Balancing the two sides of ourselves

One of the most simple yet powerful models I teach my clients in balancing their own emotions and energies is understanding masculine and feminine energies within themselves. An emotion we all long to feel is calmness and when we are balanced within ourselves and these two energies the mind and body experience calmness. A calm balanced mind and body is in fact a healthy mind and body. In this space we have a feeling of wholeness and fulfillment within.

Balancing these energies within ourselves gives us this balance, calmness and ultimate health.

So what are these energies I am talking about and how do we work with them to balance ourselves?

These energies are not based on gender; within each of us we have the expression of the masculine and  the expression of the feminine. Carl Jung described it best when we said within each of us is a male and female aspect- within the unconscious of a man there is the anima (the feminine expression) and within the unconscious woman there is the animus(the masculine expression). By having both these expressions and energies within us we can understand why we are drawn to certain people and not to others as they reveal those parts of us within.

Eastern Philosophies explain these energies in the concept of YIN and YANG. In this Taoist belief yin and yang cannot be separated- just like the Yin Yang symbol- within the feminine there is the masculine and within the masculine there is the feminine and true harmony and health occurs in the delicate balance of these two polarities.

Very simply put the chart below describes the attributes of each

Masculine (Yang)	Feminine (YIN)
Strength Focus Purpose Action Courage Giving Logical thinking Likes Order Fast Hard Light/Day Conscious Mind Social Fast Assertive Provider Loud Targeted communication Rational Muscular Adventurous/risk taker Leadership Decisive Extroverted Motivator: Self Survival Business Motivator: Bottom Line EGO YANG	Softness Dreamy Distracted Stillness Timid Receiving Intuitive Creative Flow Slow Soft Darkness/ night Unconscious mind Internal Slow Passive Nurturer Quiet Open, expressive communication Emotional Soft Conservative Responsive Open Introverted Motivator: Caring for others Business Motivator: Being of service ESSENCE YIN

What I love most above this model is that very simply you can look through these lists and see where your dominating behavior lies. Once you gain that awareness you can clearly see what attributes you need to add to your behavior to balance yourself a bit more. For example let’s say you are feeling stuck and lacking energy and focus, in this space your energy feels passive, dark, dreamy and timid. By focusing on the opposing traits you can balance your energy. So when you are feeling stuck you can turn that into action and focus; lighten your energy and be more assertive with certainty and clarity. In contrast to that if you are feeling an extreme inner strength which feels more like protection you can soften your heart by getting out of your head and allow more nurturing and gentleness in.

Obviously there is a lot more to balancing your energies which includes altering your exercise programs and food to allow more stillness or action but in the meantime you can begin by gaining awareness of the different tendencies and where your energy lies and bring yourself into balance through this awareness.

This also works so beautifully in relationships where we can begin to notice these tendencies in our partners and begin to compliment each other rather then match the energy. By complimenting each other we create a force of polar opposites which will create an attraction. In most relationships these days there is too much masculine energy so the entire relationship is imbalanced. Notice what tendencies you andyour partner have and how you can begin to balance each other. This will bring harmony within yourself and harmony within your relationship.

You will recognize this harmony with the feeling of calmness within- where the body and mind are not activated but blend in stillness and homeostasis. This in turn calms our nervous system which leads to clarity of thought and creativity- imagine how powerful we all become when we reach this balance?

"The brighter the sun, the darker the shadow." Carl Jung

Have a great week and please share this post with your friends on facebook!

Lots of love,

Cheryne
http://www.cheryneblom.com/