The balance in life includes all aspects of life, including wellness and fitness.
Traumatic events and pain create the illusion of life out of balance, while contentment and joy create the illusion of a life in balance.
Without knowing the purpose of life with a person’s awareness, it is impossible to know what balance is.
Imagine a person yelling in pain.
Is he suffering? Is his life out of balance?
Maybe not.
Maybe he is at a Gym, and his scream was an attempt to lift a heavier weight than he has ever lifted before.
Maybe his scream of pain was due to a doctor setting his dislocated shoulder back in so that his shoulder returns to a state of balance.
Imagine a person smiling with an absolute joy reflected in his face.
Is his life in balance?
Maybe not.
Maybe he is a drug addict who just used his drug with the money he stole from his best friend.
Like all appearances and by the very definition of the word appearance, the apparent suffering or joy are illusions.
In fitness, an illusion of balance is magnified by searching for a single cure for all steps. The need to put in the least amount of work and yet expect the best results reflect an attitude that is out of tune with the laws of life.
The flow of life is toward self-awareness and self-reliance. A man with a dislocated shoulder cannot perform many tasks for himself—the physical pain of setting his shoulder moves him closer to self-reliance.
A balanced life is not statically frozen into one state of consciousness. A balanced life is dynamic.
A balanced life is not statically frozen into one state of consciousness. A balanced life is dynamic. A surfer riding the ocean waves exhibits the dynamic balance in life beautifully.
A surfer is in a constant state of movements matching the ebb and flow of the current, riding them toward the shore with beauty and grace.
A holistic approach to balance training addresses what is needed to survive and thrive in life. As a fundamental component of physical fitness, balance exercises only address the limited need for balance in physical fitness and nothing more.
We gain limited benefits when we focus on a limited version of anything.
Planning steps that begin with larger pictures and broader strokes help gain more benefits from our efforts, reach a dynamic balance, and retain it.
Whether spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical, a holistic approach in balance exercises are more effective than isolated and focused exercises that disregard the larger picture.
In physical training, especially in functional training, balance training needs to include an expanded definition beyond physical fitness.