When The Light and Dark Meet

When light and shadow meets as equals.

Welcome gentle souls,

The September equinox is almost upon us, the beautiful threshold moment between the light and dark, when the sun shines directly above the equator making day and night equal across the globe. The aequus nox, (sounds so poetic in Latin) the equal night.

This is time when the earth finds her balance, for a brief pause, when lightness and darkness meet as equals, neither needing to overcome the other. The yin and the yang. A perfect symmetry between what has been and what is to come. The activity of summer and the quiet of winter; the expansion of energy and life, and the retreat into stillness and reflection. What was certain, and now what is mystery.

Light takes a brief equal breath with shadow.

We can find our own sense of balance at this time with a breath practise called sama vritti - equal breathing, where the inhale and exhale mirror one another in length.

Find a quiet place to sit still, with your back straight, close your eyes or bring a soft focus to your vision.

Inhale slowly and mindfully though your nose for a count of 4, you have the option to hold or notice that small space at the top of the inhale, then exhale for a count of 4. There is a little natural pause at the bottom of the exhale.

I feel like this time is a reminder that we need both something to move away from and something to move towards. A moment to consider where we might find greater balance in our own lives, a meeting place of harmony and symmetry. And of course the beginning of the Libra season, the sign of balance.

What might equilibrium look like within us? In a balance pose we sway, we notice, we respond and return. Equilibrium is always flowing to and fro. Perhaps balance isn’t somewhere we arrive, but something we continually return to.

What am I moving towards and what am I ready to move away from?

Until next time,

Blessings,

Stephanie

If you enjoyed this exploration of balance and equilibrium, I’d love for you to come and join me for some yoga practise, breathwork and a little more space to simply be.

Soul to Soul Yoga classes every Friday, 10am-11am, at Whiteleaf Yurt, Oxmoor Farm.Great Missenden.

Or join my seasonal soul letters for a monthly note on the season and what is coming up.

May your light shine brightly.