Balance: does it limit what you can do?

I speak a lot about balance. Why balance is so important to the human body. Why we crave and need balance. But being in balance begs a question.

Can it stop you from striving for more?

Many of you write back. One of the consistent themes is the ability to push, to do more.

Imagine if an Olympic champion started seeking balance. How would she work toward breaking barriers, limits and the capacity of the human body?

I think it is a brilliant question.

How can we manage the need to do more with the need for the human body to be balanced?

The simple answer lies in a concept called flow. It was made popular by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, a Hungarian psychologist.

The concept of flow essentially speaks about pushing the boundaries of what you are capable of.

You do so by pushing only so much that you are not completely out of your comfort zone. Pushing too much would make the experience uncomfortable. Pushing too little would prevent you from doing more.

So create flow.

A state where you enjoy the experience enough to keep doing it while simultaneously pushing boundaries.

There is even a medical term for it. It is called Allostosis. The capacity of the human body to adapt to a situation, when called upon.

The Inuit’s having a larger than normal liver because they consume a fat heavy diet. So, the adaptation is not just emotional or temporary.

It is physical and permanent.

Balance does not mean settling for less. Balance does not mean you give up on your dreams or accept the limits of the human body.

Instead, balance is the recognition of your limits with the desire to discover its boundaries. To push beyond, but do so without triggering chronic stress, inflammation and disease.

Finding your unique balance is what seperates those that do from those that cannot.

Reach out to me on twitter @rbawri Instagram @riteshbawriofficial and YouTube at www.youtube.com/breatheagain