Ardha Chandrasana has become one of my favorite yoga poses. By engaging the core and finding the strength of the standing leg, I can open into freedom, into a feeling of bliss. I often tell my students that by practicing balance poses we can find balance in our life off the mat. Hmmm…. With my children home for summer and my erratic work schedule, I seek balance on a daily basis. As I mentioned in my post Disconnecting to Connect, I set aside a day each week to just be with my children fully engaged and present. This helps me to have some balance between work and family time. A recent trip my family and I took to Lakeside, Ohio offered me just what I needed to feel firmly planted and open. At Lakeside, there is very limited access to Wi-Fi, the local coffee shop is the only place that offers Wi-Fi, so I refrained from my daily activity on email, only using my phone to tell my daughter when to return to the cottage. Our days were spent riding our bikes, walking down to play by the lake and sitting on the porch reading and greeting the passer-byes. I felt firmly rooted with an open heart and mind to be present for my family and myself. Returning home I had a busy week of Yoga for Girls Camp yet, I felt so grounded and open to each moment of the week. I’m still enjoying a sense of balance as a result of this week that my family spent away from the chaos of our modern life fully engaged and balanced.
How do you find balance on and off the mat?
“Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony.” Thomas Merton
Yoga and Inspiration 
Yoga for me has always been a door into the inner world. The poses are not ends in and of themselves, but instead tools for deep learning and growth. So, while I share the technique of headstand with you, I encourage you to ask yourself what the lesson of this posture really is about for you. Asking that question will set your goal on the true meaning of yoga – the life learning that you take off the mat and use to make your world a better place.