Tag Archives: mindfulness

Nature's Rhythms

Equinox Balance and Harmony

Leave a comment

“The dance between darkness and light will always remain — the stars and the moon will always need the darkness to be seen, the darkness will just not be worth having without the moon and the stars.” – C. JoyBell C.

The two-day period of Equinox marks a moment of exquisite harmony in the yearly cycle when day and night, light and dark are perfectly balanced.  As our lives and world are experiencing huge shifts Equinox represents a turning point where we can choose to calm any heightened energies we may be experiencing.

Equinox is the midpoint between the polarities of light and dark, feminine and masculine, spirit and matter. Although our experience of this significant point differs according to where we live, the underlying energy is the same for us all – balance. This is the energetic point of the year where we are able to experience conditions not as polarity but merged as one, in perfect harmony and balance.

As we travel through this brief window of balance and unity, of equal day and night, light and dark, we are given a fleeting moment to bring balance and wholeness into our lives. At this turning point we’re reminded to bring our awareness to the trajectory of our earthly experience and apply the energy of the moment to our experience.

Duality

Equinox marks the union of opposites, reminding us of the harmony of the whole.

Lying midway between the solstices, it is the time when night and day, feminine and masculine, action and rest, matter and spirit, are in perfect balance. It is the point of balance when inner feminine and outer masculine energies shift and change to meet in harmony. And it is our reminder that balanced equilibrium is the ideal state for our own lives.

Wholeness

Equinox is a powerful portal into higher consciousness. It’s the time when feminine and masculine energies merge, bringing unification of the duality within ourselves.

“The place where light and dark begin to touch is where miracles arise.”  ~ Robert A Johnson

In order to truly understand the light we must also experience the dark. Our Earthly experience is one of duality. Within our lives we continually swing back and forth from one extreme polarity to the other. From stillness to action, achievement to failure, certainty to irresolution, material to spiritual, we must experience both sides of any polarity in order to fully understand the other. It is through this process, back and forth, we come to understand ourselves.

The midpoint of this swing between duality is the fulcrum, the place of balance. It is the point of harmony between the extremes and the point at which we find unity and wholeness. Equinox marks the midpoint, the energetic position of balance, between the Solstices, the time of extreme light or dark. Equinox highlights the balance we must find and experience in the duality present within ourselves.

Stillness

Equinox is a transition moment of stillness which supports us to expand our awareness. When we slow down, go within, breathe with consciousness and enter the place of stillness, we can gain access to universal consciousness. We create a safe space to tune-in and hear the guidance of our inner voice. As we expand our awareness in this stillness, we open the channel to Source energy that allows us to engage more deeply with deep ancestral wisdom.

Within this vessel of feminine energy, this place of stillness, we can reflect and regroup. By just ‘being’ in this stillness rather than feeling a need for action, we gain awareness of our true needs and what we need to think or do to support our inner growth. With this knowledge we can then formulate a clear intention of the action needed to create change.         

Balance

Balance is the Keyword for Equinox: balance in personal and collective relationships, balance in taking and giving, balance between having and not having, balance between doing and Being.

Many of the crises we experience originate from our demands to have so much of everything. In addition to creating misalignment with our own heart path and purpose, this leads to imbalance with the land and its resources, and to a distortion and lack of mindfulness in human relationships.

Our modern technological world has distracted us from awareness that we are an integral part of an interconnected living network and all of the life within it. But it’s our responsibility to maintain a natural balance and harmony so that all life can flourish and be nurtured.

Celebrate this time of balance and bring your awareness to harmonising your own earth walk with the natural world and all it contains.

Equinox Practice

Equinox is a time to pause and give thanks. In the Southern Hemisphere where we enter Autumn, we give thanks for the harvest and all the bounties of Mother Earth. In the Northern Hemisphere show gratitude for the abundant new growth as Spring bursts forth.

This is a time to reflect on growth in your personal journey. It is a time to acknowledge and enjoy the fruits of your soul growth as well as the sprouting buds of new opportunity. And it is a time to contemplate the path that lies ahead of you.

As the point of perfect balance in the annual cycle, Equinox is a time when the natural energies support us to create greater harmony in our lives. It provides an opportunity for you to really examine and assess whether your life is balanced and harmonious.

Go within and reflect on where you need to bring balance and unity into your life and Earthly experience.  What do you need to change to bring about that balance? 

Ask yourself:

• Does my life flow?

• Is it in balance?

• Am I operating in constant duality, where everything is right or wrong?

• Am I consciously aligned with the greater cycles?

• How can I create more balance and harmony in my life, on all levels?

Equilibrium

Each of us holds the power to consciously bring balance and equilibrium into our lives on all levels – body, emotions, mind, spirit – as well as into the outside world as one soul.

Celebrate this time of balance and bring your awareness to harmonising your own earth walk with the natural world and all it contains.

Disclaimer

All information and opinions presented here are for information only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before trying any of the treatment suggested on this site. 

© Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health, 2026. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Catherine Bullard and Happy Holistic Health with appropriate and specific direction to the original content

Meditation & Mindfulness, Metaphysics, Stress & Overwhelm, Uncategorized

Combat Stress In Your Life With Meditation

3 Comments
The pace of life has increased exponentially over the last few years and we are all living with increasingly rising stress levels
The pace of life has increased exponentially over the last few years and we are all living with increasingly rising stress levels

“We are fragmented into so many different aspects. We don´t know who we really are, or what aspects of ourselves we should identify with or believe in. So many contradictory voices, dictates, and feelings fight for control over our inner lives that we find ourselves scattered everywhere, in all directions, leaving nobody at home.
Meditation, then, is bringing the mind home.”
― Sogyal Rinpoche

Stress plays a major part in the development of many illnesses. It is known to affect many body functions including the reproductive system, cause eczema and psoriasis, cause dry mouth or ulcers and musculoskeletal pain as well as affecting the immune system as a whole.

The pace of life has increased exponentially over the last few years. As we take on more and more in our lives and the influx of information bombards us faster and faster, we live with increasingly rising stress levels. The cause or focus can be our work, family, finances, aging parents, the planet, our own health or any of the myriad of commitments we all have in our life. Some may even stress about whether they’re allowing enough download time to counter the stress they have. Almost all of us, including children, are affected to some degree.

DE- STRESS

I often suggest to clients to offload the effects of this stress in their life by adopting the practice of meditation. Some say they have tried it but just can’t maintain focus. But for others the idea is somewhat daunting and many dismiss the idea out-of-hand. Introducing something new requires planning, and for someone already stressed allocating scarce time seems to only escalate their problem. Some even find the whole prospect a bit ‘woo-woo’ and uncomfortable.

But the fact remains that meditation is a wonderful way to de-stress, and it does not have to be difficult, or to require big chunks of your time. It doesn’t even need to actively involve ‘chakras’. You don’t need to join a class either as it is entirely portable. And it does not have to include burning incense, crystals, difficult yoga poses or the need to ‘get it right’.

Finding the right meditation for you

There are many different ways that the benefits of meditation can be obtained and it’s simply a matter of finding the one that fits you and your life, and then making that a regular part of your day.

There is a misconception that in order to meditate you need to completely shut down your mind. For most people the mind chatter just keeps on intruding, constantly pulling them out of that calm, quiet, thought-free place we all seek.

The truth is that in order to be able to meditate in that way takes many, many years of practice. For the majority thoughts wander in and out, and it’s ok. The key is to accept that your thoughts will wander, and to simply consciously pull them back again whenever they do, by focusing once more on the meditative technique that you are using.

The thing is, meditation does not have to be a big major undertaking. Sure there are yogis who can sit and meditate all day. But there are also others who do it throughout their day in bursts of a few minutes. And many more who allocate a set amount of ‘me-time’ when they are able to do their practice, and re-group.

MINDFULNESS

Walking Meditation

The enlightened Buddist monk Thich Nhat Hanh advocates doing walking meditations. These offer you the opportunity to transform an everyday practice into a healing and nourishing way to develop mindfulness, awaken your consciousness and to bring some peace into a life over-run with stress.

Basically, they are meditation in action. You become mindful of the action of walking and try to keep your mind focused on the experience of walking and breathing. This makes it a lot easier for ‘monkey minds’ to deal with as it gives the flighty mind something on which to concentrate. You can hear him explain it here and watch him demonstrate this form of meditation to a group of followers.

Walking Meditation is a good form of meditation for women, who often benefit from active meditation as it is more yang, or masculine. I learnt the practice of this powerful technique from this wonderful Walking Meditation Kit – comprising book, DVD and CD. Meditation Oasis has clear detailed instructions for doing a walking meditation to get you started right here.

If you find you prefer active meditation Osho offers a number of  dynamic meditations you may like to try.

Guided Meditation

Many people prefer a guided meditation as they find having a voice directing the practice helps them to maintain their focus. Here is a simple ten-minute relaxation meditation that I came across recently. I like it for its simplicity, her gentle, soothing voice and because it incorporates conscious muscle relaxation – perfect for releasing stress. I believe this is one you could even do at your desk if things start to get on top of you at work.

If you are having difficulty actually relaxing any muscles in these meditations one tip is to tighten each muscle momentarily. This allows you to relax the muscle on release. Use this technique until you are able to relax the muscles at will.

BREATHE

Deep Breathing Mindfulness

One of the simplest ways to start meditating is to practice consciously watching your breath, often called mindfulness . It comes out of Buddhist tradition but is not ‘religious’ in itself. It is all about ‘being present’ and allows for your mind to do its own thing while you develop, over time, the ability to detach from the thought. That sounds complicated, but in fact it is very simple.

Here are two variations of a calming and simple meditation that focuses on the breath, again from Meditation Oasis. Breathing Meditation is one of the simplest forms of meditation and yet is also one of the most powerful. You may discover you never need to look any further!

Other Forms of Meditation

Of course, there are many different types of meditation that can be used to fulfill all sorts of purposes. Many have heard of Transcendental Meditation which derives from Hinduism. Zazen meditation involves just sitting for long periods. Kundalini is gaining in popularity and focuses on the rising stream of energy that exists in humans.

Guided visualisations can be a very powerful way to opening your awareness. I use these in my Women’s Circles often with wonderful results. They involve concentration on an image or imagined environment or experience.

Another form of meditation that I have found particularly powerful is the practice of Qi Gong, a Taoist meditation technique. Qi gong is related to tai chi but not the same.

There are others as well and you may like to investigate some once you have established a regular meditation practice in your life.

I am a big fan of not taking on big loads; maybe I have an inner sloth, who knows. But if there is an easier pathway then I am always willing to give that option a go first. One way that always makes things a little easier to achieve is to break tasks down into their smallest bites and to then tackle those one at a time.

If the prospect of meditation seems a bit daunting to you then start small. Start out by adopting a five minute breathing meditation, or if that is too much make it three minutes. Or start by doing a quick body relaxation every day at your desk or before the kids come home from school, or before going to bed at night. Or maybe even do it for a few minutes a few times through the day. Sometimes I picture myself meditating like a Zen monk. But it is far more likely I will be sitting in my car catching a few brief moments to centre my breathing before plunging back into the chaos of life.

Soon you will find that it is easy to meditate.

“Meditation is the dissolution of thoughts in Eternal awareness or Pure consciousness without objectification, knowing without thinking, merging finitude in infinity.”
― Voltaire

This is how I picture myself meditating...but it is far more likely I will be sitting in my car catching a few brief moments to centre my breathing before plunging back into the chaos of life

Disclaimer.

All information and opinions presented here are for information only and are not intended as a substitute for professional advice offered during a consultation. Please consult with your health care provider before trying any of the treatment suggested on this site. 

Source articles:

A Step-by-Step Guide to Walking Meditation – Wildmind