Balance

To the ancients, balance meant many different things. In China, the idea of Yin and Yang emerged gradually from the 14th century BCE, culminating in the philosophy of the Tao. This idea that opposites need each other, and may be on a spectrum, is also seen in the Greek philosophy of Heraclitus where opposites are seen as two sides of the same thing. It has been observed for a long time that nothing makes sense without contrast. There is no joy without sadness, no pleasure without pain, no success without failure. It is a concept deeply rooted in the human psyche, for thousands of years, and probably longer, humans have accepted that life is full of contrasts and that this is what makes life worth living.

Many people throughout history have commented on the struggle of life and how worthwhile it is. Vincent Van Gogh struggled with his mental health but produced some of the greatest works of art. He said ‘in fighting the difficulties, the inmost strength of the heart is developed”. Friedrich Nietzsche noted that “to live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering”. The list goes on, notable figures throughout history understood that there is no reward without sacrifice. Opposites are for some reason, an essential part of reality which must be respected.

Too much of an opposite poses a dilemma, for example, if I gave you a billion dollars you would see that as a very fortunate thing. However, when you look at what this means for a person, the verdict on whether it is good or bad becomes cloudy. On the face of it, it is the end of all your financial worries, your family and friends are set up for life. The best healthcare, education, housing are all available to you. Great you might think. But what does this change mean for your life. Saying that you give all your friends and family a fraction of the winnings, and they don’t destroy themselves in jealousy and infighting. Has the struggle disappeared? Well you still have to find purpose in life. A working man finds his purpose putting food on the table for his family. Where is the purpose in doling out money which you never earned? Suddenly the lack of struggle becomes a struggle in itself. You might invest in businesses, or try to start your own business, even though you have no experience in that. What would that teach you about life. It’s just another form of gambling.

This is where balance becomes a purpose worth pursuing. When you have too much of anything, you need the opposite to appreciate it. Francis Ngannou grew up in poverty in Cameroon, working in sand mines since the age of 9, until one day he decided he could do better for himself. He travelled north for 14 months through Africa, the Sahara desert even, before finally reaching Spain where he was detained as an illegal migrant. After his release, he made his way to a Paris car park, where he slept for two months, while asking boxing and MMA gyms to let him train for free. 8 years later he became UFC heavyweight champion. It is a success story for sure. The average person in a developed country wouldn’t have this type of hardship, they might face different hardships to their health, personal or work life, and some may be better off than others, but on the whole, everyone is seeking balance to their lives. It’s what sets us apart from the animals, we are deeply motivated by meaning.

We see balance and lack of balance all around us, in our daily lives, on the news, we all have an innate sense of fairness and desire for everyone to get their just reward, or punishment, as it may be. Karma, the famous Buddhist concept, is deeply rooted in popular culture and our collective psyches. A universe without balance is a terrifying concept to a civilisation, it means the strong rule the weak and injustices would be a daily fact of life. Christianity preaches about spiritual consequences to our actions in this life, the metaphysical heaven and hell. Our actions must have meaning and that means consequence. Humans seem to have shared this sense of universal justice for a long time. How then from a holistic health perspective can we learn to bring balance to our lives?

It starts with breathing, everything starts and ends with breathing. It’s the first thing you do when you are born and the last thing you do at the end. In practical terms, breathing exercises relax and sooth the nervous system, freeing us of stress and a fixation on the past and future. Eckhart Tolle brought this Zen philosophy to my attention, in his best selling book ‘The Power Of Now’, he notes that when you ‘Surrender your attention to what is and become fully present, the past (and future) ceases to have any power’. Focusing on breathing is meditative, it takes your mind away from anxiety of the future or sadness of the past. It ‘balances’ your mind. When practised often, this becomes habit, and will bring balance to your thoughts and decision making, for example: the box breathing method- x seconds in, x seconds hold, x seconds out, x seconds hold. Or the Wim Hof breathing method – two minutes of deep breathing followed by a minute breath hold. This oxygenation of the brain and body, as well as the psychological benefits of escaping your perceived issues, is the easiest and quickest way to get balance into your psyche.

Once your mind is present and your emotions calm, then your actions in everyday life play out much easier. There is still struggle but there is also relief, you have found a way to cope with the difficulties life throws at you. Before you go into a big presentation at work, breath deeply, before you go to a funeral, breath slow and long, you injure yourself, breath quickly. The breath should be the foundation to everything you do in life. When there is struggle, look to first balance yourself and then your life will follow.