Life used to be an unholy mess. I had a promising law career interrupted by a surprise pregnancy and after six months returned to the punishment of 90- minute train commutes to work 70 hour weeks. My husband, also an attorney, came from a large family where mom stayed home to tend the babies while dad, a butcher, was literally left to bring home the bacon.
So naturally my dearest wanted no part of diaper changes and 2 AM feedings, so guess where they landed? Well, it’s a year later now and I am so, so happy to tell you that my life has changed. About nine months ago, I attended a Chakra Balancing workshop and lightning must have struck my husband while I was gone because someone stuck a bumper sticker on his car that said, "Men who change diapers change the world,” (I swear I had no part in this) and he had a brand new attitude when I got back home. We actually even kiss each other goodnight now and sometimes even have sex if we don’t forget.
So how do I keep this magic alive? Can I bottle the rainbows and keep them in the medicine cabinet to break open in the case of emergency? What must I do to keep my chakras balanced?
Harmonious and Hopeful in Hoboken
Dear Harmonious,
Thanks for such an illustrative and thought-provoking letter. Just like you have already found out about having a baby, even as difficult as it is for many women, the actual labor of delivering the baby may be the easiest part to rearing a child. And so, balancing your chakras is only the beginning of a life overflowing with boundless opportunities. But once balanced, keeping your chakras balanced is incrementally easier than the arduous journey to reach that point. Although once your chakras are balanced you simply cannot relax secure in the knowledge that you are now a card-carrying, placard-waving permanent member of the Balanced Chakras Society. The work for you is only just beginning and furthermore the seven major chakras plus the multitude of minor ones are all interrelated and a change in one, intentional or not, will shift the delicate equilibrium and require a compensating change in the others.
In addition, your habitual behavior patterns might be as comfy and warm as your holey bathrobe that only your husband sees, but be very, very wary of your old friendly habits as they can lead you down a familiar path to places where insecurities and stresses are piled higher than January snow in Buffalo.
So try making your balancing practice an integral part of your everyday routine to keep you conscious and on track. Perhaps you might put the legal brief aside for a few minutes and wear earplugs on your train ride to help you fall into a meditative state, listen to a guided meditation on your mp3 player or practice blessing your train mates or the world outside the train windows.
Be it yoga, Tai Chi, color therapy, gardening, playing music, meditation, aromatherapy, or a combination of your own choosing, above all else, do what you enjoy and what fits in your everyday life. Like everything else, practice does make perfect and so I hope that you keep me posted on your progress.
Namaste,
Becca