Today is the fourth and final article in a four part series where we’re talking about the 4 Elements of Your Empowered Voice. Click here to read the first part on Grounded Stability, here to read the second part on Explored Awareness, and here to read the third part on Liberated Expansion.
Balance is the element of Embodiment for an Empowered Voice
The reason this element is the last one is because in order for you to understand what balance you truly need, you first have to have Grounded Stability, be connected to your inner voice through Explored Awareness, and be practicing Liberated Expansion. This element is where you take all you’ve learned and distill it into an embodied way of living. This is where you create boundaries based on your values and decide in which ways you want to release your voice into the world, and which ways you need to be quiet. This is where you continue to live out what you’ve learned on your journey so far and act in alignment with who you are. This is where the knowledge, awareness, and consciousness you’ve gained gets integrated.
This is also where you now can choose to go back to other elements as you go deeper in your journey. This does NOT mean you have “arrived”, or that the other 3 elements don’t need to be practiced anymore. Life is a journey and it will always be shifting and changing, just as the seasons and nature’s cycles.
I have an issue with the word Balance. Many people think of balance as a fixed point, a fulcrum, a destination. But when it comes to life, balance is something that is constantly shifting and moving, it just doesn’t go to far to one side or the other for the needs of the moment. Think about it in terms of music. If a song had the same dynamics throughout the entire piece, equal harmony the entire time, and no moments of tension and resolution, it would be pretty boring. It might sound like a drone – and even music that is heavy on the drone for meditation or style purposes still has dynamics, they are just on a smaller scale. Music that is dynamic touches our souls. The moments of musical and artistic tension affect our emotions. Think of the build up before the drop, the story the soprano tells before the climactic high notes, the way that each verse and chorus in a song is a little different; a little louder, a little quieter, more full, or more sparse. When you lose yourself in a song, it’s the dynamics that take you on the journey.
Translating this to life, our moments of light and shadow, joy and sadness, time alone and time with others, quiet and noise are what bring balance overall. One person’s balance is not going to be the same as someone else’s, nor is your “ideal” balance at one point in life going to be the same as earlier or later in life. It can even change day by day. This is why I call it the element of Balanced Embodiment. It’s not just about some magical unicorn moment of feeling perfect peace because everything is *just right* and trying to keep that feeling. But rather it’s about a balance of elements spread out in your life. It means you’ve created a life that gives you the time *you* need for your spirit, body, mind, space, and relationships. Depending on what priorities and values have come out of your Discovered Awareness, the spread of balance for each area will be different for you than for someone else.
So what does this look like? Think about the practical elements of your life. Do you have a job, or are you an entrepreneur, or are you supported in other ways? Do you have a partner, children, or people you’re responsible to care for? Do you have other commitments to community? How important is time for creativity? Do you need time alone to recharge, or do you need to be around people a lot? Do you have a cause that you champion through volunteering, advocacy, or activism? Do you experience oppression in our society? Do you have a disability or chronic illness? What kind of spiritual practice do you need to have? What are your highest priorities and values?
The answers to these questions determine what kind of balance you need. For one person, it may mean more time is spent outside the house than in it, even during free time. For another, it may mean intentionally creating routines that support their goals. For yet another, it may mean allowing life to flow easily and simply paying attention to what their body and spirit is saying it needs.
The message of the element of Balanced Embodiment is to listen to your inner voice and what it says you need, and to then live that out. Make the changes you need to make and don’t ignore the guidance you’re receiving. And in making those changes, you’re able to live out the purpose that you want for your life, and connect with the people you want, including clients who want to work with you!
What does balance look like for you? Are there ways that you’re ignoring your inner voice’s guidance about what to do so you have greater balanced embodiment in your life?
I am here to support you on your journey! Contact me if you’d like to work together, or schedule a call.
