The journey which is yoga begins within. Forcibly pushing a body into a posture may get the body into the position, but what does this do to the inner body? Is the mind at peace? Is the mind aligned and balanced? What is within our subtle consciousness becomes externalized through our physical body.

People speak about balance a lot. There are myriad approaches to balancing one’s life in modern society. If you work for a corporation or organization, you may have access to work-life balance programs. HR may have such programs implemented upon its employees, forcibly or through gentle or not-so-gentle nudging. “Balance! One must have it.” What does this all mean, however?

Rare is the person who is completely balanced, as a whole. There may not even be such a person, and if there is, I haven’t met him or her. Rare is the person who is completely mentally balanced. We all have our off days, days where we just aren’t feeling 100%. Rare also is the person who is completely physically balanced. We all have some sort of mark, on one side or the other, that throws off the symmetry. Or, one arm is stronger than the other, one leg leaner than the other, one side more flexible than the other.

When it comes to balancing asanas in yoga, focus and concentration are required. Without it, one shall fall off the mat like a swaying palm tree caught in a rainstorm.

When first practicing balancing poses, gazing at a focus point, called a drishti, is recommended. Later, one can close the eyes, anchoring off themselves rather than external objects or points.

Our internal and external balance is affected in relation to our environment, such as people and objects.

Internally, say we are very dependent upon our partner to make us happy. To provide for us financially. To support us emotionally. To love us and make us feel appreciated. Now, say this person leaves us. Or passes away. What happens to us? We become an emotional wreck. We may even become depressed and stay in such depression for quite some time. Essentially, we become terribly imbalanced.

Externally, say we are dependent on our current home to provide us safety, comfort, relaxation, and shelter from the outside world. We become accustomed to coming back home after a hard day’s work, and exhausted, can finally relax comfortably. Now, say this home unexpectedly caught on fire. Or is destroyed through a natural disaster. What happens to us? We become angry, inconsolable, heart broken over our lost home. Essentially, we become imbalanced.

Now, say we remove this dependency on other people and objects to provide us emotional and physical support. Say we anchor off ourselves for safety, happiness and emotional well-being. What happens to us? Yes, we can still have deep, personable relationships with other people and yes, we can still have homes we enjoy coming back to. But if and when these people and things go away, will we become imbalanced? So much so that it will take months, years, even an entire lifetime to correct course? By anchoring off ourselves, we remain poised, even-minded and even-tempered, with equanimity. We’ll be able to bounce back, gaining control over our emotions rather than have our emotions rule over us.

Our body is supremely useful in letting us know when we have become imbalanced within. If we carry great tensions and anxieties within us, our bodies begin to reflect such tensions and anxieties through various knots and tight muscles on our back and shoulders. Chiropractic doctors, physical therapists and professional masseuses may be able to temporarily relieve the tensions, stiffness, aches and pains, but this only addresses the physical body. Two to three weeks later, the same ailments reappear. Why is this? We have not properly addressed the inner body, discovered the root cause of such tensions and anxieties. The imbalance will continue surfacing until we have properly met with it.

Everyone can learn how to balance the body but it all begins with the mind, like with anything else in life.

Whether that’s on or off the yoga mat, balance begins with one’s state of mind. Take care of the mind first, and the body will naturally follow.