New Year Musings: Balancing Masculine + Feminine

We would like to take a moment to wish you a very Happy New Year! We hope your holidays were filled with relaxation, revitalization & a lot (or at least a dash!) of self-care. Thank you for following us in 2017 & for your continued support in 2018.

With each new year, there is a certain pressure to resolve to change something about oneself. Common resolutions are to lose weight, stop drinking, stop smoking, exercise more, work harder or work less. As we reflect on these resolutions, we cannot help but notice that if we begin to balance the masculine & feminine energies of our beings, a lot of these unhealthy habits will resolve themselves.

In the sister sciences of yoga & Ayurveda, balancing masculine & feminine energies is not about adhering to cultural gender roles. Instead, it is about honoring & recognizing the masculine & feminine aspects of our being. We all have our own unique balance of both energies within us.

The masculine & feminine energies become imbalanced in modern day life quite easily & can lead to stress & destructive behaviors like overeating, smoking, drinking, etc. Commonly, in today’s go, go, go culture, the masculine proactive energy of working until you burn out is expected & encouraged. If this work behavior sounds like you, it may be time to consider how to balance out this masculine energy with your feminine side. Begin to look at situations holistically & use your intuition. Will the extra 2 or 3 hours of work push the rest of your day & eventually your year out of balance? If yes, honor yourself & if possible, set boundaries within your work environment to help you remain healthy, steady & calm. On your off time, do something creative or spend time in nature & avoid competitive activities.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, some of us have a difficult time tapping into our masculine energy. If you feel like your emotions have taken over your ability to stay calm & mindful under pressure or you are feeling unmotivated or insecure, it might be time to tap into the fire or masculine energy within you. Begin a new project, set a challenging goal at work, join a competitive physical activity & believe in yourself and all of the amazing things you can do. These actions will help you cultivate the masculine energy within to successfully strike balance in this new year.

We at PAAVANI have so much to look forward to in 2018 & cannot wait to share it with you!

Wishing you blessings, balance & abundance.

Namaste,
Trudy & Leah

Image courtesy of Carly Beaudin, RYT & Clinical Ayurvedic Specialist