resonation that is quiet yet crisp and alert, waking up our sleepy senses, this is space where we can hear our hearts and souls speak instead of the chatter of our minds.
When we take the steps to disconnect ourselves from the fast pace stream of every day life, the intuition of balance becomes strong. Have you ever had moments when you are in the perfect place? where you can feel fresh breeze on your skin, where you can feel it move through your soul, where the sound of lapping water calms your whole system, or where the rhythm of silence has resonated deep within you. These moments where you feel so connected to everything around you and within you, that even the choices you make feel clear and instinctive.
I am now understanding that balance is something ever changing and evolving, there is balance between effort and surrender, activity and rest, sun and moon, we are always searching for the way to be within ourselves and the world in a balanced way.. I am looking forward to what lessons and joys will come this weekend as I Quest for Balance with a new group of people, as we learn to ride the waves and currents of life I am hopeful that our times spent in balance will be greater than our times off balance..
With Love.
Wendy.
Interested in joining us for our signature Yoga & SUP retreat? Here’s some guest feedback!
“When I signed up, I figured I’d have a pretty good time. But I was astonished by how truly wonderful it turned out to be. And the impact that it had on me, physically, mentally and spiritually. Thanks to Wendy’s and Joanna’s gentle guidance, loving care and slightly wicked senses of humour – I not only had the best vacation I could imagine, but I was able to really relax, gain some much needed perspective, rediscover my love of yoga and the outdoors and overcome some hurdles which turned out to be more mental than physical. Then there’s Greg’s awesome meals. Yummy. In short, A Quest for Balance completely rocks! Once you experience it, you’ll kick yourself for not doing it sooner.”
~ Lisa Denvir, Toronto
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