As the fall equinox nears we are invited to think about balance and harmony. On this day, the sun spends as much time lighting up the sky as it leaves it dark when it makes its journey to the other side of our blue planet.

Life hangs in balance before shifting from growth to decay in the northern hemisphere. We are reminded of our ancestors, who marked this day as the beginning of winter, the season of preservation of energy, survival, and the longest night.

A simple search online can draw our attention to the fact that it is nothing new for us to feel that the world is ending. Another search will show us that for many people and creatures in the world, the apocalypse either is or already has happened.

On the other hand, we are where we are in our lives and comparison does nothing to ease the feeling that everything is changing so quickly and everything might end any day. From climate change to wars and expert opinions on AI, there are many threats that we are made aware of almost daily as they shine light on our eyes via our devices.

Combine that with the everyday challenges of our modern world, where even on rest days and vacations we have an endlessly renewing list of things that must get done to ensure we can live our lives in a more or less stable fashion.

It is easy to loose our sense of balance and harmony. Our internal world is a reflection of our external world, so how we take care of ourselves can have a profound effect on how we take care of the world.

Here are three ways that are easy to integrate into daily life that can help us restore our inner sense of balance and harmony. May this bring peace within and without.

1. Consciously remember to take deep, restorative breaths throughout the day. Whether you are working, driving, caretaking, celebrating, taking it easy... no matter where you are, how you are feeling, or what is happening, this is something you can do: Inhale deeply through your nose and move the breath all the way down into your belly. Then exhale with your mouth open, slightly narrowing the back of your throat to slow it down and make a prolonged sighing sound. If you can, close your eyes as to add more feeling to the breath. One breath can already work wonders.
2. Notice the balance and harmony in your body. What is your posture like? Is the way you are physically positioned adding unnecessary tension? Gently stretch, twist, and wiggle as you readjust the positioning of your body. If you are resting, focus on a balanced and harmonious physical feeling geared towards relaxation. If you are active, seek out balance and harmony between the tension necessary and possible relaxation. For example: If you are reading this on a laptop, activating your back, core, and neck muscles in a specific way can help you release tension while remaining actively present with this activity.
3.  Consider learning an alignment practice. While learning it can take a little time, once you have it down, you can do it anywhere and anytime in just a few minutes. A great place to start is with our blog post 3 Reasons to Ground, Center, and Align, and How to Do It. We also have a full course inside the Magic is Key membership, which you can access with our free trial today. What is important is to consider a practice that brings all your parts, your mind, body, and soul, into harmony. Different practices might utilize different names and labels for these parts, but they have the potential to lead to the same result.

Remember, finding balance and harmony within is important for our well-being. However, its reach is far greater than the summary of our own life.

May you enter the fall season with your eyes open for beauty as you receive all you need to feel nourished and supported.