The Art of Balancing

doing it all or doing less: practices and pauses

Balancing is an act, an art form at best. I remember the days I would spend hours trying to balance on my hands or work the perfect split. Then life shifted and I was balancing one child while working with one eye open while trying to catch up on sleep with the other eye closed. Then two kids, with one strapped to my back and one strapped to my chest while I hiked, or cooked, or worked. Balance? Did I have it or was I losing it? Should I eat, drink, sleep, or maybe exercise??

A few years ago I had a large owl wing tattooed on my left should down my bicep. When I was pregnant with my first child, Margot, I began to see owls in the early morning. A large Pueo, an owl native to Hawaii; flying overhead a pool I was swimming in in Hawaii. A Barn Owl along coastal Oregon. A Barred Owl while trail running. A Great Horned Owl running in my neighborhood. I began to look deeper at what owls mean, why do they come to us? Some research points to intuition, wisdom, inner knowledge, independence, and some speak to death and rebirth.

For me, pregnancy, was a rebirth. Who would I become as a mother when I had lost mine at ten years of age? What wisdom did I have to impart? What interested me most about seeing these owls, was their eyes, as though they were starting deep into my soul. I started to envision an owls eyes on my body, where would they go, what would they look at. As I wrestled with that I began to think more about the structure of an owls wingspan.

Did you know that a Snowy Owl’s wingspan can span up to 5 feet? Imagine that soaring over your head. It makes me dizzy with delight that we have such creatures on Earth. Or the teeny, tiny, Elf Owl who’s wingspan stretches a meer 9 inches. When I’m teaching movement I often refer to our arms as wings. Who doesn’t want wings big or small?

Owls wings taught me about the art of balancing life. With one wing on my body, I am a constant dance in motion.

*Paid subscribers join me this week on Wednesday morning 10:30am PST for a brief 30 min check in and meditation to bring more balance into your day. Bring your coffee/tea/water, sit or stand. I’ll offer a space for shared words and then silence. Zoom link at the bottom of this piece.*